OKC movie theaters offering plenty of Thanksgiving distractions this week

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OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — There’s surely nothing more American than Thanksgiving, but for many, once the food is eaten and the early-evening turkey naps have been had, there’ll be a scramble to entertain the family and close out the holiday without fighting over the remote control at home.

Luckily, movie studios and theaters have you covered as they forgo their usually all-important Friday releases in favor of dropping some heavy hitters in cinemas Thursday for all your post-feast entertainment needs.

Whether you need fun-for-the-whole-family animation, violent video-game action, mature musical drama, or you just want to watch a family even crazier and more dysfunctional than your own, you’re bound to find something perfect at one of OKC’s many theaters throughout the holiday weekend.

House of Gucci 

Featuring a truly remarkable cast of many of the best actors in the world (and Lady Gaga,) directing legend Ridley Scott takes some time away from aliens and swordplay to wade into the deadly hysterics and histrionics of the Gucci fashion family. 

gucci
Adam Driver in House of Gucci. (provided)

With a slew of over-the-top accents and scenery-devouring performances, and a relentless flamboyance perfectly suited to the Gucci mythos, this is the rare film that generates both Oscar and Razzie buzz simultaneously. Seemingly no one can agree on whether “House of Gucci” is fantastic or fantastically bad, and that’s exactly what’s driving its straight shot to the top of the holiday box office. Undoubtedly, this is the film everyone will be talking about next week.

Encanto

What would a holiday weekend be without a new Disney offering for the whole family? “Encanto” gives us a young girl struggling to accept that she doesn’t possess the same magical powers as the rest of her wacky extended family, but carves a unique path for itself by committing wholeheartedly to its Colombian setting. 

Featuring a full voice cast of Latin-American and Hispanic actors and singers, anchored by “Brooklyn-99” alum Stephanie Beatriz and the unstoppable John Leguizamo, and new songs by “Hamilton” mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda, this one promises to be your best bet for shaking off the tryptophan and getting the kids dancing.

Spencer (Rodeo Cinema & OKCMOA)

In a cinematic year defined by Hollywood’s uphill battle to get audiences back into theaters with all the fun and spectacle that they held back throughout 2020, there’s been very little so far of what we’d call “Oscar bait.” 

Spencer
Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. (provided)

One of the few films that has some undeniable Oscar buzz surrounding it is Princess Diana drama “Spencer,” thanks almost entirely to Kristen Stewart’s performance setting her up as the current frontrunner for Best Actress. After years of attempting to overcome her reputation as “the girl from Twilight,” Stewart may have finally found the project that pushes her into legitimate respect as a chameleonic leading woman with this psychological and challenging look at Diana’s darkest days within the Royal Family.

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

Video game adaptations, unnecessary prequels, and medium-budget Hollywood horror movies may very well rank as the three most critically derided types of film out there, and this one is swinging for all of those fences at once.

Resident Evil
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (provided)

It’s a bloody, gory action-horror romp through the early history of the eventually zombie-ridden world of the beloved game series. Is it bound to be great? Nope. But it does have a couple of highly capable actors in its cast with Tom Hooper of “The Umbrella Academy” and the always watchable Neal McDonough. After a big, hearty Thanksgiving meal, some people like a big, mindless splatterfest to zone out to.

The Humans (Rodeo Cinema)

Here’s one you may not have heard of quite yet. Stephen Karam writes and directs this adaptation of his stage play, which secured the Tony for Best Play back in 2016. Appropriately, it’s actually about a family on Thanksgiving, taking its place among the notably short list of Thanksgiving-themed movies. 

This one features a small but stellar cast featuring some of the finest understated performers around with Beanie Fedstein, June Squibb, the phenomenal Richard Jenkins, and Steven Yeun, who is still lamentably best-known from “The Walking Dead,” but who Oklahomans know best from his star-making, Oscar-nominated turn in “Minari.” Safe to assume that this adaptation of a one-act, one-house play will be heavy on the dialogue and the dramatic intensity, but if you’re missing out on a drama-filled family holiday of your own this year, perhaps it’ll help fill that void.

Tickets for all of these films and more can be found online. For showtimes and tickets at Rodeo Cinema, visit rodeocinema.org, and for showtimes and tickets at Oklahoma City Museum of Art, visit okcmoa.com.

The Humans (provided)
Author Profile

Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.