The Thanksgiving House (2013)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Just what I expected

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

When I first started the movie I though "Well, this girl has everything, a good job, a boyfriend who is not an idiot, and she seems happy with it" Ha, couldn't be more wrong. I really checked this, the main character, "Mary" doesn't ACTUALLY smile until the movie reached the hour (maybe a small grin before). I read a review in which it was stated that there is nothing about thanksgiving and it's all about the romance, let me tell you something: WRONG. I think that the main plot here is Mary trying to enjoy Thanksgiving again after what happened with her parents. And it's done thanks to the memories in the house her aunt left her. The romance can be considered a sub plot. Speaking of subplot, I found Rick's and Ashley's subplot totally useless. Why Hallmark, why? For once I though the boyfriend was not going to be an idiot, and maybe he wasn't at all, he was doing suggestions to Mary about what to do with the house - It was none of his business though - but all he was thinking was profit. And it can clearly be seen that those two were not in a happy relationship. Despite a few things, the plot was okay, so were the characters. I was a bit annoyed at times with Mary, but Everett made up for her, he is ADORABLE, and so passionate about Thanksgiving and the house however I didn't feel any chemistry between the actors.I don't know if it's because we don't celebrate this holiday in my country or that I didn't feel anything with the movie because of all the things mentioned above but i'm definitely not watching this again. Maybe it's worth the watch, only once on a boring afternoon.

This sweet film has everything going for it...good cast and writing and a cozy theme. But it is marred for this Virginia native by the film's assertion that the "first" Thanksgiving occurred in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.In fact, the first Thanksgiving occurred in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia when the first colonists to colonize what we now know as America arrived in three ships: The Discovery, The Godspeed and the Susan Constant. One of the first things the colonists did was to have a Christian service of Holy Communion and Thanksgiving. They also befriended the Native American tribes in the area and shared meals together. It is important that our media accurately reflect actual American history. Hallmark has an obligation to have said, "the first Thanksgiving in the Massachusetts colony" which would have been the truth and would not have detracted from the film's theme.

When the 2013 previews aired, I could hardly wait to see another new great Hallmark movie with a seasonal theme!HA!Much to my surprise and great dismay,"The Thanksgiving House" was lousy! In retrospect, it was actually the fore-runner...the predictor...the warning...of Hallmark's 2013 line of lousy new Christmas movies to come!...(which continued in to 2014).Considering readers have already read the plot above, I was disappointed that this movie ONLY had a minute relationship to T/g...that the house was questioningly built over the site of the first T/g feast......wow.It was if they had to throw something in about T/g for the reason of the title...the title that alluded to the movie primarily having a T/g plot.....BUT it was nothing more than a romance...and NOT a charming one at all.ALL of the players' parts and acting were of course consistent with the plot: pointless and boring.I always watch the new disappointing seasonal movies at least twice for a fair judgment...but this disappointing movie did not improve. It never became enjoyable as is.

The Thanksgiving House is the story of a character's transformation (leading her down the path of forgiveness, to a rebirth, and the embrace of a genuine and unassuming love), all that from her contact with remarkable people.Mary Ross, a successful Boston lawyer, inherits a Plymouth house from her aunt and goes to the "country" with her boyfriend Rick to make an "inventory" of what's been handed down to her. Enters Everett Mather, a local high school history teacher who has been looking for the site of the first Thanksgiving since his teenage years...Aside from Rick and every subplot involving him, the movie is a gentle and smooth ride toward an equally subdued ending. The house in the title is connected to the female lead in ways that explain who she has become both emotionally and professionally. Emily Rose portrays Mary Ross superbly. She is as aloof and detached as ever, with only the occasional display of emotion, but her work would not have been enough to put the movie above the fray this season if not for Everett's parents. The two experienced actor and actress made every scene count and were appropriately used by the story to nudge Mary toward the right emotions and decisions. They provided the kind of relationship she needed to see to understand that she could aspire to something better with her own father and in her own love life. From watching Everett's parents who welcomed her in their lives in an endearing way, she could see she didn't have to settle for what she had and could contemplate working to improve her own little family and look for a better companion. This process was filled with little gems, like when Everett's mother ignored the burgeoning bickering and brought her cookies and then gently forced herself into the house for a chat, or when Parker Mather welcomed her back to their home in a way that really made her feel welcome.The story allowed Mary to interact substantially with Everett and his parents without any of it appearing forced down our throats (or hers for that matter), and the love story (yes there was one), was so subdued that those who expected direct statements and a big kiss before the curtain might have been disappointed. The movie chose to rely on little moments and innuendos, a choice that fitted well with the casting of Emily Rose. The evolution of the relationship was followed exclusively through her point of view, via her interaction with her assistant Victoria and close-ups of their faces. Mary Ross gradually warmed up to Everett and her Olive branch to her father wasn't at all as awkward as it could have been.I understand why, in a way, Rick (the boyfriend) had to be so "beneath" her. Given where she was emotionally, a boyfriend was just for "dating" and arguably chosen solely for that purpose. Still, that relationship (in which they never seemed to spend the night under the same roof) made for the only awkward scenes in the movie. My only other beef with the story is the science behind Everett's research, but that is a minor quibble.I liked how The Thanksgiving House gently brought its leads together, how its female lead found her way back to herself, and how she arguably fell in love with the whole Mather family...