Thanksgiving (2023) [Review]
Image: Sony Pictures
Thanksgiving began as a fake trailer in Robert Rodrigez and Quentin Tarantino’s double feature, Grindhouse (2007). It now joins the ranks of Machete (2010) and Hobo with a Shotgun (2011), two other movies that spawned from the Grindhouse trailers. I’ve been waiting for this movie for years, and am so happy it’s now made real. Not only is it real: director Eli Roth delivers.
The film opens on a Thanksgiving night in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the town with the deepest connections to the holiday. A disastrous Black Friday sale at the RightMart turns into a bloody riot when Jessica (Nell Verlaque), who is the store owner’s daughter, and her friends Scuba (Gabriel Davenport), Bobby (Jalen Thomas Brooks), Gabby (Addison Rae), Yulia (Jenna Warren), and Lonnie (Mika Amonsen), get into the store through the employee entrance and taunt the crowd by buying goods early. People are trampled and killed in a wave of consumerism-fueled madness.
A year later, as Thanksgiving approaches, people connected to the fateful riot start turning up dead, killed by a man dressed as a pilgrim. Jessica and her friends, tagged by the killer on Instagram, are now targets. Do they rely on the help of the police and sheriff (Patrick Dempsey), or do they take matters into their own hands to find the killer?
Image: Sony Pictures
Thanksgiving isn’t shot in the grimy style of the original Grindhouse trailer, but that doesn’t mean it spares any of the gory details. The movie’s got the requisite Thanksgiving-related kills, graphic violence, and amazing physical special effects to make it all work. This doesn’t mean it’s all blood and guts. Something you don’t get from the movie’s trailers is that it’s also laugh out loud funny, and the crowd at my screening was getting the joke and having a great time. The performances aren’t particularly memorable, but that’s not why we go to a movie like Thanksgiving. We come for the guts and the rollercoaster thrills; with this movie we get both plus the bonus of sharp comedy.
Thanksgiving is a snappy 106 minutes. Though the plot can be predictable, it didn’t take away from any of my enjoyment. I’ll also say that this movie is for everyone (as long as you’re not squeamish). Not a rabid fan who memorized the original fake trailer? No problem. This is the most fun I’ve had with a slasher in ages and I’ll probably go see it again over the holiday. Bravo, Mr. Roth!
At Thanksgiving dinner this year, I’ll say that I’m thankful for Thanksgiving being a real movie that I can now watch. The question now is, will Edgar Wright’s Don’t ever become a reality?
