The best fall movies to watch in October, from “Practical Magic” to “When Harry Met Sally”

From "Little Women" to "When Harry Met Sally," these are the films that remind us of a cool fall breeze, with a faint smell of pumpkin spice in the air.

Autumn tropes abound in our favorite cozy classics — sweaters; artfully scattered orange leaves; East Coast academic settings; Matt Damon . There's really just one trope we're not on board with: death. Screenwriters love a funeral in the fall — as if the parallel between dying leaves and dying characters is a new idea. Could someone please tell Autumn in New York (2000) and Stepmom (1998) that axing the leads sours our apple cider?

But don't worry, the movies on this list keep maudlin to a minimum, celebrating the season the way it deserves. So light the fire, grab something pumpkiny, and break out that knitting project you abandoned when the AC clicked on — it's time to dig into this feast of the fall-iest fall movies ever.

Moonstruck (1987)

If you haven't seen Moonstruck , are you even a fall movie fan? Like a good ragú, a fine wine, or a widow in need of a makeover ( Cher 's Loretta Castorini), this is a movie that gets better with age. Set in November in Brooklyn, the look and feel of this film are to die for, capeesh?

Moonstruck does not make a single misstep as it explores the concept of love and romance through multiple stories and generations. Nicolas Cage is a revelation here, a sexy devil working amid the fires of hell (okay, ancient stone bread ovens) and gesticulating with a wooden hand. His performance — and Cher's charming Oscar-winning portrayal of the put-upon Loretta — are perfection. Better with every rewatch, preferably on the night of Cosmo's (full) moon, this is a portrayal of a family for whom fighting is a love language. Now that's amore.

Practical Magic (1998)

The Owens sisters ( Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock ) are witches with amazing hair, daffy aunties ( Dianne Weist and Stockard Channing ), and a curse to deal with, namely, the men they love all die . Forgive us if that sounds dramatic — it isn't.

Nope, the guys are just cardboard cutouts, and their deaths don't really hurt, because Practical Magic is witch-lite — setting up "spells" that seem more suited to slumber parties and looking at giant antique magic books to a twinkly soundtrack. In other words, this is a movie about witches that could be mistaken for a movie about a book club...with way more candles (and writhing). Practical Magic knows what it is — fun and entertaining — and the fact that the ending features a Stevie Nicks song playing as a single leaf of fall foliage drifts in front of a harvest moon is exactly the kind of on-the-nose touch we live for.

Related: Practical Magic 2 producer reveals sequel plot will adapt Book of Magic novel: 'Going to be very faithful'

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

You can have your Hocus Pocus , our favorite witchy trio will forever be the glam-mystical combo of Michelle Pfeiffer , Susan Sarandon , and Cher. Oh yeah, Jack Nicholson is here, too, but who's paying attention to anything other than these ladies at the peak of their power? (Their hair alone deserves a standing ovation.)

Based on the John Cheever novel, The Witches of Eastwick is a horror-comedy light on the horror — though some real gross-out moments could scar you (or put you off fresh cherries) for life. And if the makeup artist responsible for Pfeiffer's oozing cold sore didn't get an Oscar, they were robbed. (It turns out they weren't even nominated. Double robbed!) Directed by George Miller , this is a confection with edge — massively entertaining, extremely silly, and possessing way more heft than you might expect, due to the commitment of the leads.

Mystic Pizza (1988)

You could play a Mystic Pizza fall-themed drinking game — one beer per cable-knit sweater — but we wouldn't recommend it, because, by the end, you'd be three sheets to the wind. And the wind, in this case, is both salty and filled with burnt-orange leaves, making this one of the fall-iest fall films of them all, and that's before you notice the fireplaces, rainstorms, and outfits.

A solid rom-com with some nice rough edges, this seaside-set indie pretty much introduced the world to both Julia Roberts (Daisy) and Lili Taylor (as the fabulously monikered Jojo Barbosa). Their natural, bubbly performances (along with Annabeth Gish's fresh-scrubbed Kat, Daisy's sister) are reason enough to watch this cozy-with-a-capital-C movie. The young women (employees at Mystic Pizza) are each caught up in their own tangled romantic drama, some predictable, others...not so much! A perfect snuggle-in-front-of-the-fire flick, Mystic Pizza is a warm little slice of fall.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

There are more cinematic versions of New York City than there are Ray's Pizzas, but Wes Anderson 's cluttered, bookish version in The Royal Tenenbaums is tough to beat. This tale of a gently dysfunctional family comically moving from one disaster to the next is enhanced by a perfectly melancholic soundtrack ( Nico , Nick Drake, and Vince Guaraldi) and an easy pace.

