Top 10 Fall Vibe Movies
Fall is a great time to be inside and watch a good movie with hot chocolate and a pumpkin cinnamon dessert. Since Charleston does not have any seasons and fall lasts for about 1 week, to stay in the fall spirit it is essential to watch a good fall movie. In this list I am not including some obvious fall movies such as It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Harry Potter, which are already mandatory fall movies. Instead I am ranking some of my favorite movies that I love to watch during fall. This is just a recommendation list as well so I probably forgot some movies but enjoy!
1. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox directed by Wes Anderson is an amazing claymation movie about an ambitious fox named Mr. Fox who wants to steal from the farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. His wife, Mrs. Fox wishes for him to settle down and become a family fox. Everything about this movie is fall. The color scheme is an aesthetically pleasing array of oranges and browns, and since the movie is claymation Wes Anderson is able to make these colors more vibrant than a live action movie which really creates a fall feel. Overall Fantastic Mr. Fox is a classic Wes Anderson movie arc where the eccentric main character makes impulsive decisions and then reaches a low point to learn a heartwarming lesson by the end of the movie. So if you love Wes Anderson, this is the fall movie for you, and even if you don’t like him, I would still recommend watching this movie during fall.
My rating: 4.5/5
Fall Vibe: 5/5
2. Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me
Although Twin Peaks (directed by David Lynch) is a TV show, I included it in the list as it is essential to watch the show before you watch Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me. Twin Peaks is a classic David Lynch plot about an all American small town that gets thrown into hysteria when the beloved all American teenage girl, Laura Palmer, is found dead. If this plot seems familiar it’s because Twin Peaks inspired many of today’s popular shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Riverdale, Gravity Falls, and Stranger Things. With the color scheme of red, brown, burnt orange, and mute purple, the fall vibes are very apparent in every scene of the show. Also, the setting of the show in Washington really brings out the fall feel as the weather is the perfect temperature to see all the characters’ best 80s sweaters. Overall the world of Twin Peaks is perfect to watch during fall time.
My rating: 5/5
Fall Vibes: 5/5
3. Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir is a movie that takes place at an elite all boys boarding school where everyone is expected to follow their parents wishes of their becoming a doctor or a lawyer. Yet, through the guidance of the non-traditional teaching methods of the English teacher Mr. Keating, the students learn more about themselves and their true passions in life. Since this movie takes place at the beginning of the school year in the New England area it is the picture perfect fall landscape. Also, as the students learn to love literature through Mr. Keating they become more in tune with their emotions which really encompasses fall vibes. The last part of the movie is not included in the fall vibes rating and it is advised to turn off the movie for the last 30 minutes so the fall atmosphere is not ruined.
My rating: 5/5
Fall Vibe: 5/5
4. Juno
Juno directed by Jason Reitman is a great coming of age movie about a teenager named Juno who becomes pregnant and decides to keep the baby and give it to a married couple who has been hoping to have a child. Since the movie takes place in the fall the color palette of the characters costuming matches the oranges, browns, and reds of the setting, making it the perfect coming of age teen romance fall movie. Although Juno deals with a very sensitive subject like teen pregnancy, it is a very heartwarming and funny movie to watch with family and friends. The soundtrack is another highlight of the movie that offers plenty of catchy songs to add to your fall playlist on Spotify. Emerson Rampy added to this by saying that “any movie with Michael Cera is a good movie. His song Clay Pigeons is very fall.” I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to watch a coming of age and teen romance movie in a Wes Anderson type style.
My rating: 4/5
Fall Vibes: 5/5
5. When Harry Met Sally
When Harry Met Sally, directed by Rob Reiner, is a cute rom-com that follows two friends over the course of 12 years that start off as acquaintances who hate each other to a friendship that then develops into a relationship. The movie takes place in New York during fall and winter which really makes it a perfect romance movie to watch anytime from fall to winter. What’s fun about the movie is that Harry and Sally continue to deny that they like each other throughout the movie which makes their relationship so rewarding at the end of the movie. If you’re looking for a simple cute rom-com to watch this fall and winter, this is the perfect movie for you.
