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Every fall, “Gilmore Girls” reclaims its cultural dominance. Starbucks rolls out pumpkin spice and suddenly half the internet is back to debating whether they are team Dean, Jess or Logan. While I love Lorelai and Rory just as much as the next guy (if not more), fall doesn’t belong exclusively to Stars Hollow, it belongs to movies too. Here are five films that deserve to pull up a chair at the seasonal table.
“Dead Poets Society” is what happens when you take fall’s love of academia and crank it to eleven. This is not just school supplies and freshly sharpened pencils; it’s the belief that reading Whitman in a cave by candlelight will actually change your life. The film basks in autumnal aesthetics: crisp leaves, ivy-draped buildings, and a soundtrack of youthful optimism undercut by the crushing weight of parental expectations. In other words, it’s every September, just with more poetry and slightly more emotional devastation.
“You’ve Got Mail” is fall as a rom-com. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks banter their way through New York in turtlenecks, cardigans, and scarves big enough to double as blankets. But beneath the meet-cute emails and bookstore drama, there’s something sharper. It’s a story about nostalgia colliding with modernity, and how progress doesn’t always mean better. That it manages to say all that while also being the cinematic equivalent of a pumpkin-scented candle is a testament to Nora Ephron’s genius.
Joe Wright’s 2005 “Pride and Prejudice” is one of my personal favorites. The fields are perpetually misty, the Bennet sisters spend half the movie wrapped in shawls, and Matthew Macfadyen delivers the most unhinged marriage proposal in the history of cinema soaked in rain, voice breaking, telling Elizabeth Bennet he loves her “most ardently” while simultaneously insulting her entire family. This movie is full of cozy firesides, brooding walks through the countryside, and the reminder that nothing pairs better with rain than a good existential crisis about marriage and social status.
Then there’s “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” the messy middle child of fall films. I was originally going to write about Prince of Thieves, but no one needs Kevin Costner proving that accents are optional in medieval England. Fall deserves “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” where Mel Brooks finally admits what everyone was too afraid to say: Robin Hood works best as a comedy. Cary Elwes knows exactly how ridiculous this all is and leans into it with perfect smugness. The result is a film that reminds us of the real moral of the Robin Hood
legend isn’t about justice or rebellion. It’s that men in feathered hats and tights are inherently funny and always will be.
Finally, “The Fox and the Hound.” This is the kind of fall movie that reminds you life is full of change. Tod and Copper start as inseparable friends, only to face forces beyond their control that test their bond. It’s bittersweet, yes, but also quietly hopeful. The film shows that even when circumstances pull people apart, the care and loyalty you’ve shared can endure. Watching it in autumn feels right. It has soft light, falling leaves, and the sense that endings are just part of the cycle.
These films did not make the top five but still belong on the fall watchlist. “Clue” mixes mystery and humor, making it a fun choice for a cozy evening. “Little Women” offers warmth and quiet drama, the kind of story that feels like curling up under a blanket. Scream is a back-to-school slasher that turns high school hallways into haunted houses, proving that autumn isn’t just about falling leaves. It’s also about falling victim to a masked killer. “Charlie Brown: Thanksgiving” is pure nostalgia, a gentle reminder of simpler fall traditions. And “Mean Girls,” while not technically a fall movie, has earned a spot in the season simply because October 3rd has become its own holiday.
I know “Knives Out” and “When Harry Met Sally” are often hailed as perfect fall films, and I have no doubt they probably deserve the title. But I haven’t seen them yet. So, for now, this list will have to do.
