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Romantic comedies are great any time of the year, but they are especially delightful as the seasons change and the weather begins to cool down because fall rom-coms make for a cozy way to spend the day inside as the temperatures drop outside. Even those in warm climates can pump up the air conditioner, brew a cup of tea, and relax for a couple of hours while a love story plays out, spending time in the fall feeling so many rom-coms evoke.
Autumn is a special time for rom-com viewing though many rom-coms for the season aren't strictly comedies. There are often elements of drama, even some with elements of fantasy, and they aren't all the cheesy rom-coms set at an autumn festival, though there's nothing wrong with that particular breed of rom-coms for fans of the genre. These films will be an excellent addition to any cozy watch list this fall.
35 Notting Hill (1999)
A Book Store Owner Falls In Love With An Actress
Julia Roberts was once known as the Queen of romantic comedies. Not all of them, however, evoke the cozy feelings of autumn. Notting Hill does, despite not explicitly being set in the fall. In the movie, Roberts is an actress who tries to stay under the radar while in England. There, she meets a bookstore owner, played by Hugh Grant, and falls for him. However, since they are from different places in society, things are not easy when they try to make things work.
The two staying in, drinking tea, and the gray skies overhead will make the audience think of fall weather, though it's really just typical of England, which doesn't usually see scorching summer temperatures. At the time of its release, it was the highest-grossing British movie of all time. It also picked up three Golden Globe nominations and has an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score.
34 Autumn In The Vineyard (2016)
Former Childhood Sweethearts Co-Inherit A Vineyard
Autumn in the Vineyard features Rachel Leigh Cook and Brendan Penny as former childhood sweethearts who are both left ownership of a vineyard in someone's will. They have to learn how to work together to keep the vineyard from going under and end up rekindling an old spark. The two eventually have to find a way to make things work during the Best Wine competition at the annual Autumn Harvest Festival.
For seasonal offerings of romantic storylines, Hallmark is a great option for finding plenty of movies. The network has a yearly "fall into love" themed lineup that centers its romances around harvest season. That usually means plenty of pumpkins, tea, and cozy sweaters in its fall rom-coms, but in the case of Autumn in the Vineyard, it means wine. The movie was so successful that it resulted in a franchise, with three films in the trilogy.
33 Must Love Dogs (2005)
Two Divorcees Attempt Internet Dating
Must Love Dogs is an often-forgotten rom-com from the 2000s. Starring Diane Lane and John Cusack, the movie features two recently divorced people, Sarah and Jake (Lane and Cusack), who try their hand at the world of internet dating, connecting over the "must love dogs" part of a dating profile despite neither of them actually owning a dog (Sarah is caring for her sick mother's dog, though, a Newfoundland called Mother Teresa).
...most critics still praised Lane and Cusack for their performances.
It's a sweet movie with plenty of scenes in parks that will make viewers want to enjoy the cooling temperatures. Critics were not kind, giving the movie a 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but a higher average 50% score from the audience Popcornmeter. While the reviews weren't what the filmmakers hoped for, most critics still praised Lane and Cusack for their performances.
32 Little Women (2019)
Greta Gerwig Adapts The Classic Louisa May Alcott Novel
Little Women isn't explicitly a fall rom-com since the movie takes place over several years and centers on the coming-of-age of a group of sisters. However, it still feels like the story should always be set in the fall, and the romantic entanglements of Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), and Laurie (Timothee Chalamet) provide the rom-com aspects of the movie.
It also has a 95% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating and won one Oscar with six nominations.
The tropes in Louisa May Alcott's original novel that make it into the movie, like one best friend falling for the other or the little sister falling for a family friend, weren't tropes when she wrote the novel. However, they have become integral story points in many rom-coms in modern pop culture. The film was a huge box office success, standing out in Greta Gerwig's filmography before her Barbie hit. It also has a 95% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating and won one Oscar with six nominations.
31 Falling For Vermont (2017)
A Writer On Vacation & Ends Up With Amnesia In A Small Town
One of the professions that Hallmark loves to use in its made-for-TV movies is a writer. That might mean a novelist, biographer, or journalist, but writers are a popular character job in their romance movies. That's exactly what Julie Gonzalo's character is in Falling for Vermont. She decides to escape the media associated with her career by taking a remote vacation but ends up in an accident that leaves her with amnesia in a small Vermont town.
