These Fall-Themed Films Bring All The Autumn Feels

As the air gets colder and the leaves change color, it’s the perfect time to cozy up with a warm drink, a fuzzy blanket and a good fall comfort movie. Here are five fall-themed movies to add to your watchlist this fall!

You’ve Got Mail is a classic fall go-to movie about a woman who runs a struggling independent bookstore and a man who is building book superstore around the corner. This is my all-time favorite fall movie, especially because there’s something special about fall in New York. Just a few weeks ago, as the leaves were turning and the air was cooling, I put on the You’ve Got Mail soundtrack and walked through Central Park. To really secure its position as one of the best fall themed movies, one of the main characters even talks about fall in New York: “Don’t you just love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies” he says, in an instant message (yes, this was the late 90’s).

With the changing of the seasons often comes a desire to make a big change in your personal life, which is exactly what Helen (Ellie Kemper) decides to do in this 2023 film streaming on Netflix. Fresh from a divorce and on the eve of her sixth wedding anniversary, Helen decides to join a group of beginners hiking the Appalachian Trail, where she crosses paths with a friend of her younger brother, played by Luke Grimes. The charming rom com is set at the start of fall in New York and Connecticut, where the changing season provides some challenges for the green hikers – namely that the nights get cold and the woods are unforgiving. I found Happiness For Beginners by accident while on the hunt for a cozy fall evening movie, and it is a surprisingly charming film that leaves you feeling, well, happy.

Another classic to put you smack dab in the middle of the fall-in-New York feels is When Harry Met Sally, which chronicles the ever-intersecting paths of a man and a woman over several years as they figure out whether they can truly be platonic best friends, or if there’s something more. The way the film was shot – on actual film in the late ’80s – gives it a uniquely nostalgic essence that comes with the changing of the seasons. With Billy Crystal wearing the classic cable-knit sweater and joining Meg Ryan on a walk through the bright foliage of Central Park, it’s the perfect film to add to your annual rotation of fall feel-good rom coms. When Harry Met Sally is a regular on the list of best fall movies to watch each year, including on this year’s Entertainment Weekly“20 Best Fall Movies To Celebrate the Season” list. If you really want to up the fall-movie-watching ante, I usually plan a full Meg Ryan fall movie marathon and watch When Harry Met Sally followed by You’ve Got Mail, and it never fails to be the coziest day.

As we emerge from our post-Thanksgiving food comas, Friendsgiving is a wonderfully lighthearted comedy about the challenges of navigating complicated friend and family dynamics during the fall holiday that brings chosen family together. With a hysterically accurate take on the dysfunction of relationships – both platonic and romantic – Friendsgiving is a refreshing departure from the classic rom coms of ’90s fall movies. Released during the pandemic shutdown of 2020, the film offered a moment of gentle reprieve and made viewers nostalgic for their own dysfunctional family get togethers. According to Variety, “In a year when any kind of Thanksgiving gathering is out of bounds for many Americans, this aimless, painless film just about evokes the sense of conviviality they’ll be missing, passive-aggressive imperfections and all.”

Hallmark movies aren’t just made for Christmas time! This 2022 rom com tells the story of a Piper, a woman who moves to New York City in search of a fresh start, and Austin, an aspiring writer, as they figure out their futures – both together and apart. This gentle movie is the perfect film to watch while DIYing early holiday gifts or getting creative in the warmth of your home. Yahoo! Life calls Autumn In The City “a sweet fall homage to the Big Apple.”