The Best Movies to Watch This Fall

The seasons have changed and the air is crisp. Fall has finally arrived. When you’re leaning into apple cider and pumpkin everything, here are the best Fall movies to watch while curled up under a nice cozy blanket.

And if you are in an apple cider mood check out the spiked apple cider and cran-apple cider martini recipes.

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Fall Rom-Coms

3. Sweet Home Alabama | Amazon Prime Video

‘Sweet Home Alabama’ isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s entertaining nonetheless.  Reese Witherspoon plays a small-town girl who makes it big in the big city, only to find herself back where she came from.  Romance and comedy ensue.  And there are changing leaves.

2. Son-In-Law | Amazon Prime Video

What some (ahem, me) might argue is Pauly Shore’s best film, ‘Son-In-Law’ features a young Carla Gugino fresh off to college.  When Pauly helps her acclimate she brings him home to the farm during Thanksgiving.  A fish-out-of-water story on multiple accounts.

1. You’ve Got Mail | HBO Max

Nora Ephron directing Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks…can you get any better than this?  ‘You’ve Got Mail’ technically takes place during the course of multiple seasons, but seeing Manhattan in Fall is a vibe.  Bonus – features a relatively unknown Dave Chappelle.

Family Dynamics

3. Stepmom | Amazon Prime Video

Ed Harris, Susan Sarandon, and Julia Robers are the epitome of a complicated, blended family.  Although it begins as a comedy, ‘Stepmom’ evolves into a heartwarming/breaking story of why family is everything.  Keep the tissues nearby.

2. Home For The Holidays | Amazon Prime Video

If you are going to miss your dysfunctional family this Thanksgiving, ‘Home For The Holidays’ is for you.  Holly Hunter (who is not in nearly enough for my liking) is a single mother who goes back home by herself for the holiday.  If you’ve got home for the holidays, and then wondered how you ever lived with these people, you’ll appreciate this.

1. Knives Out | Amazon Prime Video

Murder, mystery, money, oh my!  ‘Knives Out’ introduces Detective Benoit Blanc, but I can’t imagine this will be the last time we see him.  With an all-star cast, it’s a must-see.  With changing leaves.

Comedy

1. Best in Show | Hulu

If you love Schitt’s Creek, you’ll love seeing Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara together for the first time in this dog show mockumentary. Of course, they are great, but they are surrounded by an all-star cast including Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jane Lynch. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the fanatical world of professional dog showing, and is there anything more Thanksgiving than The Westminster Dog Show?

Fall Tear-Jerkers

4. Autumn in New York | Amazon Prime Video

You go into ‘Autumn in New York’ knowing you’ll cry.  A terminally ill woman, played by Winona Ryder, falls in love with Richard Gere’s character just when she’s running out of time.  Tragic.

3. Sweet November | Amazon Prime Video

Free spirit Charlize Theron teaches uptight Keanu Reeve what life is all about.  Cliché?  Yes.  Entertaining?  Also yes.

2. Good Will Hunting | Amazon Prime Video

There’s a reason this film put a young Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on the Hollywood map, it’s thought-provoking and heartwrenching at the same time. The cast is rounded out with the late, great Robin Williams and Minnie Driver and is sheer perfection. Matt Damon plays a genius who has found himself in a bit of trouble. When he’s discovered by a professor at M.I.T. he puts Damon’s character into the hands of Williams who plays a psychologist. There’s something reminiscent of Fall being on a college campus.

1. Rudy | Amazon Prime Video

You think football, you think fall.  ‘Rudy’ is about perseverance, about nice guys not finishing last, about rallying around your teammates.  And even if you aren’t a football fan, I dare you not to get a little misty-eyed.

Sagas

2. Twilight | Netflix

‘The Twilight Saga’, based on the highly popular young adult books, takes place in the Pacific Northwest.  I’m not usually one for fantasy, and an epic triangle between humans, vampires, and werewolves is most definitely fantasy, but it’s really a love and coming of age story.  Sure, it’s not perfect (I could pass on imprinting) but it’s entertaining and Edwards not bad to look at either.  With 5 movies, you’ll have plenty to watch during those chilly Autumn evenings

1. Harry Potter | HBO Max

Who doesn’t love magic?  The Wizarding World of Harry Potter follows Harry as he learns about his power, his shenanigans with his friends, and his fight for survival with his enemies.  ‘Harry Potter’ is an epic film series across 8 movies and based on 7 books of the same name.  Nothing more Fall than going back to school.  

Looking for more seasonal movies? Check out this guide for the best Halloween movies in every genre.