The Best Fall Movies to Watch
Happy first day of fall! It’s practically a national holiday in our house, and by far our favorite time of the year.
There’s something about this season that makes us want to sink into the couch with a blanket, a candle flickering, and a movie that feels like it was made for this very season. The air is crisp, the leaves are crunchy, and suddenly we’re craving stories with a little more warmth, a little more magic, maybe even a little more heartbreak. These are the movies we find ourselves reaching for every year — some cozy, some funny, some romantic, some bittersweet.
Knives Out — A cozy, autumn-mystery extravaganza: a sprawling family, a brilliant detective, plenty of rust-colored foliage, and a house that feels perfect for chilly nights.
Silver Linings Playbook — Fall in Pennsylvania, football season, and two imperfect people trying to rebuild — messy and hopeful.
Autumn in New York — Sweater weather romance, Central Park in peak color, and emotional stakes that hit like the wind through golden trees.
Little Women — Sisterhood, candles, overcoats, letters by firelight, and all the seasonal longing in New England.
Chocolat — A little French village, chocolate that soothes the soul, and the promise of warmth when the world outside starts to dampen.
When Harry Met Sally… — New York in autumn: crunchy leaves, big city walks, and the slow burn of friendship turning into love.
The Witches of Eastwick — Magical mischief meets early fall chills and witches who are as unpredictable as a sudden cold snap.
Practical Magic — Two witch sisters, family curses, and autumn nights glowing with moonlight and the possibility of magic.
Julie & Julia — Food, kitchens, and joie de vivre — partly about embracing change, just like the turning leaves.
Dead Poets Society — The rhythms of school, poetry, loss, and hope — perfect for that reflective, inward-looking season.
Stepmom — Family tensions, love, regret, and grace — bittersweet in the way fall sometimes is.
Legends of the Fall — Sweeping landscapes, familial bonds, loss, and change; nature itself feels like a character in awe of its own transitions.
October Sky — Appalachia, the first cold nights, high school dreams — the kind of story that makes you want to drive through mountains with the windows down.
Good Will Hunting — Boston, fall colors, complicated love and genius; healing shown in small moments like walks on leafy paths.
The Lake House — Time-bending romance between seasons, longing, and the way distance feels sharper when the wind blows.
Moonstruck — A November in Brooklyn with family chaos, passionate love, and humor rich as garlic and olive oil.
You’ve Got Mail — Bookstores, brownstones, Starbucks, email correspondence, New York, cozy rivalry, and love in the time of changing leaves.
Clue — A mansion, secrets, storms, and deadpan comedy: spooky enough without being full-scale scary, kind of perfect for October.
Fantastic Mr. Fox — Wes Anderson’s golden palette, woodland creatures plotting, and cozy family dynamics.
Mystic Pizza — A seaside-slice of life movie, with sweaters and change in the air and the way small town and relationships shift like seasons.
Ordinary People — Melancholic family drama with autumnal settings that match its emotional tone.
The Royal Tenenbaums — Stylized homes, quirky characters, and a bittersweet mood with vintage warmth.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown — Short, sweet, nostalgic, with Halloween energy and the simple joys of autumn.
What about you? What movies would you add to the list?