It seems like everyone is looking to get spooked this time of year. All of your friends want to carve pumpkins, watch horror movies, and risk peeing themselves in a local haunted house. Meanwhile, all you want to do is embrace cuffing season, wear scarves, and succumb to the masses of decaying fall leaves piling up in your front lawn.
It’s understandable, spooky time isn’t for everyone. Some folks just like fall for its inherent coziness. But, while everyone else is busy watching Linda Blair spit up pea soup, you’re left in the dust without any fall time flicks. Well, look no further, because we have the ten best movies for fall without a glimpse of ghosts, serial killers, or murderers.
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting is one of the best dramas ever made. Set on the MIT campus in the middle of a Massachusetts fall, this tear-jerking drama is full of fall foliage and cozy outfits. Also being set at school, it harkens back to the start of this season, with everyone returning to classes.
The real draw though are the outstanding career-making performance from Matt Damon and the iconic performance from the late Robin Williams. Be prepared with tissues folks, because Good Will Hunting is considered to have some of the most emotionally driven scenes in any film.
Remember The Titans
Fall means football for many. For many growing up in the U.S., every Friday night from September to November was highlighted by football games at the local high school. There are tons of great football films out there to choose from too, from Rudy to Friday Night Lights.
The one we had to go with though was the exceptionally inspirational Remember The Titans. Based on a true story, Remember the Titans focuses on football coach Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, who led the integration of a high school football team in Virginia in the 70s. The film is equally a story about this fall time sport as well as an inspirational story of overcoming hatred.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Many of Wes Anderson’s films are perfect for Fall. Aesthetically speaking, few are as perfect a fit than Fantastic Mr. Fox. Based on the beloved children’s book of the same name, this film is as whimsical an animated film that one could ask for.
The warm fall color palette that Anderson utilizes is absolutely unreal. If any movie is going to give you that cozy feeling youre looking for this season, this one is it. The sheer artistry is also incredible, just as you would expect from any Wes Anderson flick.
Dead Poets Society
Need another fall time tear infused drama starring Robin Williams? Dead Poets Society has you covered. Once again, this drama has the influence of that back to school energy, set among the halls of the Wellton Academy all-boys prep school in the North East (yeah that’s right, a New England Fall).
This is another solid performance from Williams who plays the unorthodox English teacher John Keating, who teaches his pupils to embrace their individuality. The film ends sadly in tragedy, but its bittersweet end will leave you blubbering with hope.
The Skeleton Twins
What a fantastic turn from SNL alums Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. The two play a pair of emotionally damaged twins who are reunited after a few years apart after Bill Hader’s Milo attempts suicide. Milo moves in with his sister and her husband, forcing the two to come to reckon with their past, their present situations, and where they are heading.
Both Hader and Wiig kill it in this film. The dark comedic aspects are perfect for their sensibilities as comedians, but the more dramatic turns are heartbreakingly true. Ty Burell, who is also featured in the film, plays a perfect pseudo villain against Hader’s character. The backdrop to all of this though is a beautifully melancholy late October in upstate New York.
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
For many, the Harry Potter series is the perfect fall time series. Back to school? Check. A little bit of spooky witchcraft? Check. Cozy sweaters and house scarfs? Check and check. These movies scream fall time, and none so do it better than Prisoner of Azkaban.
The most beautiful of all eight films, Prisoner of Azkaban turned the aesthetic of the series on its head with the much moodier color pallette, and darker set design. But, it is rarely too scary for viewers. And there is so much cozy fall time goodness. Watching the Whomping Willow shed its leaves while Hagrid grows monster-sized pumpkins in his garden is a perfect encapsulation of Autumn in the Wizarding World.
Planes, Trains, And Automobiles
For many, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is the quintessential Thanksgiving movie. It shares its DNA with films such as Home Alone or The Odd Couple, with a holiday-themed misadventure with two characters who couldn’t be more different.
It is always bittersweet watching John Candy in anything because it’s such a shame we lost a talent like his. But his chemistry with Steve Martin is something to behold. The two share so many hilarious moments along their journey home for Thanksgiving.
Rushmore
Rushmore was only the second film from director Wes Anderson, but it was an immediate cult favorite for many indie fans. It offered a breakout performance for actor Jason Schwartzman, and an outstanding supporting performance from the beloved Bill Murray, who entered into more of a dramatic essence with this film.
Rushmore is perfect for fall as so much of it centers on going back to school and fall time for Schwartzman’s character, all set at a private school in Houston. The film is a must-watch, as it jettisoned a second coming for actor Bill Murray, and cemented both Schwartzman and Anderson as some of the best in the business.s.
You’ve Got Mail
You’ve Got Mail is a pretty paint by numbers romantic comedy and one that has aged slightly with its internet-based storyline from the late 90s. But, sometimes generic is generic for a reason, and that’s why the film works as a whole.
It also just captures the coziness of fall perfectly, set during autumn in New York. Not only that though, but bu the setting of the two bookstores also has a cozy fall feeling to it all. Plus it has the charming as always Tom Hanks in it, who is reason enough to see anything.
When Harry Met Sally
Perhaps though, when it comes to autumnal romantic comedies, nothing is more perfect than When Harry Met Sally. This is the ultimate rom-com, with the cutest will they/won’t they story and one of the most iconic and quotable scripts from Nora Ephron.
This is on so many people’s fall time movie lists because of the costume design and its iconic capturing of fall in New York City. It also blends straight into Christmas, making it the perfect viewing from September to January. If you’re needing a movie for cuffing season, you’ll want what they’re having.