My rating: 3.5/5
Fall Vibes: 4.5/5
6. Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise directed by Richard Linklater is about two young people, Celine (played by Julie Delpy) and Jesse (played by Ethan Hawke), who meet on a train traveling through Europe. They make an impulsive decision to stay in Vienna together for 24 hours until their trains come. They walk around the city together talking about their lives when their friendship soon turns into a romance. Putting this movie on the list is probably (definitely) biased as it is one of my favorite romance movies and I think that the perfect time to watch it is in fall. Fall is a very romantic season and this movie is the perfect romance movie. Since there is really no plot to the movie, the chemistry between Celine and Jesse really shine as you are able to see the development of a romance without any distractions that occur in other romance movies, as all they have is each other’s company in a city they both don’t know. So if this fall you are in the romantic mood I would highly recommend this movie.
My rating: 5/5
Fall Vibes: 4/5
7. Paddington
Paddington directed by Paul King is about a talking bear who moved to London after their family home in Peru was destroyed by an earthquake. Paddington is a great movie to watch in fall because of how heartwarming it is. If you are looking to watch a movie with your family; this is the one. Paddington finding a new family in London is so heartwarming and a very important lesson about accepting other people from different backgrounds. With the racism and hardships that refugees and immigrants experience in Europe and all over the world, Paddington was made as a story that symbolizes the importance of showing kindness and understanding to refugees and immigrants. Paddington is a great movie to watch year-round but especially good during fall if you want to watch a heartwarming movie with your family.
My rating: 5/5
Fall vibes: 3.5/5
8. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson is a fantasy story set in Middle Earth about a hobbit named Frodo Baggins who must go on a journey to destroy the evil Sauron’s Ring before evil destroys Middle Earth. I am only including the Fellowship of the Ring in this list as I believe it has the most fall vibes out of the trilogy. Since it is the first movie in the trilogy the beginning of the movie is set in the Shire which gives off ultimate fall vibes. The fellowship also travels through eleven lands which have a lot of gold colors that add to the fall feel. The Fellowship of the Ring is also the most “light hearted” movie out of the three where Frodo and the rest of the fellowship only realize the burden they must carry until near the end of the movie, so it is more of a simple fall feel movie before the darker later movies.
My rating: 5/5
Fall vibes: 3/5
9. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Portrait of a Lady on Fire directed by Celine Sciamma is a French period piece that follows Marianne, a painter, who must paint a portrait of the reluctant Heloise for her future husband whom she has never met or talked to. While they start off as strangers, they soon become friends which morphs into a doomed relationship. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a very beautiful movie that has amazing cinematography where every scene is made to look like a painting which adds to the romance between the two. While the movie is set during fall, what makes it very fall vibes is the romance between Marianne and Heloise. Yet it is one of the saddest movies I have seen so take that in consideration when watching.
My rating: 5/5
Fall Vibes: 3/5
10. The Witch
The Witch directed by Robert Eggers is a movie about a family in the 1630s who are expelled from their colony and have to move into the wilds of New England. Soon panic ensues when their youngest son suddenly vanishes and the family blames the oldest daughter, testing the family’s faith and loyalty to one another. The Witch is a horror movie that is brilliantly directed by one of my favorite directors, Robert Eggers, and has amazing cinematography and great acting thanks to Anya Taylor-Joy. Although I think The Witch is way better than Midsommar, I would consider The Witch the scary fall vibe version of Midsommar considering they are both folk horror movies, using folkloric traditions, fairy tales, and religious references to add to the plot, and both movies are set in rural areas which add to the hysteria that soon takes over the main characters who are both women. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to watch a great scary movie during fall.
My rating: 4/5
Fall Vibes: 3/5
Although it is still 80 degrees in Charleston, I hope you enjoy watching these fall movies in a few weeks when the weather turns a little colder. Have a great fall everyone!
