Autumnal Moods: 17 Fall Movies To Cozy Up To This Season

The weather is cooling, the leaves are changing color, and everyone’s busting out their best sweaters. You know what that means: Fall is here, and with it, all of the spectacular seasonal treats, activities, and streaming titles that make this such a special time of year.

Starting in September and going through November, we celebrate the Fall season with magnificent movies and shows in a way that goes beyond the scares of Halloween. It’s the feelings of comfort, possibility, and togetherness that we want to bottle and immerse ourselves in whenever this time of year comes around, and luckily with these movies, we can get close to doing just that. From back-to-school season to Thanksgiving, we’ve got movie recommendations that encapsulate the spirit of it all and are perfect for watching while curled up on the couch, enjoying a warm beverage, baked good, or great company.

From newer autumnal titles like Knives Out and Coco to the tried-and-true classics like When Harry Met Sally and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, here are the 17 must-watch movies to get cozy with this Fall.

1. When Harry Met Sally

   This 1989 romantic comedy-drama is the quintessential Fall film. Bolstered by glorious sweaters, seasonal hues, and picturesque strolls through autumn in New York City, When Harry Met Sally tracks the relationship of the Type-A Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) and carefree Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) from when they meet in Chicago over the next 12 years living in New York City. And through it all is the central question: “Can men and woman ever just be friends?”

   WHERE TO STREAM WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

3. Mystic Pizza

   If you love the vibe of a Gilmore Girls Fall, you’re sure to enjoy this 1988 R-rated romantic comedy-drama. Mystic Pizza is full of pure small-town New England goodness as it tracks the lines and loves of Daisy Araujo (Julia Roberts), Kat Araujo (Annabeth Gish), and JoJo Barboza (Lili Taylor) as they come of age while working as waitresses at the titular local pizza shop and dreaming big in Mystic, Connecticut.

   WHERE TO STREAM MYSTIC PIZZA

4. Fantastic Mr. Fox

   With visuals steeped in rich oranges and reds, this Wes Anderson-directed 2009 animated adventure-comedy most certainly qualifies as a cozy Fall film. Fantastic Mr. Fox follows the exploits of Mr. Fox (George Clooney) as his nostalgia for the thrills of life as a thief leads him to break a promise to his wife (Meryl Streep) and end 12 years of idyllic country living upon raiding the farms of his human neighbors. With his marriage, family, and friends now in jeopardy, Mr. Fox must use all his cunning to survive the farmers’ angry retaliations.

   WHERE TO STREAM FANTASTIC MR. FOX

5. Autumn in New York

   I mean, what movie is better suited for Fall viewing than one entitled Autumn in New York? This 2000 romantic drama follows successful 48-year-old restaurateur Will Keane (Richard Gere) as his notorious womanizing and commitment-phobic ways are majorly tested upon meeting 22-year-old terminally ill free spirit, Charlotte Fielding (Winona Ryder). They fall for one another in a New York City autumn that will leave Will’s outlook on life and love forever changed.

   WHERE TO STREAM AUTUMN IN NEW YORK

6. Dead Poets Society

   Feel cozy with a hint of heartache as you watch this 1989 coming-of-age drama led by the late great Robin Williams. Immersed with that autumnal energy inherent to many school and New England-based movies, Dead Poets Society is set in 1959 and follows John Keating (Williams), a new English teacher at his prestigious boys’ boarding school alma mater, as he uses poetry to help his students come out of their shells and realize their dreams.

   WHERE TO STREAM DEAD POETS SOCIETY

7. Coco

   Full of rich Fall hues and set on the early November holiday, the Day of the Dead, Coco is guaranteed perfect seasonal streaming. The 2017 Pixar animated fantasy comedy-drama film revolves around a 12-year-old boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) who is determined to overcome his family’s ban on music to become a musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). After getting into some trouble on the Day of the Dead, Miguel must go on a vibrant and thrilling adventure to the Land of the Dead to make things right and learn the truth about his family history.

   WHERE TO STREAM COCO

8. St. Elmo’s Fire

   Complete with some Fall foliage, layered outfits, and sweet nostalgia, this 1985 coming-of-age romantic drama should help you settle into the season. St. Elmo’s Fire features members of the Brat Pack as a group of friends fresh out of college attempting to reckon the responsibilities of adulthood with the whims and freedoms of their carefree youths.

   WHERE TO STREAM ST. ELMO’S FIRE

9. Knives Out

   How can anyone look at that glorious Chris Evans sweater and say that Knives Out isn’t a Fall movie, come on now! This oddly cozy and immensely entertaining 2019 mystery film tracks renowned private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) through his investigation into the death of best-selling crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). With everyone close to Harlan now a suspect, Blanc must unspool a web of lies as he takes a closer look at the eccentric and highly dysfunctional Thrombey family.

