Autumn: arguably the most iconic season of the year with all the grandpa sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes and the unavoidable return of Ugg boots. When a crisp breeze blows through the streets and the rustling leaves turn a dozen different colors, there’s nothing cozier than a night in watching a movie. More specifically, a movie that encapsulates the feeling of fall. With school starting back up and Halloween just around the corner, a “fall movie” typically takes place during fall and has a warmer color palette with it’s characters dressed in comfortable sweaters and layered looks to give off the impression of chilly weather. These types of movies are comforting, typically evoking a feeling of nostalgia with their strong emotional cores.
Unfortunately, sometimes what ends up happening is you don’t know what to watch and you spend an hour scrolling through various streaming services before giving up to go watch TikToks. Instead of wasting your time doing that, here’s a list of ten great fall movies.
1. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” IMDb: 7.9/10
What’s better than a beautiful, incredibly orange, stop-motion animated Wes Anderson movie to kick off fall? “Fantastic Mr. Fox” follows Mr. Fox, voiced by George Clooney, after he promises his pregnant wife, voiced by Meryl Streep, that he’ll give up stealing from human farms. This promise lasts him a few years after his son, Ash, voiced by Jason Schwartzman, is born and the family moves into a new tree house that has a perfect view of his human neighbor’s farms. The heists against Boggis, Bunce and Bean ensue and we see Mr. Fox hen heckling, turkey thieving and cider snatching under the cover of night. Eventually his schemes catch up to him and the rest of the small mammal community living in the area as the farmers come together to hunt Mr. Fox. War between forest critters and old men begins, all while subplots touching on teenage angst, marriage, the feeling of being different and the balance between self confidence and arrogance occur simultaneously. Yet it is never overwhelming.
2. “Little Women” (2019) IMDb: 7.8/10
A modern spin on a beloved classic, director Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” is a stunning film about four sisters navigating their way through teenage-hood during the American Civil War. As Meg March, played by Emma Watson, reaches adulthood first and wishes is to settle down, Jo March, played by Saoirse Ronan, is her strong-willed counterpart who’s only wish is to become a great writer and fill in the lack of boyish presence in her household. The younger two sisters, Amy and Beth round off the sweet family. Amy, played by Florence Pugh, is a vain little girl at the beginning of the movie, caring only for the shape of her nose and how her pretty drawings look but by the end she’s grown into an inspiring young woman. Beth, played by Eliza Scanlen, is the quiet, mousy one who soothes Jo when she’s too excited and reminds the family of their small fortunes. Together the girls grow up and meet their rich neighbor, Laurie, played by Timothée Chalamet and embark on their intertwining journeys to adulthood. With non-linear storytelling that makes it stand out against other remakes, “Little Women” (2019) is a serene, beautiful film for everyone to find comfort in.
3. “When Harry Met Sally” IMDb: 7.7/10
Can men and women just be friends? “When Harry Met Sally” tackles this commonly asked question. The movie follows two college graduates that drive eighteen hours to New York City together and then weave in and out of each other’s lives for a decade before fatefully reconnecting. Sally Albright, played by Meg Ryan and Harry Burns, played by Billy Crystal, have incredible chemistry that makes the audience really feel for the characters. Even the side characters like Jess, played by Bruno Kirby and Marie, played by Carrie Fisher, are masters of line delivery and keep the script filled with personality. If you’re in the mood for a rom-com that’ll have you feeling romantically melancholic, “When Harry Met Sally” is your best option.
4. “10 Things I Hate About You” IMDb: 7.3/10
Arguably one of– if not– the best rom-com to come out of the 2010’s, “10 Things I Hate About You” is a modern retelling of “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare. Starring Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger, the movie follows Patrick Verona, played by Heath Ledger, as he’s paid to date Kat Stratford, played by Julia Stiles, so her sister Bianca, Larisa Oleynik, can go on dates with two other boys vying for her favor. Kat is the standoffish, sarcastic older sister who is highly independent, a stark contrast to her sweet, albeit naive younger sister. Her father’s rule is Bianca can’t date until Kat does, and so ensues the dramatic, slightly ridiculous plotline. This movie knows how to have fun with itself and the actors all have such good chemistry that you fall a little bit in love with the main cast yourself as you watch them navigate their feelings, social pressures and relationships with each other.
