In the beloved rom-com written by the rom-com queen (it’s Nora Ephron, and her crown stays forever) You’ve Got Mail, Tom Hanks as Joe emails Meg Ryan as Kathleen, “Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”
That quote sums up autumn in a few succinct sentences—back to school time means fall is in the air. The leaves are changing, the temps are dipping, and we get to trade our summer wardrobes for cozy clothes. It also means that it is the perfect time to cuddle up on the couch and watch autumn romance movies!
What constitutes an autumn romance movie, you might be wondering? Well, it obviously should take place during fall, ideally with cinematography that captures the seasonal beauty, and there should be romance. We give some leeway here and there—Halloween movies count as long as there is some romantic storyline—you get the idea.
Because we’re in the seasonal mood, we put together a list of our favorite autumn romance movies that will have you falling for fall, too!
The 25 Best Autumn Romance Movies
There are tons of iconic (some more than others) autumn romance movies set during the fall season, so if you’re in the mood for a super romantic drama or a lighthearted romcom, we’ve found some of the best fall films around!
#1 Autumn in New York
Looking for something that will make you ugly cry? This New York City romance, set in autumn (it’s right there in the title), features Richard Gere as a charming but womanizing restaurateur who unexpectedly falls for a younger woman who is terminally ill, played by Winona Ryder. Get the tissues if you’re going to do a viewing of Autumn in New York.
#2 You’ve Got Mail
You’ve Got Mail lets you totally immerse yourself in the nostalgia of autumn in New York City, your beloved neighborhood bookstore, and the unforgettable and long-gone America Online email alert as foes turn into friends and eventually find love.
#3 Silver Linings Playbook
This one is for all you Philly Eagles fans who want a movie that’s about love and football! In Silver Linings Playbook, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence play two troubled souls who enter a dance competition and form an unexpected romance.
#4 Practical Magic
Practical Magic might leave you wishing you were part of the tight-knit Owens family, where magical abilities are passed down through generations. But there’s a dark twist: the Owens women, like Gillian (Nicole Kidman) and Sarah (Sandra Bullock), are cursed, and any man they love is doomed to an untimely death. This endlessly re-watchable film follows the sisters as they work together to break the curse.
#5 Sweet Home Alabama
No autumn romance movie list is complete without the Reese Witherspoon-led film Sweet Home Alabama, where a newly engaged New York socialite heads back to her Alabama roots to finally get a divorce from her estranged husband after seven years, only to find herself falling for him all over again.
#6 When Harry Met Sally
One of the most unforgettable scenes (no, not the restaurant scene) in another Nora Ephron classic is when Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan’s characters meet in Central Park on a beautiful fall day. The autumn leaves alone will make you want to grab a hot drink and take a lovely stroll through New York City this season when you do a rewatch of When Harry Met Sally.
#7 If Beale Street Could Talk
Fonnie (Stephan James) and Tish (KiKi Layne) fall in love as New York’s seasons change around them, with the autumn leaves mirroring the beauty of their romance. If Beale Street Could Talk is visually stunning, with every shot highlighting their love story.
#8 Sweet November
Who can resist a mindless rom-com in the fall? In Sweet November, a workaholic (Keanu Reeves) agrees to live with a free-spirited woman (Charlize Theron) for a month after she claims she’ll change his life. As the end of their time together approaches, they both realize they’re not ready to say goodbye.
#9 Hope Floats
Birdie Pruitt (Sandra Bullock) is a former prom queen whose seemingly perfect life falls apart when her husband publicly admits to having an affair—with her best friend *GASP* on live TV. Humiliated and with her marriage over, Birdie goes back to her small hometown in Texas with her young daughter in tow to pick up the pieces in Hope Floats. As she struggles to rebuild her life and self-esteem, Birdie reconnects with her roots, negotiates complicated family dynamics, and rediscovers herself. What about love? She finds it with her childhood friend Justin (played charmingly by crooner Harry Connick Jr.).