Though the movie takes place during all four seasons, many of the memorable scenes (like when Gene Hackman 's Royal takes his jumpsuited grandsons for a ride on the back of a dumpster) happen before an autumnal backdrop of bare trees and marmalade skies. A sepia-ish, antiquely filtered light seems to saturate every moment, exuding a retro fall vibe that comes straight from a '70s middle school library. Watch it on a rainy night, or whenever you want to luxuriate in that good kind of sad.

Related: Wes Anderson films, ranked

Rudy (1993)

Fall goes with football like popcorn with butter, and the cinematic gridiron film Rudy is one of the all-time greats. Sean Astin plays Rudy Ruettiger, a "5-foot nothing" kid from Joliet, Ill., with a seemingly impossible dream — to play football for Notre Dame. But the odds are stacked against him: Rudy's not only small, he has dyslexia, too, meaning his grades aren't good enough to get into his school of choice.

Since this is based on a real story, we bet you can guess if the kid gave up or sallied forth in true fighting (Irish) style. This underdog tale may be slightly predictable, but we're not here for the twists — we're here for the genuine performances and the warm, all-American glow. Set in an Indiana autumn where the light seems filtered through bonfire smoke and just-turned maple leaves, it's an inspirational tale with substance, heart, and style.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Based on the Roald Dahl story of the same name, Wes Anderson took a simple plot and ran with it, creating a claymation universe so enchanting you'll want to step through the screen and take up residence. The level of detail is beyond lovely, and worth freezing each frame to stare at like a fine painting. The color palette? Extreme Fall — inspired by the orange fur coat of Mr. Fox ( George Clooney ) and his lovely wife, Felicity ( Meryl Streep ). Jackets are brown and corduroy; leaves are turning; Felicity likes to paint autumn landscapes in her spare time.

The off-kilter tale of a brave fox leading the fight against a comically noxious group of farmers satisfies like the grand victory feast at Badger's ( Bill Murray ) table. The way the animals appreciate, fight for, and scarf down their food (including warm-from-the-oven nutmeg ginger apple snaps ) makes it an ideal Thanksgiving viewing tradition.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

Especially suited to autumn, these two animated specials remain all-time sweet-n-sour classics. The mellow, jazzy Vince Guaraldi score paired with the stark, lonely-looking backdrops of bare trees and smudgy clouds elevate this beyond typical kiddie fare — it's almost as if Charles Schulz and director Bill Melendez were trying to create art instead of something with mega-commercial appeal.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is awash in harvest tones with a looming, slightly threatening moon, setting the scene for the worst takedown of any character (outside of Charlie, the usual scapegoat), when Sally yells at Linus for making her miss "tricks-or-treats." The Thanksgiving saga includes more angst, even as it serves up an 8-year-old's dream dinner: toast, jelly beans, popcorn, and pretzels. Watching both of these back to back is to sink into a delightful sort of seasonal depression, a serving of sadness with a side of sugar.

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Famous for Meg Ryan 's iconic performance in the "I'll have what she's having" deli scene (if you were unlucky enough to sit through her fake orgasm with your parents when it came out, we feel your pain) and the chemistry between her and costar Billy Crystal , When Harry Met Sally is pure rom-com gold.

In this smart and hyper-witty gem, screenwriter Nora Ephron and director Rob Reiner spare no expense in creating the perfect NYC fall fantasy — Central Park's gloriously turning elm and maple trees, Casablanca on their TVs, the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, Ryan and Crystal's sweater collections, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harry Connick Jr. singing "Autumn in New York," lunch with Carrie Fisher at the Boathouse in Central Park...sigh. If you can't afford a New York weekend, this movie — a celebration of how true love is worth waiting for — will do the trick.

Related: The secrets behind the most iconic scenes of When Harry Met Sally

Beetlejuice (1988)

Turn on the juice and see what shakes loose. In this Tim Burton classic, a deceased couple ( Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis ) haunt the new occupants of their country home. They call upon a ghost trickster named Beetlejuice ( Michael Keaton ), who has ulterior motives, hoping to marry the inhabitants' teenage daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) and wreak havoc on the world. Naturally, hijinks ensue.

