All Of Hallmark's Thanksgiving Movies (So Far), Ranked By Reviews

While it will always play second fiddle to Christmas in the United States, Thanksgiving is certainly no small mashed potatoes as far as holidays are concerned. It's a cozy time of year when the nights get longer, and weather gets colder, and the most important thing on a lot of peoples' minds is how to plan the perfect Thanksgiving meal. There are many tips on how to enjoy your Thanksgiving turkey without feeling your worst when it's over, and even more on how best to plan your long Thanksgiving weekend, but we personally feel that one way you can get into the Turkey Day spirit is to check out some Hallmark Channel movies.

The holiday season is, without question, one of the busiest times of year for the Hallmark Channel. Just before the network begins to ramp up its Christmas holiday releases, there are a number of cozy autumnal flicks to dig into — including a handful of Thanksgiving-themed movies. Not unlike a Thanksgiving dinner spread, some of the dishes, er, movies on this list are better than others. (That said, we're not so sure any would be in the running for worst Hallmark movie of all time.) If you're hungry for some Hallmark Turkey Day content, consider this ranking before digging in. 

Not every Hallmark Thanksgiving movie can be a winner, and such is the case for 2009's "The National Tree." With an average reviewer rating of 5.9/10 on IMDb, it seems to have left several reviewers very unimpressed. "The National Tree" tells the story of a video-blogging teenager named Rock (Evan Williams) who wins a contest to provide the National Tree for Christmas in Washington, D.C. The tree was planted by Rock's father, played by Andrew McCarthy, on the day Rock was born. Rock and his dad join forces to drive the impressive sitka spruce across the country to the nation's capital before Thanksgiving, all while working through their own fraught dynamic.

Reviewers didn't hold back with their feelings on "The National Tree." One reviewer gave the movie just one star, saying, "This is quite possibly the worst piece of film I have ever seen." Another reviewer gave it 2/10, saying "Bad, even by 'Hallmark Movie' standards...this movie starts to drown in cliches by the end." Another reviewer, who offered the slightly higher score of 5/10 stars, wrote, "Chop down this tree and burn it. ... The film started off okay but it slowly sank into the abyss of melodrama." Ouch.

It's one thing to spend Thanksgiving with a few family members you barely know and make awkward small talk over cranberry sauce and green beans. It's another thing to spend Thanksgiving with a total stranger who is pretending to be your significant other. Which brings us to "A Holiday Engagement," a Hallmark Thanksgiving flick that stars Bonnie Somerville as Hillary and Shelley Long as her mother, Meredith.

In "A Holiday Engagement," Hillary finds herself facing a Thanksgiving season having just been broken up with, right as she was preparing to introduce her fiancé to her family. So, she hires an actor (Jordan Bridges) to play her boyfriend for the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, which only leads to new problems as Hillary finds herself falling for her fake boyfriend for real while worrying if her mother will find out the truth.

While "A Holiday Engagement" is another of the lower-rated Hallmark Thanksgiving movies, its 6/10 IMDb reviewer score indicates that it does still have its charms. One reviewer called it a "Really enjoyable, light and happy movie," adding, "This was like reading a good G-rated romance novel, but not too hokey. I liked how they did not make the characters all super cliche and cookie cutter." Another reviewer awarded 9/10 stars, saying, "Some people may find it cheesy. And, OK, so it may be predictable like several reviews have mentioned but if you want a romance movie that leaves your heart feeling lighter and happier at the end, then this is it."

No, the 2013 Hallmark movie "The Thanksgiving House" is not about a house where Thanksgiving happens 365 days a year, but good guess. Rather, it's about a house that may or may not have been built on top of the land where the original Thanksgiving took place. Emily Rose plays Mary, a Boston-based lawyer who inherits a house in Plymouth, Massachusetts, from her great-aunt. Her first thoughts are to sell it, but things get complicated when local historian Everett (Justin Bruening) suspects the land might be more significant than anyone realized.

With an IMDb average of 6.3/10 stars, feelings on "The Thanksgiving House" seem to be fairly mixed. One reviewer said, "NO thanks!...It was as if they had to throw something in about [Thanksgiving] for the reason of the title...the title that primarily alluded to the movie having a primarily [Thanksgiving] plot...but it was nothing more than a romance." Another reviewer was kinder, writing, "I liked how 'The Thanksgiving House' gently brought its leads together, how its female lead found her way back to herself."

If you've been wondering what Daphne Zuniga has been doing since "One Tree Hill" ended, look no further than this Hallmark movie. Zuniga is in 2010's "A Family Thanksgiving," in which she plays a wealthy, high-flying corporate lawyer named Claudia, who thinks she is right on the verge of being made partner at her firm. Unfortunately, her job means she has little time for anything that isn't work, such as her family. After crossing paths with a magical woman played by none other than Faye Dunaway, Claudia is dropped into an alternate reality where her work didn't become her whole life, right on time to have a proper family Thanksgiving.

