(Photo: 20th Century Fox) 
Every family is different, consisting of “characters.” With Thanksgiving coming up, it’s time to gather and give thanks. While it’s nice to be with family and show appreciation, it can also result in squabbling.
As we get prepare for the holiday-induced reunion, this roundup of family movies might come in handy (as a what-not-to-do):
1. Home for the Holidays 

In 1995’s Home for the Holidays, we see Holly Hunter take the lead as Claudia Larson. Larson’s career is in shambles and her only daughter abandons her on Thanksgiving, spending it with her boyfriend instead. In a last-ditch effort to make the most of the day, she heads to her parents’ house.  
2. Meet the Parents

2000’s Meet the Parents is a merging of family. Ben Stiller and Teri Polo play a young couple in love, one step away from getting engaged. But, first, that calls on meeting the parents. The introduction does not go well, and it becomes a battle of wills. It’s not clear if they’ll get through the weekend.
3. The Royal Tenenbaums 

Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums is a hodgepodge of family antics. Angelica Huston plays mother to three grown children, who have all moved out. But as the story progresses, each makes their return home. Even her ex-husband (Gene Hackman) figures out a way to finagle his way back into her life.
4. Sweet Home Alabama  

In 2002’s Sweet Home Alabama we see Reese Witherspoon as a fashion designer living the posh life in NYC. She’s just gotten engaged, but before getting married, she has to get unmarried. She returns to her hometown to sort things out with her childhood sweetheart, now estranged husband.  
5. The Family Stone

Fast-forwarding to Christmas, Sarah Jessica Parker and Dermot Mulroney teamed up for 2005’s The Family Stone. The couple head to his family’s home for the holidays, where she clashes with various members over the course of the visit. The youngest sister (Rachel McAdams) is particularly resistant to this new person joining their life
6. Rachel Getting Married

In 2008’s Rachel Getting Married, Anne Hathaway portrays a young woman named Kym. Kym has had her struggles, being in and out of rehab for ten years. She’s currently “in,” but is allowed to leave for the weekend. She’s set to attend her sister’s wedding. Now, she and her struggles will have an audience.
7. You Again

Kristen Bell stars in 2010’s You Again as a well-rounded young woman. That’s until her brother brings home his new girlfriend, who turns out to be her former archnemesis from high school. Not just girlfriend, but soon-to-be sister-in-law. Bell’s character does everything she can to run interference.
8. Happy End

Let’s travel to France, with 2017’s Happy End starring Isabelle Huppert. Huppert plays mother to a grown son and young daughter. She and her husband are divorced. While he’s still around, he doesn’t seem to be welcomed, with his tween daughter accusing him of being unloving.
9. Happy New Year, Colin Burstead  

In 2018’s Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, we see Neil Maskell in the title role. Burstead rents a country home in Dorset, England, for him and his family to celebrate the New Year together. That is so nice of him and so accommodating and so… thwarted… when his estranged brother shows up unexpectedly.
10. Knives Out 

You can’t really get any more dysfunctional than murder, which is what happens in 2019’s Knives Out. A family get-together ends with the patriarch (Chistopher Plummer) found dead. And, who to investigate? James Bond, of course. Oh, correction, Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc.
Are you feeling more equipped to head into the holiday season?