#10 Moonstruck
Set in Brooklyn during November, this rom-com gives off all the cozy fall vibes. Loretta, played by Cher, ends up falling for her fiancé’s younger brother, which throws her life into tumult. With a combo of humor, love, and some complicated family stuff, Moonstruck is a fantastic movie to curl up with on a crisp autumn night. “Snap outta it!” and revisit this gem.
#11 Crossing Delancey
Isabella (Amy Irving) is a fiercely independent New Yorker in her 30s, constantly dodging her grandmother’s attempts to set her up with a “nice Jewish boy.” However, her Bubbe (Reizl Bozyk) may be onto something with Sam Posner (Peter Reickert), a humble pickle salesman from the Lower East Side. Directed by Joan Micklin Silver, who also wrote the original play, Crossing Delancey beautifully captures a nostalgic New York, especially during the cooler months.
#12 The Cider House Rules
John Irving’s New England novels are just right for a cozy autumn day. In The Cider House Rules, Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) grows up in an orphanage under the care of Dr. Larch (Michael Caine). As Homer becomes intertwined in the orphanage’s day-to-day life, he also witnesses Dr. Larch as he provides secret medical procedures for women like Candy (Charlize Theron). Set against the backdrop of Maine’s beautiful scenery, this coming-of-age love story is both moving and thought-provoking.
#13 Mystic Pizza
From the cozy sweaters to the gorgeous autumn hues and the picturesque Connecticut setting, every single thing about this Julia Roberts-led coming-of-age story encapsulates autumn. And Mystic Pizza is an absolutely adorable movie with not one romance but three!
#14 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Ok, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles gets some of that leeway we talked about. It’s not a romance, but it is about love. When Neal Page (Steve Martin) misses his flight home to Chicago for Thanksgiving, he embarks on a chaotic three-day journey with the overbearing shower curtain ring salesman, Del Griffith (John Candy). This hilarious film is a perfect watch before diving into your Thanksgiving feast of turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.
#15 Love Story
If you’re in the market for a solid tearjerker, the 1970 romantic drama Love Story is a can’t-miss. It follows two college students who fall in love and marry, only to have their happiness shattered by an unexpected tragedy.
#16 Love & Basketball
Love & Basketball is the quintessential fall romance watch! Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) have been connected since they were kids, sharing a love for basketball that eventually turns into their own love story. As they chase their dreams on and off the court, life and their basketball careers make things complicated. It’s a real, heartfelt story about love, dreams, and the struggles that come with both, and a great movie to settle in with on a crisp fall day.
#17 Little Women (2019)
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, a timeless tale of four sisters navigating life’s ups and downs, has been adapted numerous times. Greta Gerwig’s take beautifully captures the essence of fall in New England—the warmth of a crackling fireplace and the stunning scenery. For the perfect autumn moment, fast-forward to Jo (Saoirse Ronan) and Laurie’s (Timothée Chalamet) devastating confrontation on the hillside.
#18 Baby Boom
All those Hallmark movies about a big-city woman finding love and purpose in a small town owe a lot to the Nancy Meyers-penned rom-com Baby Boom. Diane Keaton plays J.C., a corporate powerhouse whose life takes a sharp turn when she unexpectedly inherits a newborn from distant relatives. When juggling a baby and a demanding career proves impossible (as anyone searching for good childcare can relate), J.C. moves herself and baby Elizabeth from a sleek New York City high-rise to a cozy Vermont farmhouse. The movie then transforms into a fall dream: J.C. meets a charming, plaid-wearing vet (Sam Shepard) and uses her business savvy to create Country Baby, a successful gourmet baby food brand.
#19 Working Girl
We don’t know if Working Girl is set in autumn, and we don’t care—it makes the list. It’s definitely not summer, and there is no snow to be seen, so our educated guess is good enough. Set in 1980s New York, Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is a secretary who’s tired of being overlooked. When her boss (Sigourney Weaver) breaks her leg skiing in Switzerland, Tess steps up and pitches her own idea to Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford), and as they work together, the romantic sparks fly.
