Welcome back to another Movie Monday!! As I have been completely in the “fall” mood these past two weeks, it seemed fitting to round up a collection of the movies that put me in that mood! You know, the leaves rustling, scarf and a jacket, hot soup kind of mood.
Well, I don’t think it needs be summed up better than that, so let’s get right to it!
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1. Scent of a Woman
This is one of my favorite films of all time, and tops my list because it was the first one that popped into my head when I started thinking about fall films. This one is set around Thanksgiving, but that has really very little to do with the plot. A young Chris O’Donnell matches wits and wiles with a young-ish Al Pacino in a role so amazing, he earned his Oscar for it, and should win it a dozen more times, all for Lt. Colonel Frank Slade. The tango scene with Gabrielle Anwar is beautiful.
2. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
As long as we’re on a Thanksgiving-timed kick, we HAVE to include this John Candy/Steve Martin gem. When everything can and DOES go wrong, it’s really a good thing to have comedic gold along for the ride. The scene in the hotel room is always hysterical – right up until John Candy goes into his dramatic monologue and brings tears to my eyes. EVERY.TIME.
3. Uncle Buck
John Candy has some great roots in Chicago, my beloved city, and another favorite for the fall is Uncle Buck. This one isn’t centered around any specific holiday, but something about it always reminds me of the colder weather of late fall in Illinois. The house in this film always seemed to me like a dream home, a house I wanted to have for myself someday. Heck, it still is! I love watching this movie each year and laughing along as Candy stumbles his way through being “that guy” in his family. Sweet, and endearing.
4. Big
Okay, well this one is just pure classic. Even though the meat of Tom Hank’s adventure takes place in NYC, the opening and closing of film in a suburbs is what really gives it the autumn tone and makes it one of my “Fall” picks. Those gorgeous trees and piles of leaves outside of Josh Baskins’ house? Gorgeous!! This is such a great movie to watch, even with your kids. My son is still too young, but I could see older kids getting a kick out of seeing the hi jinks of a 13-turned-30 year old on the loose in the city. And yeah, as an adult, the over-my-head-as-a-kid aspect of Josh and Susan is a LITTLE creepy, especially to the mother of a son, but I think the parting of the two helps to mend the “ick factor”.
5. The Goonies
Goonies never say die, and I can never NOT watch this movie when it comes on TV. Despite the clearly crappy, cold, rainy day this movie is set in, there are so many touches that just scream fall – the cheerleading practice, the leaves, the ultra-hunky Brand, aka a young Josh Brolin…okay, not really sure how he exudes fall, but dreamy works too. Goonies is one of those iconic movies that stays with you forever. There are just too many memories to even recount, so if you’re feeling nostalgic, I suggest you revisit the Goon Docks.
6. You’ve Got Mail
“Don’t you just love New York in the fall?” Well, I’ve personally only spent a grand total of six hours in NYC in November, but I assume I would love it as much as I love Chicago in the fall. This movie spans a few months, but starting off in fall is fabulous, and gives it such a warm feeling right from the start. I’m actually jealous of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks sauntering down the city blocks under the changing leaves, wishing for that beautiful urban autumn feeling. To ad-lib a phrase from the movie, “[Watch] it – I know you’ll love it!”
What movies make you think of fall?
