While I have been anticipating fall since the end of July, I’m sad to say goodbye to summer Fridays and beach days. The whole New England, Cape Cod, or Hamptons-inspired aesthetic just doesn’t hit the same once September rolls around. Personally, I spend my summers watching coastal grandma-coded movies, like Nancy Meyers films. Given that I will spend the rest of my life trying to be exactly like Erica Barry in Something’s Gotta Give, saying goodbye to summer means saying goodbye to constant Nancy Meyers rewatches, too.
However, just because I won’t be wearing linen on a beach with a crisp glass of white wine in the coming months doesn’t mean I have to give up my comfort films. I made it my mission to find the fall movies like Nancy Meyers films because let’s face it: Coastal grandmothers thrive in summer, not fall. Here are the Nancy Meyers-esque fall movies I’ll be streaming all season long.
Practical Magic
‘The Parent Trap’ is by far my most watched Nancy Meyers film—because who doesn’t love an invisible string, swapped identities story? While I must admit it’s on all the time as one of my comfort movies, it only seems right to honor all that fall is and switch it up with another show about sisterhood. ‘Practical Magic’ is all about two sisters, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman), who come from a long line of witches and use their powers for good. However, when one sister’s abusive boyfriend jeopardizes their safety, both their powers and their bond are put to the test. It’s never too early to celebrate Halloween—kick off the start of spooky season with some popcorn and this comforting classic.
About Time
There are two types of people in the world: those who watch holiday movies during the month of December, and those who watch them all year round. I am proud to say that I’m the latter. However, when September rolls around, I pump the breaks so I’m not over all the festive movies before the holidays even roll around, which means I’ve had to find alternative movies that spark the same joy. ‘About Time’ is a sci-fi romance about time travel where the main character Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is met with the question: How far will you go for love? When Tim turns 21, his father tells him that the men in his family have the ability to time travel. Tim tries to improve his life by getting a girlfriend, and he gets Mary (Rachel McAdams) to fall for him via some time travel tricks. However, when Mary and Tim still face problems, he realizes that he needs to sit in discomfort and learn to face his struggles without time travel.
Meet The Parents
Whether it’s going back to school or simply reviving your enthusiasm for work, fall is a transition season. Much like ‘Father of the Bride,’ ‘Meet the Parents’ follows a similar story about parents struggling to come to terms with the fact that their child has grown up and is getting married. In ‘Meet the Parents,’ Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is a nurse and a chronic underachiever. He loves his girlfriend, Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), and hopes to propose to her after meeting her parents one weekend. However, the weekend quickly turns disastrous when his father-in-law, Jack Byrnes (Robert DeNiro), becomes suspicious of Greg and puts him to the test.
When Harry Met Sally
If Nancy Meyers has a fall equivalent, it’s Nora Ephron. If you like the dysfunctional family dynamics in ‘It’s Complicated,’ this classic Meryl Streep movie has the perfect fall alternative: ‘When Harry Met Sally.’ Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) first meet after college graduation when driving from Chicago to New York together, and it’s safe to say they do not get along. The movie then spans over the next 12 years through their unlikely friendship and their other romantic relationships. Throughout the film, Harry and Sally argue about whether or not women and men can actually be friends, and go back and forth from friends to friends with benefits to enemies and everything in between. It is, indeed, complicated.
The Proposal
Similar to ‘Home Again,’ ‘The Proposal’ is a story all about following your heart and what to do when faced with a safe or passionate choice when it comes to love. When faced with deportation, Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) asks her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her. After an unexpected trip to Alaska, suspicious immigration offers, and overwhelming family rituals, this couple must decide whether they can make it to the big day or if Margaret will be forced to go back home to Canada. Though ‘The Proposal’ isn’t explicitly a fall movie, it does focus on the workplace, giving it a certain back-to-school energy.
Knives Out
Much like ‘Once Upon A Crime,’ ‘Knives Out’ follows the curious circumstances around an extremely complicated murder. ‘While Once Upon A Crime’ is set in glittering Monte Carlo, ‘Knives Out’ takes place in New England during the fall. However, both movies follow a dashing investigator—Daniel Craig plays the famous Benoit Blanc in contrast to Giancarlo Giannini’s Inspector Bonnard. In ‘Knives Out,’ the famed mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his study. Suddenly, all of the members of his family—including three children who all want his inheritance—are suspects. However, when Thrombey leaves his fortune to his kind-hearted nurse (Ana de Armas), she unexpectedly becomes suspect #1.
As Good As It Gets
In ‘Something’s Gotta Give,’ known womanizer Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson) has a questionable dating history for an aging man with a sexist personality. When a medical emergency strikes, Harry’s life turns around for the better, and he enters an unlikely relationship with the mother of the girl he was “dating.” Carrying on the trope of “unlikely relationships,” Jack Nicholson stars as another hard-to-get bachelor as Melvin Udall in ‘As Good As It Gets.’ Melvin is rude to everyone he encounters and doesn’t have any friends. Ironically, he’s also a romance fiction writer. When his neighbor’s dog goes missing, Melvin softens his harsh aura to help find the missing pup, forming unlikely relationships with his neighbor and the only waitress in town who will pay him any mind.
You’ve Got Mail
‘What Women Want’ is a classic enemies-to-lovers trope. Similarly, ‘You’ve Got Mail’—another Nora Ephron classic—tells the story of struggling independent bookstore owner, Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), and the owner of a chain bookstore, Joe Fox (Tom Hanks). The movie follows both their unexpected anonymous online romance and contrasting, snide real-life business relationship. Fox is planning to open a bookstore around the corner from Kelly’s small shop, and she’s worried about his company hurting her business. All the while, the two are unknowingly communicating via AOL anonymously as “Shopgirl” and “NY152.” ‘You’ve Got Mail’ shows what happens when online romance and offline animosity meet.
The Pelican Brief
While Nancy Meyers is the queen of romance, she is versatile and knows how to make a good action movie. So, if you’re wanting something similar to ‘I Love Trouble,’ try ‘The Pelican Brief,’ coincidentally also starring Julia Roberts. Based on a John Grisham novel, ‘The Pelican Brief’ is a thriller following a young law student (Julia Roberts) whose legal brief about the assassination of two Supreme Court justices causes her to be the new target for the killers. Everyone she tells is shortly murdered, including her boyfriend, and the only person she can trust is an investigative journalist (Denzel Washington). Together, the two must dodge multiple attempted assassinations as they try to expose the killers to the public.
The Devil Wears Prada
There is something about a hardworking girlboss protagonist that screams fall, and Anne Halthaway movies don’t disappoint. While I love her in ‘The Intern,’ I’ve been rewatching another film that very much feels like the origin story of her character, Jules: ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’ Recent college graduate Andy (Anne Hathaway) lands a job at a prestigious fashion magazine despite not being the most fashionable, and works under cutthroat editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). This story is an anthem for establishing yourself and finding and maintaining confidence when entering the workforce, making it the perfect movie to inspire your ambitious working girl fall.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Bryanna Cuthill, Contributing Writer
Bryanna Cuthill is an NYC-based writer with a Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre from Baldwin Wallace University. She has been writing for The Everygirl’s Entertainment, Community, and Sex & Relationships sections since 2023. She is currently pursuing a career in live entertainment in New York City.
