Thanksgiving Review (2023) – A Bloody and Campy Carve-Up of Consumerism, Greed, and Capitalism!
It’s another Thanksgiving, but this year feels weightier than ever. We potatoes are sitting this one out, at least in the traditional sense. It’s hard to practice gratitude when the recent election has handed even more control to the ultra-wealthy, turning this holiday season into a stark reminder of how deeply consumerism and capitalism control us. Pair that with the ever-growing monstrosity of Black Friday, and we couldn’t think of a more fitting film to review than the 2023 slasher film Thanksgiving.
This campy horror masterpiece is part slasher flick, part biting satire, and part ridiculous comedy! It’s a gruesome feast served with sides of consumerism critique, holiday chaos, and just enough self-awareness to make it both unsettling and hilarious. We are not typically slasher film potatoes, but we had a lot of fun with this one this year, and it feels more appropriate than ever!
Before we begin, some trigger warnings, this film is stuffed with graphic violence, gore, and more twisted holiday cheer than your own holiday gathering. It also tackles themes of greed, consumerism, mob mentality, and corporate exploitation. If the sight of gore, violence, and Black Friday shoppers trampling each other for waffle irons hits too close to home, proceed with caution.
We will try to avoid spoilers, but please be aware that there will likely be some in this review, so please read cautiously. We are going to be briefer with this one, but let’s dig in!
The movie opens with a familiar scene for any American, a Thanksgiving get together. Two of them, at differing households. One household is more blue color, the Collin’s household, the town sheriff, Eric Newlon (Patrick Dempsey) is there, among others, and it is a cozy scene…the other Thanksgiving is clearly a wealthier family.
The Wright household, and their Thanksgiving is not as cozy a scene, it is steeped with snark, and false cheer. However, everything seems fairly “normal” overall. (We potatoes had far more humble beginnings). There is the usual Thanksgiving foods, and the usual family angst. But…there is a sinister feel to the events that make you feel that this may not actually be, an average Thanksgiving.
After the meal the two teenagers attending the wealthier Wright household’s Thanksgiving, Jessica Wright (Nell Verlaque) and her boyfriend Bobby (Jalen Thomas Brooks), leave to head to the local Major Department store that Jessica’s father, Thomas Wright (Rick Hoffman), owns.
Enter the madness of Black Friday at the “RightMart” department store! Shoppers line up around the block, hyped up on rage, consumerism and adrenaline, ready to storm the gates for holiday deals! Jessica, Bobby and their friends, Scuba (Gabriel Davenport), Yulia (Jenna Warren), Gaby (Addison Rae) and Evan (Tomaso Sanelli) all get into the store before opening through a back employee entrance.
Teenage bravado and nonsense apparently makes them think it is a good idea to tease the crowd outside! The crowd that can see them inside the store! This made us potatoes roll our eyes a bit…but it also felt fairly realistic. While we were far more mindful teens than some, we definitely spent time with some…who probably would have made similar choices.
A cheerful yet ironic holiday jingle plays in the background, creating an unsettling juxtaposition as tensions mount. Security guards try to maintain order, but their whistles and megaphones are no match for the growing frenzy!
Furious, the crowd crashes through the glass doors in a frantic wave! Chaos ensues immediately as people shove, scream, and trample each other, fighting over TVs, toys, and anything with a red tag! The CCTV camera captures the absurdity: a middle-aged man tackles a teenager over a waffle maker, a woman wields a toaster like a weapon, and another customer dives headfirst into a pile of discounted microwaves! On the floor, employees struggle to contain the crowd, one employee is trapped under the toppled glass doors and appears to be dying! The others barely escape the stampede unscathed.
Amanda (Gina Gershon), who we saw at the blue color Thanksgiving dinner, is there to support her spouse who was called into work last minute. But! She is quickly knocked to the floor and tries to crawl away from the frantic crowd! Suddenly she is violently hit in the head by two shopping carts crashing together! Despite her husband, Mitch’s (Ty Olson), desperate attempts to help her once he finds her, it is too late, she has been trampled to death. This horrific event sets the stage for the dark and bloody tale to come!
A year later, the town of Plymouth is still haunted by the tragedy. The community is divided: some residents are calling for a boycott of Black Friday and large retailers, while others dismiss it, eager to return to “holiday normalcy.” Flyers for a town Thanksgiving parade flutter across the screen, promising a festive event to lift spirits. The tragedy from the previous year hangs heavily over the community as they try to move forward. The town’s Thanksgiving preparations blends small-town charm with a creeping sense of sadness and unease.
