Written and directed by Jeff Macolino, when Tori volunteers to host her husband’s loud Italian family for Thanksgiving, she finds herself stuck in a time loop, forced to survive endless rounds of overbearing relatives, family drama, and way too much turkey. Starring: Samantha Cevasco, Michael Girgenti, Jeff Macolino, Mary Skinner, John Maciag, Megan Schulz, Shaun Grant, Isabella Macolino, James Macolino, Gabrielle Leonore and Madeleine Carstens.
If you were looking for a film to capture the good, the bad and the ugly of the holidays, then you can’t go wrong with Thanksgiving, Again?!. It portrays all the classic experiences of being trapped in a room with your extended family, trying to cook a meal with so many moving parts, and dealing with all the unexpected annoyances, accidents and rising grievances or grudges. While at its heart crafting a reminder of how holidays aren’t about getting everything perfect and smooth sailing, they’re meant to be enjoyed, something which occasionally gets lost amongst the cooking and stress.
In that sense, Thanksgiving, Again?! taps into the quintessential feel of holiday movies, giving its characters a lesson in appreciating what you have. As well as how we can often quickly judge a situation without knowing the full picture, or giving relatives the benefit of the doubt, especially in that stressed state. It’s sweet, the repeated day works well, and Jeff Macolino has some fun with it, letting Tori (Samantha Cevasco) let out her frustrations in entertaining ways. Then in-between those moments, there are touching one on ones with Tori and other family members as she takes a step back and opens up.
There’s a good cast at work as this ragtag family, setting a film during the holidays can often lead to a lot of theatricality and melodrama, but Thanksgiving, Again?! does well to avoid that. The cast do lean into the comedy, but in a natural way. Samantha Cevasco provides a high maintenance lead who needs to learn to let loose, while her husband Joseph (Michael Girgenti) is entirely relaxed. Only becoming more so in the presence of Jeffrey (Jeff Macolino) the classic bachelor, always up for a good time, occasionally too much so. The whole ensemble does well to capture that family feel in an organic way, they have good chemistry and both their fun and friction with one another are convincing.
The pacing is solid, the progression works well, it doesn’t feel overly repetitive despite its intentionally repetitive story. The aesthetic is simple, but the direction can struggle at times. The shot choices are rough around the edges, and the quality can be inconsistent, with the editing occasionally cutting to some fairly unpolished shots. There was some tidying to be done, but that doesn’t impact the overall energy and atmosphere of the film.
Thanksgiving, Again?! is a sweet, fun exploration of how we often muddle our way through the holidays with stress, anxiety and conflict, and forget to simply enjoy it. It holds a simple, wholesome style, it moves well and there’s a good cast at work. It taps into the quintessential holiday feel, reminding us to appreciate what we have, with a slightly cheesy sense of humour. It may not be without its flaws, but it’s relatable and entertaining.