#20 St. Elmo’s Fire
The 80s are synonymous with The Brat Pack’s hits like Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club (thank you, John Hughes; truly), which give us all the nostalgia for high school days, and the 1985 coming-of-age St. Elmo’s Fire tackles the next big step—what happens when you’re standing at the edge of youth, facing the real world. The film follows a group of friends, including Brat Pack staples like Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, and Rob Lowe, as they graduate college in a picturesque Washington D.C. and quickly realize that adulthood, keeping those tight-knit college friendships and love isn’t quite as simple as they thought. It sounds heavier than it is, but isn’t that what autumn’s about? Gazing out of the window, watching the leaves fall, and wondering where the summer went?
#21 The Lake House
Kate (Sandra Bullock) and Alex (Keanu Reeves) have never met IRL, yet they somehow ignite a romance through written love letters in The Lake House. But here’s the thing: although they live in the exact same house, they’re in different dimensions. It sounds ridiculous, we know, but somehow it works.
#22 Serendipity
Would you trust your romantic future to the whims of a secondhand book? Nope! But Serendipity came out in the early aughts—back when Amazon hadn’t yet transformed how we consume media, and the idea of a charming stranger you once shared ice cream with finding your number in a book didn’t seem so far-fetched. Or maybe it did, but that’s the premise of this rom-com starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale as a couple willing to leave their love up to fate. New York City is the true star of the film—it’s sugary, totally silly, and undeniably cheesy—but it’s hard not to fall for both the story and a seasonal Big Apple backdrop.
#23 The Time Traveler’s Wife
This love story takes you through heartbreak and hope—The Time Traveler’s Wife follows Clare and Henry, who are trying to make their love work despite Henry’s uncontrollable time travel (could he just stop doing that, maybe?) While the story moves through all of the seasons, part of it happens in autumn, so it makes the cut. There are cozy sweaters, crisp air, and falling leaves, and it reminds us of love, loss, and everything in the middle.
#24 Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Long before Matthew Macfadyen was scheming for power on Succession, he was winning hearts as one of literature’s most iconic romantic leads in 2005’s Pride and Prejudice. Talk about range! This version of the classic love story, starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy, has become the ultimate reimagining of the enemies-to-lovers trope. It’s not just about that famous hand clench moment either—this adaptation captures a cozy, intimate vibe with its earthy tones, woolen morning suits, and misty moors. It’s the perfect fall movie to curl up with, especially when you’re daydreaming about a man who’d settle his worst enemy’s debts to save your family from scandal—or, at the very least, we dunno, message you back on a dating app!
#25 Twilight
The air is getting cooler; the nights are longer, and—wait, is that “Decode” by Paramore playing off in the distance? Twilight squeaked its way onto our list of autumn romance films. There’s no denying that the ultimate emo vampire love story marks the shift from ‘Brat Summer’ to ‘Spooky B*tch Autumn.’ Set against the gloomy, blue-tinted backdrop of Forks, Washington, Kristen Stewart, and Robert Pattinson’s forbidden romance has a chill that goes beyond Edward’s cold, undead skin. No one has ever claimed it’s a cinematic masterpiece, but it does tap into our feral desire for a cozy, cuffing-season romance—even if that means falling for a 100-year-old vampire whose skin glitters. And honestly? That’s fair.
Final Thoughts
The minute you get to put on that new wool cream-colored turtleneck you’ve waited six months to wear, you’ll forget how much you kvetched about the oppressive summer heat. Once we start layering flannels over tee shirts, pulling on our coziest fuzzy socks, and digging into hearty soups (or whatever your autumn comfort food is), one thing we can all look forward to is the films.
When the sun starts setting way too early, nothing beats a great autumn romance movie. The orange and yellow leaves, chunky sweaters, and the smell of pumpkin-scented everything—it all feels comforting. And the movies of the season make saying goodbye to the hazy days of summer a lot easier!
