9 Non-Holiday Specific Movies for Fall

Halloween has come and gone, but there’s still plenty of autumn left to go. Before the onslaught of winter and the holiday rush, I invite you to take a breath, cozy up, and let one (or all) of these fine fall-ish flicks whisk you away for a well deserved rest…

Dead Poets Society

Fall Vibes: Scarves, sweaters, flocking birds, and foliage galore…and a pervasive, harvesty feeling that anything is possible

Fun: Robin Williams unleashed and amok-ing all over the place

Pair It With: A cozy afternoon of warm drinks and digging in to some poetry for yourself. Great places to start include the works of Maya Angelou, Wendell Berry, Gwendolyn Brooks, Robert Frost, Amanda Gorman, Rupi Kaur, Shel Silverstein, and William Carlos Williams.

Good Will Hunting

Fall Vibes: Autumn in New England, an actual schoolyard brawl, and a critical examination of prestige academia

Fun: Ben Affleck/Matt Damon banter…plus even more Robin Williams!

Pair It With: Some tissues. Your journal. A look into the intersection of education and mental health. Possibly beer. And of course, apples.

Hidden Figures

Fall Vibes: Old desks, piles of pencils, math everywhere, and restroom insecurity…it’s just like back-to-school!

Fun: These. Women.
Takin’ it to the patriarchy with panache.

Pair It With: Ma and Thunder Force for a trifecta of the inimitable Octavia Spencer’s power and range.

Hoosiers

Fall Vibes: Basketball season, Indiana farmscapes, and team colors of red and gold. Go Huskers!

Fun: The edge-of-your-seat action in the games. There’s not a single throwaway moment (no pun intended). Dare you not to cheer.

Pair It With: A Southern Indiana native. They will explain to you the history of the game, the real life Milan Miracle, and why a crowd should never, EVER rush the court at the end of a game.

Our Spirits Don’t Speak English: Indian Boarding School

Fall Connection: November is Native American Heritage Month, and we’re about to be inundated with images of the myth of the first Thanksgiving. There is so much more to their story…and ours. This particular subject has been in the news often recently; it’s only right that we hear about it from the people directly affected.

Pair It With: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (the book or the movie), Braiding Sweetgrass, and a contemplative walk through your local preserved areas to imagine how this land would have looked if we’d worked with it and its people instead of over them.

Remember the Titans

Fall Vibes: Football fever and all its accoutrements, set within the also burning racial tensions of 1971 Virginia

Fun: Denzel, Denzel, Denzel. He is never NOT amazing to watch. The high school hijinks and awkward cross-cultural conversations are pretty great, too.

Pair It With: Chips, dip, and a primer on the true story on which the movie script was based.

Soul Food

Fall Vibes: As promised, this movie isn’t technically specific to any holiday, but if all that kitchen conversation and family drama don’t put you in the Thanksgiving mood, I don’t know what will.

Fun: The fantastic cast, their super snappy dialogue, and copious amounts of food porn.

Pair It With: The Best Man Holiday and the Great British Bake Off

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

Fall Vibes: Back to school, a de rigueur cemetery scene, and that stunningly animated, grippingly immersive, white knuckle web chase through miles of autumn leaves

Fun: I mean…it’s Spider-Man. Multiple versions. From multiple timelines. It’s ALL fun! (And personally, I think Nicolas Cage as Noir is the best and funniest work he’s ever done.)

Pair It With: Movie snacks, vintage Spidey, and Across the Spider-verse, when you’re ready

When Harry Met Sally

Fall Vibes: Autumn in New York. It’s a thing for a reason.

Fun: Yes. All of it, but especially BFFs Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby.

Pair It With: Your own BFF(s). And cheesecake.