Of all the Hallmark Thanksgiving movies, "A Family Thanksgiving" may not have the lowest of the IMDb scores, as it sits at a 6.4/10 average. However, it definitely has its detractors. One reviewer did give it a paltry 3/10 stars, writing, "I am a big fan of Hallmark movies but this one was too corny and cliched even for me...there was no attempt at all to balance the main character's life." Another reviewer had a bit more praise for the movie, saying, "Bottom line is I enjoyed it and intend to watch it again."

Starring Jacqueline Bisset, Ted Atherton, Tatiana Maslany, Helene Boy, Paula Boudreau, and Michael Babuto, "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" is based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott.The movie, which is set in the late 1880s, follows a widow who, reluctantly, reconciles with her own mother at the behest of her children during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

"An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" has an average IMDb reviewer score of 6.5/10 stars, so it sits nicely above a very comfortable middle score. One reviewer said, "The warm family relationships that abound in this production makes the movie an appealing one." Another reviewer said, "When you see the cover it makes you think it might be a cheesy film. But I didn't think it was one at all...it's well-acted, the music is good, and the characters had you rooting for them the whole time."

If there's one thing that's essential for a proper Thanksgiving — other than the turkey, of course — it's pumpkin pie. Hallmark dove headfirst into the nutmeg-infused vibes with "Pumpkin Pie Wars" in 2016. Starring Julie Gonzalgo as Casey and Eric Aragon as Sam, the two work at rival bakeries that are at odds because of — you guessed it — a pumpkin pie contest. Casey and Sam seem set to carry out the rivalry, but of course it can never be that simple, and the two end up falling for each other as the pumpkin pie war rages on.

"Pumpkin Pie Wars" has an average IMDb review score of 6.6/10 stars, and one reviewer said, "The actual dialog was of better quality than most Hallmarks. Meaning you don't have characters constantly saying things that no human being would ever say to another." One reviewer wasn't particularly happy with the movie's ending, saying, "Hallmark movies rarely have a satisfying ending. I hate when they kiss in front of a huge crowd and everyone claps."

Niall Matter loves being a Hallmark star, and that couldn't be more evident in "Holiday Hotline." In the Hallmark original, Matter plays a single dad called Jack (or "John") in need of advice on how to cook a turkey. And so, he calls a hotline to seek out some guidance. No doubt inspired by the real-life Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, Emily Tennant plays Abby, a phone operator who picks up Jack/John's call. As luck would have it, Tennant and Matter's characters fall for each other.

With 1,800 reviews on IMDb, "Holiday Hotline" averages 6.8/10 stars. Viewers seem to be big fans of the dialogue between the two stars even if some have criticized the less-than-stellar British accent work. One reviewer said, "While the idea of a holiday turkey hotline is sort of silly, the evergreen rehashing of 'The Shop Around the Corner'/'You've Got Mail' as a trope in many ways never gets old." Another reviewer was less kind, saying, "Literally, Emily Tennant's attempt at an English accent is the worst you will ever hear. Remember Lindsay Lohan's in 'The Parent Trap'? Worse than that."

A big part of Thanksgiving, for a lot of people, is watching a Thanksgiving parade, whether that means attending a hometown parade event or tuning into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. In 2012, Hallmark got into the Thanksgiving parade spirit with "Love at the Thanksgiving Parade." And wouldn't you know it, the highest-rated Thanksgiving Hallmark movie also happens to be one of Hallmark's highest-rated fall movies.

The movie features the oh-so glamorous Hallmark star Autumn Reeser as Emily, a woman who's organizing the Thanksgiving parade in her hometown of Chicago, all while patiently waiting for marriage to her long-distance boyfriend Brian (Ben Cotton). Enter wealthy development consultant Henry (Antonio Cupo), who throws everything into chaos with his man-about-town ways and insistence that he helps Reeser out. You better believe sparks begin to fly as the autumn leaves fall.

Averaging 6.8/10 stars, "Love at the Thanksgiving Parade" has racked up a whopping 2,400 ratings on IMDb, with several fans praising the film's aesthetics as well as the chemistry between Reeser and Cupo. One reviewer said, "There is a lot of chemistry between the two lead actors...these two likable characters at opposite ends, argue and banter beautifully and tension [flies] between them." Another reviewer gave a personal 10/10 score, saying, "Yes, it's 'typical' Hallmark feel–good romance, but the actors have great chemistry that makes the characters more believable as a couple than some other Hallmark movies."

While Hallmark doesn't have nearly as many Thanksgiving movies in its catalogue as it does for Christmas — or even general fall-themed movies — its Thanksgiving-focused repertoire is expanding every year. To rank these movies, both the best-rated and the worst-rated, we took their average reviewer scores from IMDb. If two or more movies had the same average score, we then factored in the total number of reviews.