While there, she bonds with the doctor (Benjamin Ayres) caring for her and comes to appreciate the changing of the seasons and the fall festival in town. Falling for Vermont earned some critical acclaim, picking up a Best of Show Award at WorldFest Houston, and Peter Benson won Best Supporting Performance by a Male at the Leo Awards.
30 To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
A Teen's Sister Sends Private Love Letters To All The Boys She Liked
Based on the Jenny Han novel of the same name, To All The Boys I've Loved Before is a teen rom-com that's perfect for fall. It might not all take place in the fall, but the beginnings of the school year traditionally occur then, and the largely academic setting of Lara Jean's (Lana Candor) story makes it feel that way. The film is a love story of a high schooler who finds herself with suitors that she never imagined.
Lara Jean has her world turned upside down when her little sister shares the letters she's written to her crushes over the last few years, one of whom is her older sister's boyfriend, and another is one of the most popular guys in school. Lara Jean develops a plan with Peter (Noah Centineo) in order to avoid admitting her crush on her sister's boyfriend, but falls for him in the process. To All The Boys I've Loved Before has two sequels and a spin-off series.
29 The F Word (2013)
A Young Man Finds A Relationship After Heartbreak
Also released under the title What If, The F Word sees two people (Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan) who meet at a mutual friend's party and become friends and try to stay platonic despite their mutual attraction to one another. While the movie doesn't necessarily do anything new for the rom-com genre, it's a bit of comfort food for those who love romance movies, especially of the friends-to-lovers variety.
The F Word was one of Radcliffe’s first contemporary movies that pulled him out of a fantasy story.
The movie features late nights at diners, fires on the beach, and plenty of sweater weather, but the chemistry between the leads makes it belong on a fall rom-com list. The F Word was one of Radcliffe's first contemporary movies that pulled him out of fantasy stories, and he proved he could be a leading man. Critics gave it a Rotten Tomatoes score of 74%, and it earned several nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards.
28 Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
Two Women Explore Same-Sex Love For The First Time
In the early 2000s, there weren't a lot of rom-coms with LGBTQ+ storylines that ended up finding a mainstream audience like Kissing Jessica Stein. The movie explored the fluidity of sexuality as both of the main characters had grown disillusioned with their previous relationships with men and decided to take a chance on pursuing a relationship with a woman. It's a different kind of coming out or coming-of-age story as both women are adults, and so many of that particular story focuses on teens.
It also gives both women very different, but still very happy, endings, creating a lovely fall rom-com for audiences to enjoy. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie received an 83% fresh rating, and it earned praise for its positive portrayal of same-sex relationships in an era where it wasn't always openly portrayed in mainstream movies.
27 Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
A Rom-Com Dealing With Mental Health Issues
Just as much a drama about mental health as it is a rom-com about two people struggling to connect, Silver Linings Playbook is set just as the months begin to get colder in the fall. That's evident by the sweaters worn by the characters and the fact that it's NFL football season for most of the movie (the Philadelphia Eagles are spotlighted in the film). It might be a bit more dramatic than comedic but it's perfect for the season.
Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper star as two people struggling with their own past relationships and mental health who manage to find a kindred spirit in one another. Their surprising connection leads to a relationship, although things are never easy, and they have to fight to make it work out in the end. The film was a critics' favorite, earning eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, although it only won one for Best Actress (Lawrence).
26 Twilight (2008)
A Vampire Falls In Love With A High School Student
Some might not consider Twilight a fall rom-com, but the supernatural teen romance does fit the bill in a lot of ways. For one, Bella's (Kristen Stewart) story begins as she begins a new school year at a new school in Forks, a town that seems to have a perpetual state of fog and light rain as the weather inches closer to winter. There are also several scenes with Edward and Bella out in the woods, with the forest presenting a great fall-like atmosphere.
Twilight might not be a traditional rom-com but it's still perfect to enjoy during the fall months...
