Typical Fall Movies Have Gotten Stale—Watch These 5 Satisfying Picks Instead
Photo courtesy of: 20th Century Fox
When the air gets crisp and the sun begins to set earlier in the evening, watching a cozy movie on the couch feels like an ideal way to unwind. This experience is universal, and in the last few years, it also seems to be identical. You sit down, pull a blanket over yourself, and press play on When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, and Casper. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of these movies—so much that I can quote most of them without a problem. But their happily-ever-afters tend to feel stale, watch after watch after watch. There’s a point when tradition just becomes boring.
I’m not saying that you should stop queuing up autumn-appropriate fare, but I do think you can give the tried-and-true choices a rest. There are so many other befitting options that can feel just as satisfying yet delightfully new, even as a rewatch. Here are five movies that are worthy of a change of pace, without taking you entirely out of a beloved fall routine.
Photo courtesy of: 20th Century Fox
Instead of: You’ve Got Mail
Try: That Thing You Do!
If you love seeing Tom Hanks shut down a woman’s bookstore and then make her fall in love with him in You’ve Got Mail—charmingly so, of course—it’s worth watching him make other people successful in That Thing You Do!. In it, Hanks plays the manager of a 60s boy band who become a sensation with a one-hit wonder, catapulting them from playing in a garage to performing on live TV. The movie is sweet, the soundtrack is catchy, and there’s a part when Liv Tyler runs down the street screaming that it is quite possibly the happiest scene in all of cinema history.
Photo courtesy of: Dreamworks/20th Century Fox
Instead of: Hocus Pocus
Try: What Lies Beneath
Ok, yes, I know that What Lies Beneath is not a kids’ movie. But when Michelle Pfeiffer’s character thinks that her neighbor may have been murdered, she reads spells from a book and holds a seance with her friend using a Ouija board—so, close enough to the witches of Hocus Pocus. I love how this movie seems to be going one way at the start, but then veers in a different direction using a slow-build twist that still lands. As far as autumn goes, you’ll notice that the Vermont setting drifts into fall as the plot progresses, becoming darker toward the end to match the reveal. Plus, Harrison Ford has his shirt off in this movie quite a bit. Who doesn’t love that?
Photo courtesy of: Warner Brothers
Instead of: When Harry Met Sally
Try: Casablanca
One of the recurring themes in When Harry Met Sally is whether the main characters should’ve stayed together in Casablanca, and it’s a deceptively funny aspect of the plot—how seriously Harry and Sally discuss this World War II-era love triangle, how steadfast Sally is in her initial answer, then how sure she is once she changes her mind toward the end. Maybe Casablanca isn’t a fall movie in the way that When Harry Met Sally so obviously takes place at this time of year. But what it lacks in clear autumnal coziness it makes up for in timeless storytelling. The characters are so dynamic, the one-liners are so witty, and the ending is still such a hot topic that I wouldn’t be surprised if you debate the final choice, too.
Photo courtesy of: Moviestore/Shutterstock
Instead of: Practical Magic
Try: The Sixth Sense
By now, if you’re this far into the list, you know that I’m not exactly comparing apples to apples here. But I am trading one family drama for another—and I think you can place Practical Magic and The Sixth Sense under this bill. The Sixth Sense often gets labelled as a horror movie, and while there are some scary moments in it, I don’t think those details define why it continues to be worth a watch. To me, The Sixth Sense is about longing, about people who are desperate to connect with one another yet struggle to do so (for reasons that can be fixed, and reasons that…can’t). Haley Joel Osment may have stolen the show here, but Bruce Willis kills it as his character’s psychologist. And that scene in the car with Toni Collette and the bumblebee pendant? I will cry every time. Robbed of an Oscar, I tell ya!
Photo courtesy of: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures
Instead of: Casper
Try: Stranger Than Fiction
Once again, Casper is a kids’ movie, and Stranger Than Fiction is not. But both films are quirky, cozy, and lean heavily into fantasy, with characters that are rough around the edges but also endearing. Stranger Than Fiction focuses on the mundane life of an IRS auditor, played by Will Ferrell, alongside a parallel story of a disgruntled author trying to write a book (expertly done by Emma Thompson). The only part of Casper I’ll still watch at my grown age is the “Can I keep you?” dance scene, of course, and Stranger Than Fiction has a moment involving Ferrell playing the guitar that’s also really good. I understand that it’s tough to compete with Devon Sawa—I was there—but it’s something.