5. “Perks of Being a Wallflower” IMDb: 7.9/10
A heart-wrenching coming-of-age story that’s stacked cast of stars like Paul Rudd, Logan Lerman and Emma Watson all work to deliver great performances, “Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a faithful adaptation of the book with the same name. A beloved novel by Stephen Chbosky, the movie makes the original story really come to life with it’s soundtrack, emotional letter voice-overs by Logan Lerman and slow unfurling of deeper connections to, at first, innocent occurrences. As Charlie (Logan Lerman), the socially awkward main character, grows close to two older students that become his role models as much as his best friends, we watch as his life gains the kind of excitement only a teenager can feel for the first time while at the same time his unshakable mental instability threatens to shatter his newfound joy. A sucker-punch of a movie, “Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a powerful story that might leave you feeling a bit empty afterwards.
6. “Over the Garden Wall” IMDb: 8.8/10
While not technically a movie, “Over the Garden Wall” is a ten episode animated miniseries centered around a pair of brothers named Wirt, voiced by Elijah Wood who you might know as Frodo from “Lord of The Rings,” and Gregory voiced by Collin Dean. The brothers have, as the title suggests, crossed over the garden wall and into the Unknown, where they attempt to find their way back home with the help of a cursed bluebird named Beatrice, voiced by Melanie Lynskey. With a beautiful, almost nostalgic feeling poured into the timeless dialogue, earthy color palette and gripping storyline, watching “Over the Garden Wall” can only be described as a truly one-of-a-kind experience. All in all, it’s the perfect autumn show for a rainy night when you have a bit of time to sit down and enjoy everything it has to offer.
7. “The Craft” IMDb: 6.4/10
Released in 1996, “The Craft” is a supernatural teen-drama directed by Andrew Fleming that revolves around four girls at a Catholic school who happen to be witches. Robin Tunney plays the main character Sarah Bailey as she, her father and her stepmother move to a new town following her attempted suicide. There she meets the other three girls, Bonnie, Rochelle and Nancy Downs. They become fast friends when they realize Sarah is a natural witch and completes their coven, granting them all stronger powers and the four girls go on a magic bender, so to speak. They’re abusing their power without realizing how much chaos they’re truly causing and when faced with the consequences of their actions, Sarah is the first to realize that they’re in too deep and begins to pull back against the power that’s blinded her friends. While neither a truly scary or high-quality movie, the film is easy to digest and worth watching for its fun portrayal of teenage girls into the occult and is absolutely perfect for a slumber party with friends.
8. “Twilight” IMDb: 5.3/10
By far one of the most famously bad series to ever release, “Twilight” is a horrendous cacophony of mediocre to bad acting, a jaw-droppingly bad script and one of the messiest plot lines to come out of popular fiction. Yet it manages to be so bad it’s good– from the hilariously stupid quotes like “hold on tight spider-monkey” to the truly terrible Bella Swan lip bite, to the headache-inducing turquoise filter that’s edited over the entire first installment of the series, “Twilight” stays one of the most iconic movies to date, if just for being camp. A vampire-human romance set in the small, rainy town of Forks, Wash., the audience laughs on in disbelieving rapture as the human Bella Swan played by Kristen Stewart falls in love with the vampire Edward Cullen played by Robert Pattinson and their trope-ridden love story of forbidden romance. If you’re looking for something you don’t need to think too deeply about and are just in for a good time, “Twilight” is the best option for you.
9. “Dead Poets Society” IMDb: 8.1/10
This one’s for the academia-loving, book-romanticizing, lovers-of-tragedies out there. “Dead Poets Society” is a teen drama released in 1989 about a newly employed teacher at a preparatory boarding school known for its strict policies and dedication to tradition. There Mr. Keating, the English and poetry professor played by the late Robin Williams, gains the awe-inspired love from his students like Neil Perry, played by Robert Sean Leonard and Todd Anderson, played by Ethan Hawke. His unconventional ways of teaching and encouraging the boy’s to open up their minds to dreams lead to themes of friendship that demonstrate beautiful bonds between young boys not often fully developed in film. Another tear-jerker, “Dead Poets Society” is a raw movie meant to both capture you with its aesthetically-pleasing shots while unfolding an authentic story-line to love and cherish.
10. “Coraline” IMDb: 7.7/10
Mystical and weird– those are the best words to describe “Coraline.” Based on the novella with the same name by Neil Gaiman, this fantasy horror movie is both kid-friendly while being even more enjoyable to adults. Directed by Henry Selick and starring Dakota Fanning as Coraline Jones, the movie is a stop-motion masterpiece full of strange and off-putting moments. The main character, Coraline, has just moved into a new house her family shares with three other boarders– and the Other Family. Darkly compelling and filled to the brim with hidden connotations and deeper meanings, “Coraline” is a fantastically well-thought out film that’s rewatchable to the point of line memorization. If you’re in a spookier mood but not quite at Halloween movie time, “Coraline” is the best choice of movie.
