Notable and notorious IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich recently put out a social media call for film critic peers to join a weekly survey to discuss movie topics, answer questions, and highlight their work.  Representing Every Movie Has a Lesson, I, along with over 60 other emerging and established film critics including some of my fellow Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle members, accepted the invitation to participate.  I'm honored by the opportunity, and I hope my responses are chosen each week.  

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Which movie family would you most want to hang out with for the Thanksgiving holiday?

How cool would it be to get away from your own dysfunctional family and how into a movie? The wide open imagination of this week’s question from David Ehrlich hit my taste buds more than my mental sensibilities. I wrote this answer with my stomach instead of my head to choose the rich Italian menu of 1996’s indie gem Big Night. I couldn’t be more full or fine about that development. Second place would stayed with the kitchen where I would have tried making eyes at Sarah Michelle Gellar in her magical cooking movie Simply Irresistible.