Fall is here. Well, not technically. The autumn season begins on September 23rd this year, but for me, when September hits, it means it’s the fall. This season to me means football, spending time in the brisk outdoors with friends and family, and everything pumpkin flavored. To say goodbye to summer and welcome fall, I’ve compiled a list of films to watch.
Just a quick note before I get into this list, you’ll notice that there’s a lack of horror movies. I did that purposely because I’ll have a full blog once October hits, AKA “Spooky Season“, about the best movies to watch then, so don’t crucify me for my lack of horror flicks.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) dir. Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson’s films have been acclaimed for having great cinematography possessing a beautiful look. Whether it’s The Grand Budapest Hotel or Asteroid City, the way his films look have defined him. To me, no film in the entire world of cinema radiates more of a fall feel than Fantastic Mr. Fox. His first stop-motion film radiates that autumnal vibe with his usage of bright orange and yellow from the trees to the ground and even with the foxes at the center of this film.
In addition to the film having a fall look to it, it feels nostalgic. It’s about spending time with your family, which is a trait I attribute to the autumn season. Some of my greatest memories growing up in the fall were when I was with my family, so when Anderson stresses the bond of your closest relatives, it really it home for me. I give Fantastic Mr. Fox the highest recommendation possible for the fall season. Maybe after you return from the pumpkin patch or a night of sitting by the far, you can fire up HBOMAX and watch it.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) dir. Nick Park, Steve Box
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit holds a lot of nostalgia for me. I remember watching it as a child at my grandparents home in the fall and it’s one of those films that’s kind of stuck in the back of my head. I’ve always adored the whimsical relationship between the cheese-making Wallace and his beagle Gromit, and when you add in a fall element like a vegetable contest with pumpkins, it becomes the perfect fall film. Like I mentioned, it’s whimsical. It isn’t a film to be taken too seriously, but it’s remarkably fun to watch if you have kids or if you just need a pick me up from the Sunday Scaries.
Kicking and Screaming (1995) dir. Noah Baumbach
When I think of the fall, I think of back to school time and Noah Baumbach’s directorial debut, Kicking and Screaming is about going back to college with your friends. The films tone is a bit bleak as it centers around the idea of not knowing what’s next in life for someone. For the fall season, I think it’s the season making the most drastic change going from the summer which is very hot to the fall which is brisk. Kicking and Screaming talks about the most drastic changes in a person’s life. It’s a small correlation, but one that clicks for me. I love this movie with my whole heart as I’m in the same shoes currently as these main characters. I’m heading into my final fall semester as a college student and the reality of the real world if creeping up.
What’s also great about Kicking and Screaming is that it includes something I attribute to the fall — literature. Josh Hamilton’s character is an aspiring writer and I don’t know why, but when I think of people writing, I think of them in a coffee shop or classroom in the fall. Again, it’s something weird that I attribute to the season, but it’s just the way my brain is wired.
Boyhood (2014) dir. Richard Linklater
While Richard Linklater’s Boyhood doesn’t radiate bright orange and yellow colors or include pumpkins and scarecrows, it’s a nostalgic film. If you’ve gotten to this point of the blog, you realize that I attribute a lot of nostalgia to fall. Boyhood centers around the hectic, 12 years of a family in Houston, and while there are rough moments of family dispute, there are many tender moments that make you appreciate family. Building memories in the fall has been an important part of my life and seeing scenes of Ethan Hawke bowling with his son or having a beer with him hit me in the sweet spot of autumn sentimentality. It’s a long and emotional film, but sets the tone for fall nicely.
Monsters University (2013) dir. Dan Scanlon
I added a deep and emotional film about going back to school with Kicking and Screaming, so I’d be remised to not include one of my favorite animated films of all-time: Monsters University. Don’t get me wrong, Monsters Inc. is better, but Monsters University is pretty awesome. I don’t attend a college with frats, but this was a funny spoof on normal colleges doing a rush week and competitions as it was perfectly crafted for the Monsters Inc. fanbase. It’s a whimsical addition like Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, so it makes a great watch for a well needed pick me up. It’s also great to watch to make you feel like a kid again.
Dead Poets Society (1989) dir. Peter Weir
I mentioned it prior with Kicking and Screaming, but I attribute literature to the fall. The premise of Dead Poets Society is about young men falling in love with literature through a teacher injecting his love of literature to them and it consumes them. While sad in many parts, I kind of view this as a perfect fall film. You’ll cry, feel nostalgic, and also develop an admiration for literature and other arts. That’s something this film helped me develop. Granted, I’ve never read any of the books in Dead Poets Society, but I appreciated them. I didn’t think it was weird or strange to like them, but understood why people love them.
Dead Poets Society also includes one of the most incredible scenes in film history. Every few weeks, I’ll watch the “O Captain, My Captain” scene on YouTube and its immediate goosebumps. You somehow feel a sense of pride and a sense of loss. This is a perfectly crafted film from Peter Weir.
The Outsiders (1983) dir. Francis Ford Coppola
During the fall, you’ll have weekends where you hangout with friends and as the night winds down, Francis Ford Coppolas The Outsiders is the perfect fall nightcap film. It’s kind of cheesy, so you and your friends can rag on that aspect of it. But it’s also fun to see so many young actors interacting as friends before their big breaks. It’s amazing watching Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Tom Cruise all right before they make it big. Why I also think this is a fall fitting film is because it’s about young kids getting up to no good. While my friends and I never killed a rival gang member, we would cruise around neighborhoods on our bikes just having fun like kids. That’s kind of what fall is all about.