Beetlejuice was one of the highest-grossing films of 1988 and won the Oscar for Best Makeup. It remains one of Burton's most indelible spooky season films, with iconic sequences ranging from a dizzying trip through the "Netherworld" to the "Day-O" dinner disruption. — Kevin Jacobsen

Rushmore (1998)

Only a director with Wes Anderson's skill could transform Houston (where Rushmore was filmed) into Boston. But how he willed grey skies and drizzle into nearly every scene, well, that's between him and Mother Nature.

This story of an underachiever (Max Fischer, played by Jason Schwartzman ) attending a tiny private prep school on scholarship has a lot going for it — charmingly prickly characters (Bill Murray as Max's mentor and Seymour Cassel as Max's father), a devotion to creativity, and the best school play of all time — but maybe the most magical thing about it is the world Anderson has created. Cozy, oddball, and very much autumnal, this movie is one of the great fall classics.

Love Story (1970)

We know...we said we weren't going to support a fall movie where the (uh, 50-plus-year-old spoiler alert?) main character dies. But we're NOT going to say we're sorry because this, the grand pooh-bah of tragic love stories, manages to avoid sappiness for most of the running time, remaining cool, upbeat, and fairly unsentimental until...you know what.

This tough edge is due to Ali MacGraw's ahead-of-its-time performance as Jenny (of course, in a plaid skirt and matching scarf) hurling offhand insults like an original mean girl, baiting Oliver (Ryan O'Neal) by calling him preppy with the kind of venom that could only lead to two things: homicide or a proposal. The sight of our two lovebirds strolling and bickering along the Harvard quad as leaves wither, falling quickly and madly into love as the seasons change, pretty much set the bar for every fall-ish love story that followed.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a Bah-ston local with a genius brain and no desire to do much of anything with it. Best pal Chuckie Sullivan ( Ben Affleck ) disagrees. Eventually, the third leg arrives to provide much-needed balance in the form of Robin Williams , playing Will's therapist. Helping Will overcome his mental obstacles and figure out what's really bothering him — while revealing his own pain — Williams' innate tragicomic sense made him ideal for the role.

Co-written by Massachusetts natives Damon and Affleck (and earning the yet-to-be-A-listers an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay), Good Will Hunting portrays Boston (and Ha-vahd) not just as a pretty background, but as the complex place it actually is, with an authenticity you can't fake.

Little Women (2019)

Director Greta Gerwig is clearly a member of the Fall Fan Club, and we love her for it. Autumn in New England, through Gerwig's lens, is a land of books, ink pens, books, costumes, books, fireplaces, books, feasts, books, and ever-turning leaves. And has there ever been a cozier spot than Jo's attic when autumn's chill descends?

The end of this film has some of the fall-iest scenes (and clothes!) in recent memory, from Jo ( Saoirse Ronan ) and Laurie's ( Timothée Chalamet ) Wuthering Heights -style face-off to Jo's deliciously ink-stained writing sesh in the attic. And if you can't get enough of Little Women , check out the 1994 version with Winona Ryder as Jo and Susan Sarandon as Marmee.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

The amount of snow-related mishaps in this Thanksgiving movie puts it into a Christmas category for many people, but, as all Midwesterners know, a November snowstorm is not a far-fetched concept. Steve Martin plays a businessman who wants to go home for Thanksgiving before running into a wonderful (for us), frustrating (for him) obstacle — John Candy in his ultimate performance.

Every challenge is thrown at the mismatched duo, who stumble forward in that terrifyingly vulnerable pre-cell/pre-internet/pre-historic time. Funny, touching, and filled with a certain late-'80s malaise captured in a grainy, practically indie film way by the Bard of the Midwest: John Hughes .

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Thought of as a Christmas classic (home of Judy Garland 's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"), Meet Me in St. Louis has a secret Halloween heart. Yup, tucked inside Vincente Minnelli 's jewel box of a film is an October treat so delicious, we had to include it here. Divided into four "chapters" (one per season) makes it easy to skip ahead to the autumn portion of the film, though you won't understand why Tootie ( Margaret O'Brien ) almost gets run over by a train, or why Garland's Esther runs next door and starts slugging her crush in the face.