The Twilight Saga's movies are mostly dramas with some action sprinkled in, but their comedic moments help keep some of the melodrama at bay, and that's especially true of the first movie. Twilight might not be a traditional rom-com but it's still perfect to enjoy during the fall months and when looking for laughs, consider the memes that were born from the franchise.
25 Dating The Delaneys (2022)
Three Generations Of Women Find Love
Cozy fall rom-coms from Hallmark usually focus on one main character finding a happy relationship. It's a woman being pushed to find new love by her mother or a single dad whose daughter wants him to be happy. That's not the case in Dating The Delaneys. This movie focuses on three generations of Delaney women as they all navigate the dating scene and find love at different ages.
It's the kind of rom-com multiple generations of fans of the genre will really enjoy. The film also received some awards recognition, with the Leo Awards nominating it for Best Casting in a Television Movie and Best Costume Design in a Television Movie. However, critics did say that the movie tries overly hard at times to be funny but often relies mostly on puns for the jokes.
24 The Lake House (2006)
A Fantasy About Two People Seeking Love From Different Eras
The Lake House is a fantasy-romance-dramedy rather than strictly a fall rom-com, but its sweater weather and gorgeous scenery will certainly make romance fans want to curl up with a blanket and enjoy the movie. Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves star in the movie as two people who live in the same lake house years apart, exchanging letters during their time there (with them delivered in different eras via the mailbox and time travel), and eventually falling in love with one another.
The story is one that requires the audience to believe in a little magic, and even though Bullock and Reeves spend most of the movie apart, their chemistry is as strong as when they appeared in Speed together. Despite being vastly different films starring the two, the actors showcase their impressive versatility by making both films work.
23 Mystic Pizza (1988)
Three Young Women Find Their Place In A Small Town
Like a lot of the movies thought of as fall rom-coms, Mystic Pizza doesn't entirely take place in the fall. It has that cozy feeling that a show like Gilmore Girls evokes, thanks to its small-town setting of Mystic, Connecticut. The movie was filmed on location in Connecticut and Rhode Island, which really gives it an authentic feel.
The film is both a story of young women falling in love and the idea of one day finding their place in the world...
Starring Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, and Lili Taylor as three young women working at a pizza place and experiencing three very different romantic relationships, the movie is as much a coming-of-age dramedy as it is a rom-com. The film is both a story of young women falling in love and the idea of one day finding their place in the world, even if it means never leaving this small fishing town and their lives in and around this pizza restaurant. The film's story was turned into a musical in 2021.
22 Autumn Dreams (2015)
A Former Couple Learns They Are Still Married Years After Breaking Up
Since Jill Wagner played a villain on MTV's Teen Wolf, she's gone on to play the lead in a variety of Hallmark rom-coms. Autumn Dreams is the network's answer to Sweet Home Alabama. While Sweet Home Alabama appears to take place in the summer months, Autumn Dreams is clearly a fall rom-com, as it takes place after the fall harvest. It features Wagner and Colin Egglesfield as Annie and Ben, former high school sweethearts who thought their marriage was annulled.
The film fits the format of most Hallmark movies, with the two main stars showing great chemistry and finding their way to each other.
When they're both engaged to other people years later, they discover that the paperwork was never properly filed and set out to legally end their marriage. The trouble is that their feelings might not be completely gone. The film fits the format of most Hallmark movies, with the two main stars showing great chemistry and finding their way to each other.
21 Persuasion (2022)
A Young Woman Has To Choose Between Two Suitors
Most adaptations of Jane Austen's novels don't take place in a single season but over a time period of months. Persuasion isn't specifically set in the fall either, but it has the aura of a fall rom-com. It doesn't feature the sunny picnics of Emma, for example. Instead, it features gray skies, layered clothing, and meetings in closed-off drawing rooms.
Dakota Johnson stars as Anne, a woman whose first love (Cosmo Jarvis's Frederick Wentworth) - who she rejected - makes his way back into her life just as a new suitor (Henry Golding's William Elliot) surfaces and she has to decide which direction to take her life. The movie earned some criticism because Johnson's Anne is a bit more modern, but her breaking the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience makes for a refreshing take on Austen's work.
