Our Favorite Autumn Movies
Leaves are falling and pumpkin spice lattes are being poured as we speak. The only thing missing is a good fall movie night watch, and do we ever have you covered. Here are some of our fave autumn movies, from the classics to crisp and cool 21st century gems. BYO soup!
October Sky
October Sky tells the true tale of Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal), a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to pursue literal rocket science against his father's wishes. The title is actually an anagram of Rocket Boys, the name of the 1998 memoir on which the film is based. The phrase was also used in a radio broadcast which described Sputnik 1 as it crossed the “October sky.” The fall-to-winter vibes in this movie are out of this world, too.
Good Will Hunting
I mean, one look at the cover for this film and you’ll see why I put it on a fall movies list. Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a janitor at MIT with a genius-level IQ. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), who decides to help Will reach his full potential. A beautiful autumn in Boston is the backdrop of this powerful drama about finding direction in life through hard lessons.
The Edge of Seventeen
Here we have a winning combo of a back-to-school movie and fall movie. High school gets even more unbearable for Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) when her best friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), starts dating her older brother. If you follow the blog, you know we’re big fans of the classics around here: but The Edge of Seventeen is a truly good 21st century coming-of-age movie. The dialogue is funny, real, and crisp as the leaves falling outside.
When Harry Met Sally
We all know the story: Harry and Sally argue about whether or not men and women can be platonic friends while driving from Chicago to New York in 1977. Ten years later, the pair reunite in a chance encounter at a bookstore, and attempt to stay friends despite growing sexual tension. We recently saw actor and comedian Ben Schwartz “hit ‘em with the Harry” in his white chunky sweater and kneeling pose for a fall photoshoot, proving When Harry Met Sally isn’t just the gold standard for romantic comedies: it’s an autumn classic.
Knives Out
Speaking of famous white sweaters, we have Knives Out. An Aran sweater worn by Chris Evans went viral when the movie was released in 2019, solidifying the film’s spot in Fall Film Culture. Knives Out is about a detective who investigates the death of the patriarch of a family, but the real mystery here is the curious case of that sweater. One thing the jury is not still out on is the fact that this film has been a fall movie night staple ever since.