Tension sharpens when Jessica and her friends receive a cryptic message from an unknown source showing them a picture of an odd looking dinner table…set in Thanksgiving finery…with each of their names aligned with specific seats around the table. Although unsettling, they dismiss it as a prank. They brush it off, but we know better—something sinister is coming!
We’ll stop here to avoid spoilers, but Thanksgiving is more than just a slasher flick. It’s a scathing critique of the holiday season’s darker side! Black Friday, the film’s true villain, transforms regular people into mindless mobs, trampling over others for a discount toaster. Sound familiar? It should. Black Friday isn’t just a day, it’s a symbol of unchecked consumerism and corporate greed, where billionaires rake in profits while the rest of us fight over scraps.
The film doesn’t hold back in showing the absurdity of it all which we potatoes love! The opening scenes is an exaggerated (but not really?) depiction of how the promise of a deal can strip us of our humanity. But who benefits? Not us potatoes, and definitely not you that’s for sure. Billionaire CEOs use sales like these to manipulate us into spending more, working longer hours, and prioritizing material goods over people. It’s a system built on exploiting the many for the benefit of the few.
And yet, we’re all complicit! The movie, Thanksgiving, forces us to confront this uncomfortable truth. Are we the victims—or are we part of the problem? It’s a question that lingers long after the credits roll and gives us potatoes much to think about.
So, how do we push back against corporate greed and nonsense, and survive the holiday season without losing our minds, money, or humanity? Thanksgiving reminds us of a few crucial lessons. Shop local instead of corporate (if you can). Supporting small businesses helps real people, not billionaires. Reject the Black Friday hype—it’s a scam. Most deals aren’t as great as they seem. These giant corporations use mass sales like Black Friday to manipulate us into buying more and the stress isn’t worth it. Focus on connection, not consumption. Enjoy simple traditions like cooking, or watching campy horror films like this one. Finally, challenge the system. Advocate for fair wages, support unions, and vote for policies that prioritize people over profit.
This holiday season feels heavier in the wake of the election. For many of us, the strain is compounded by family pressures. We potatoes fully endorse celebrating the holidays away from family if that protects your peace and well-being. This time should be about joy, not enduring environments that disregard your safety or identity. We need not sacrifice our joy, our holiday season and our welfare on the altar of family. We all deserve to enjoy this time of year in the manner that works best for us. Found families, friends, or even a quiet day to yourself can be just as meaningful—if not more so. Taking care of yourself is essential and an important act of self-love.
Back to the film! We potatoes laughed! We cringed! We questioned our life choices! Thanksgiving is a chaotic, bloody mess—and we potatoes loved every second of it! This film serves up a blend of camp and commentary, crafting a horror movie that’s as absurd as it is insightful. The acting is surprisingly well done while at the same time maintaining the fun! Scuba was a favorite character of ours! He was hilarious! The outrageous holiday themed kills are just as hysterical as they are disgusting! We highly recommend this film!
If you are someone who enjoys a film that is campy, self-aware, and that lets you laugh at the ridiculousness of it all while reminding you that the system it satirizes is all too real, then this is the film for you! We potatoes find that sometimes, laughter is the only way to cope with the absurdity of it all and with the crazy new dimension we seem to be living in now.
At its core, Thanksgiving is a mirror held up to our society, reflecting greed, excess, and exploitation. But it’s also a reminder that we can choose a different path! We potatoes are as complicit as anyone, but recent events have inspired us to make changes in the future. Let’s carve up the system (and maybe some turkey) together! Cheers to resistance, resilience, and a heaping side of mashed potatoes! And as always, most importantly, cheers to you!
We give this film 4 out of 5 Sweet Potato Cocktails!
The Thanksgiving Movie Drinking Game
Take a sip anytime:
1. Anyone says Thanksgiving
2. Anyone says "Plymouth" or the town name of Plymouth is on screen
3. Anyone gets injured or wounded
4. Anyone talks about Black Friday
5. Anyone dies
6. Anyone screams
7. Anytime you see the killer's Thanksgiving table
8. Teenagers doing stupid stuff/teenage drama/angst
9. People are shown sitting around a table
10. There's a cheeky one liner
11. There's blood on screen
12. Anything looks campy or fake (fake hands, fake bodies, etc.)
13. The pilgrim (John Carver) mask is on screen
14. The horrors of capitalism are highlighted!
What did you think? Did you like the movie? Did you hate it? What movies should we watch? Any and all thoughts are welcome! Let us know here in the comments and always remember to be safe and drink responsibly!