20 Working Girl (1988)
A Woman Takes Her Boss's Place & Finds Success
Working Girl isn't explicitly a fall rom-com, but it might as well be. After all, the characters wear long coats throughout, and it's a ski trip that kicks everything off. Tess (Melanie Griffith) decides to use her boss' (Sigourney Weaver) clothing and home to help her become the high-powered business person she wants to be when she's asked to house sit after her boss is in a skiing accident.
With a stellar cast, great chemistry between the leads, and proof that confidence is the key to making dreams come true, Working Girl is a classic.
She winds up excelling and even forming a relationship with her boss' love interest (Harrison Ford). With a stellar cast, great chemistry between the leads, and proof that confidence is the key to making dreams come true, Working Girl is a classic. The film was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Griffith), and two supporting nominations for Joan Cusack and Sigourney Weaver. It only won Best Original Song but still has an 83% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
19 Pumpkin Everything (2022)
A Woman Finds A Second Chance At Romance In Her Hometown
If anything symbolizes a fall rom-com, it is the appearance of pumpkins. After all, pumpkin is a staple of the season. From pumpkin pie to pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin carving, pumpkins are all over fall festivities and this movie. The Hallmark film Pumpkin Everything follows a writer (Taylor Cole) as she returns to her hometown to take care of her grandfather and his pumpkin-themed store.
While there, she reconnects with an ex (Corey Sevier) and rediscovers an appreciation for her hometown. This ended up as one of Hallmark's better second-chance romances. It's a sweet movie, and the relationship between grandfather and granddaughter is given just as much importance as the romance, which is a big plus. Star Taylor Cole was nominated for the People's Choice Award for Favorite Hallmark Star at the 2022 Just Jared Jr. Fan Awards.
18 The Edge Of Seventeen (2016)
A Coming-Of-Age Movie Starring Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld stars in this coming-of-age teen movie that also doubles as a fall rom-com. Puffy jackets, windswept hair, and love declarations are par for the course in this movie. Of course, the bigger story in The Edge of Seventeen is that Steinfeld's character is just trying to figure herself out. She finds herself feeling particularly alone when her brother and her best friend start dating.
It's a great movie about growing up without being a cookie-cutter fall rom-com.
While she feels completely lost, she reevaluates her own insecurities and tries to find affection and attention in new places to keep her grounded. It's a great movie about growing up without being a cookie-cutter fall rom-com. Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret), the film was a minor box office success and has a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Edge of Seventeen earned Steinfeld a Golden Gloves Nomination for Best Actress.
17 The Princess Bride (1987)
A Mysterious Pirate Sets Out To Save A Kidnaped Princess
The very quotable Princess Bride takes place over several years, so calling it a fall rom-com might seem inadequate. The swashbuckling adventure, however, is one of the most beloved romance stories ever told, and it certainly evokes the feeling of autumn as seasons change, rodents of unusual size are dodged, and Westley (Cary Elwes) is only mostly dead. It's definitely the kind of movie that can be watched while curled up with a cup of tea under a warm blanket.
The film stars Cary Elwes as the Dread Pirate Roberts, who sets out to save the kidnapped Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) after three bandits kidnap her for the ruthless Prince Humperdink. The film remains beloved to this day, with a 96% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 2016.
16 Pumpkin Pie Wars (2016)
Two Rival Families Battle In A Pumpkin Pie Competition
If Romeo and Juliet's families had gone to war over pumpkin pie, this might have been what their lives looked like. In Hallmark's Pumpkin Pie Wars, two former best friends and bakers, Faye McArthy and Lydia Harper, had a falling out when Lydia opened a new bakery by herself. Now, a decade later, their kids and co-workers have to step up in the town's annual bake-off.
Between the baking, the growing love stories, and the family drama, this release perfectly fits the season.
However, while their mothers might have been bitter rivals for the last decade, the next generation is more than willing to help one another out - and fall for one another - in preparing for the bake-off. With pumpkin-themed baked goods and a fall festival in a small town, this is one movie that fits any list of fall rom-coms. Between the baking, the growing love stories, and the family drama, this release perfectly fits the season.
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