Are your mornings getting chillier and your cravings for pumpkin lattes are getting stronger? Is the bright orange Halloween candy section of the grocery store growing more enticing each day? Are you deliberately stomping on every leaf you pass on the way to class, hoping for that perfect crunch? If so, you might have a severe case of “autumn-itis!” Don’t worry, it’s very treatable, quit drafting your will. All you need is a cinnamon-scented candle, cozy PJs, and a movie night! And if you’re looking for the perfect medicine, these movies are sure to do the trick (or treat!)
“Dead Poets Society”
Autumn brings with it that back-to-school feeling. The smell of grease at high school football games, late-night study sessions with friends, and the anxiety of what the year holds. In this 1989 classic, Robin Williams plays an eccentric English teacher at Welton Academy. Beginning his junior year, Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) finds himself with a new roommate, top student Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard). The movie follows the boys through their fall semester, filled with romance, literature, and an overwhelming urge to “seize the day.”
A film that encapsulates boyhood, growing up, and friendship, “Dead Poets Society” is on people’s fall rewatch lists for a reason. If you love a movie that makes you walk out of the theater with a brand new sense of self, this is the movie for you. Just remember to bring the tissues. Carpe diem!
“You’ve Got Mail”
“Sleepless in Seattle’s” fall-flavored little sister, “You’ve Got Mail” is a charming, witty 1990s romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Set in a crisp autumn in Manhattan, the film follows bookstore owners Kathleen and Joe as they build a relationship through email, unknowingly corresponding with their real-life rival. If you love “Notting Hill,” “While You Were Sleeping, or “Pride and Prejudice” (2005) this is the movie for you!
Inspired by the 1937 play “Parfumerie,” the movie modernized the tale with brand-new and revolutionary technology: email! Toss on a scarf, pregame with a good book, try not to get too jealous of Ryan’s fabulous hair, and transport yourself to 1990s New York City.
“Little Women” (2019)
Based on Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel, “Little Women” has seen seven movie adaptations since 1917. Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation, however, is perfect for that cozy, youthful, nostalgic fall feeling. If “Dead Poets Society” encapsulates boyhood, then “Little Women” is its girlhood counterpart.
This classic novel retelling is chalked full of familiar faces, including Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Timothy Chalamet, and Meryl Streep. Shot on 35mm film and filmed in the picturesque Massachusetts autumn, Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” has a much older, more solemn feel to it. Grab a hot cup of tea, find the nearest fireplace, and fall into this incredible film!