   WHERE TO STREAM KNIVES OUT

10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

    Between the autumnal color palette, back-to-school energy, and literal magic in the air, everything about the first Harry Potter film in particular screams cozy Fall classic. This 2001 fantasy adventure centers on an orphaned boy named Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) whose life changes forever on his eleventh birthday, when he learns that he is a wizard. Harry is then whisked away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, opening him up to an incredible and spell-binding new world full of magic, friendship, and self-discovery.

    WHERE TO STREAM HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE

11. You’ve Got Mail

    Meg Ryan and Nora Ephron teamed up for yet another fabulous Fall classic with this 1998 romantic comedy dripping in a warm autumn aesthetic (especially at the beginning of the film set in October 1998). You’ve Got Mail follows the enemies-to-lovers tale of independent bookseller Kathleen Kelly (Ryan) and book superstore mogul Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), as Joe opens up a new location of his Foxbooks chain across the street from Kathleen’s boutique. Although they’re bitter rivals in person, an Internet romance sparks up when they meet anonymously online, a situation made even more complicated when Joe realizes the true identity of his online lover while Kathleen remains blissfully unaware.

    WHERE TO STREAM YOU’VE GOT MAIL

12. Mona Lisa Smile

    A New England college set in back-to-school time, oh, and Julia Roberts is there? Yep, that’s all the ingredients for a comforting Fall movie right there. Mona Lisa Smile is a 2003 drama film set in 1953 as it follows 30-year-old Katherine Watson (Roberts) as she accepts a position to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College. There, she introduces her conservative students to a more modern way of thinking as she inspires them to question traditional gender roles and aspire to achieve more in life than just marriage.

    WHERE TO STREAM MONA LISA SMILE

13. October Sky

    With a title like October Sky, what other season is more fitting for this sweet film than Fall? The 1999 biographical drama tells the true story of Homer H. Hickam Jr. (Jake Gyllenhaal), a coal miner’s son, who was inspired to construct his own rockets after learning of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1 launch in October 1957. With the help of his friends and a sympathetic teacher (Laura Dern), Homer goes against his father’s wishes for his future to pursue a career in rocketry, and with it, a life away from the mines and limitations of his small West Virginia coal town.

    WHERE TO STREAM OCTOBER SKY

14. Rudy

    Nothing says “Fall is here” quite like the start of football season, making this 1993 biographical sports film an absolute must-watch for seasonal streaming. Rudy is based on the life of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, and tells Rudy’s (Sean Astin) story as he paves his way towards a coveted spot on the renowned University of Notre Dame football team against all odds.

    WHERE TO STREAM RUDY

15. Kiki’s Delivery Service

    Yes, there’s a witch and some magic, but Kiki’s Delivery Service is much more suited to Fall as a whole than just Halloween streaming. Packed with nostalgia, color, and that seasonal theme of new beginnings and big journeys, this charming 1989 animated fantasy film will comfort and enchant viewers of all ages as it shares the coming-of-age story of a young witch named Kiki (Kirsten Dunst). Freshly 13, Kiki is now old enough to spend a year traveling away from her hometown and family, with only a trusty old broomstick and her talking black cat, Jiji (Phil Hartman) for company. After settling in a seaside town, Kiki sets up her own flying courier service and becomes a big part of the local community before self-doubt creeps in to challenge both her magical powers and sense of belonging.

    WHERE TO STREAM KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE

16. Legally Blonde

    We’re heading to Harvard Law School with this feel-good romantic comedy that will warm your heart in the way that any cozy autumn-time title should. Legally Blonde revolves around the lovable and hard-working Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) as she goes from seemingly having it all out in California as a fashionable sorority queen to getting dumped by her boyfriend (Matthew Davis) for not being “serious” enough for him. Shaken but determined to win him back, Elle follows her ex to Harvard Law School, but once there, realizes that she’s meant for so much more than to be arm candy as she finds a passion for the pursuit of justice while staying true to her own femininity and personality.

    WHERE TO STREAM LEGALLY BLONDE

17. Planes, Trains and Automobiles

    Nothing says Fall quite like this Thanksgiving-time classic complete with so much heart and humor, you’ll feel as content and full as you would after any good Turkey Day meal. This 1987 road trip buddy comedy revolves around advertising executive Neal Page (Steve Martin) as he attempts to get from a business trip in New York City to make it home to his family in Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. But as he runs into obstacles at every turn, Neal is further tested by shower curtain salesman Del Griffith (John Candy), whose chatty, bumbling nature majorly conflicts with Neal’s control freak tendencies as they’re forced to rely on each other to make it home for the holidays.

    WHERE TO STREAM PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

18. Little Women (2019)

    WHERE TO STREAM LITTLE WOMEN (2019)

    Nothing says Fall quite like family and Little Women has that in spades. Truly, this film feels like a warm hug, and what’s more cozy and autumnal than that? This 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved 1868 novel Little Women is directed by the great Greta Gerwig, chronicling the lives and growth of the March sisters in 19th-century Concord, Massachusetts. With their father away at war, Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy March (Florence Pugh) come of age, loving and relying upon one another through their various highs, lows, and pursuits of happiness.