But what you will see is the most jaw-droppingly cool Halloween sequence ever filmed, a kids-on-a-mission prank-fest, costume show, and history lesson wrapped up into one flour-dusted, fiery package. This color-saturated turn-of-the-century fairy tale is so packed full of festive charm, we bet it becomes a regular in your autumn rotation.

St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

"You're not gonna believe how out of hand it's gonna be," proclaims peak '80s Rob Lowe as Billy Hicks. And while St. Elmo's Fire never quite lives up to that proclamation, it still holds a certain aggressively wild charm. This is a caffeinated (or substitute another more, uh, '80s stimulant) trashy version of the "Autumn Romance" genre, and, because it's a Joel Schumacher production, you are guaranteed at least one sweaty saxophone performance (in this case, Lowe's character).

As subtle as Jules' ( Demi Moore ) Jeep crushing a pile of fall leaves, this film is full of tortured hookups, post-college apartment decor, and amazing '80s hairstyles, plus a few bizarre plots, including one with Emilio Estevez 's Kirby Keager stalking a doctor ( Andie MacDowell in cable knit) and even Jules' "suicide" attempt. Critics be damned, this film goes perfectly with that candy you stole from your kids' Halloween stash.

The Secret Garden (1993)

Melancholy has rarely been as mesmerizing as in Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 classic children's book and its subsequent film adaptations, which hinge on a pale, death-obsessed boy who hides in his bed and occasionally pulls back a velvet curtain to look at an oil painting of his dead mother. In other words, this is far from the sweet, old-fashioned kid stuff for which you might have mistaken it.

The Secret Garden grabs your attention from the get-go, as you find yourself rooting for the self-absorbed Mary (Kate Maberly) to transform (spoiler, she does), via the power of nature and friendship. Surprisingly weird, truly moving, and very much focused on the simple power of growing things, community, and dirt under your fingernails, this is one of those "G" movies that goes so far beyond "general" it's ridiculous. Note: There are many versions, but this 1993 staple is too good to miss.

Knives Out (2019)

Fall goes with mysteries like Chris Evans goes with cable knit, which is to say, perfectly . With its massive, Clue -level ensemble cast of colorful characters stuffed into a giant mansion on a misty, rain-soaked hill surrounded with harvest-toned foliage, Knives Out is a Fall Movie, and proud of it. What is it about this season that puts us in the mood to solve crimes? Whatever the reason, we're in the mood to reflect, and this film checks all the cozy mystery boxes.

The bare bones might sound simple — a famous writer is killed and his extended family comes forward with stories, lots of 'em — but it's the details of the thing that make it such a magical mystery, especially the stellar performances, including Ana de Armas , Jamie Lee Curtis , Christopher Plummer , and, with an accent more mysterious than the plot itself, Daniel Craig as Det. Benoit Blanc.

Related: Knives Out production designer on that crazy house, and which details you might have missed

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Set during football season, this film has everything: love, classic literature, sports betting, and something called "crabby snacks." Touchingly offbeat, Silver Linings Playbook is a rom-com that is actually romantic AND really comedic, with some verrry dark corners, too. In other words, it's a lot like life.

For the heroes of this film, who continually make bad choices (until they make good ones), autumn in Pennsylvania doesn't mean apple picking and pumpkin carving, but instead, jogging in a garbage bag, ballroom dancing, dealing with mental health issues, and just generally flying off the handle. Each character suffers from an excess of passion: Pat Solitano Jr.'s ( Bradley Cooper ) for his ex-wife (and self-improvement); Tiffany Maxwell ( Jennifer Lawrence ) for her dead husband (and dancing); and Pat Sr.'s ( Robert De Niro ) for the Eagles. Entertaining as all get out, these are characters you can't help but root for.

Juno (2007)

Juno encompasses multiple seasons, but there's something about its warm-toned color palette, quirky lead character, and indie comedy rhythms that makes it feel most like fall.

Set in a sleepy Minnesota town, Juno MacGuff ( Elliot Page ) is a quick-witted 16-year-old who must face the difficult choice of what to do about her pregnancy. Resolving to have the baby but give it up for adoption, she finds the seemingly perfect parents in Mark ( Jason Bateman ) and Vanessa ( Jennifer Garner ), though she learns hard life lessons as she gets to know them further. Hilarious and moving in equal measure, Juno is a comfort watch worth revisiting again and again. — K.J.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly .