I spent time contemplating. About what, you ask me? Well, should I make this one a humongous list or a short one? I tried to keep the title mostly alliterative; here I am sharing with you fifteen fantastic films for fall! I thought of adding the word ‘feature’ before films, but then, who really uses the term ‘feature film’ nowadays, right? Also, it made for a longer title than I wanted 🙂

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In addition, I tried to narrow my selections (or rather make it easier and thematic for my blog) by keeping them to ones based on books. So here you go, my list of

Fantastic Films For Fall

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

• Based on: Based on/inspired by Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew“
• Cast: Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Larry Miller
• Movie Rating: PG-13
• Watch On: Hulu or get it for yourself here.
• Movie Synopsis: A pretty, popular teenager can’t go out on a date until her ill-tempered older sister does.
• Book Vs Movie: I love this Shakespeare play, and loved the movie as well (can’t tell you how many times I have read and watched both!!)
• Other: Love this tagline of the movie: How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.

Coraline (2009)

• Based on: Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name
• Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Keith David
• Movie Rating: PG
• Watch On: Amazon (rent)
• Movie Synopsis(from IMDB): An adventurous 11-year-old girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.
• Book vs movie: Watching the movie on the big screen was mesmerizing, to say the least, and brilliantly made!! But if was forced to make a decision, as a bonafide book-lover, I will pick the book! And I enjoyed reading the graphic novel version of this book as well.
• Other: The movie has a character not in the book – Wybie Lovat!

Cider House Rules (1999)

• Based on: John Irving’s novel of the same name
• Cast: Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, and more
• Movie Rating: PG-13
• Watch On: Starz (via Amazon Prime)
• Movie Synopsis(from IMDB): A compassionate young man, raised in an orphanage and trained to be a doctor there, decides to leave to see the world.
• Book Vs Movie: I watched the movie and read the book ages ago. Recall that both left me in tears.
• Other: Won 2 Oscars

Clueless (1995)

• Based on: Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma
• Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd
• Movie Rating: 13+
• Watch On: Netflix
• Movie Synopsis(IMDB): Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school’s pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
• Book Vs Movie: I read Emma decades ago now, and have watched Clueless more recently. Both charm effortlessly.
• Other:

Fantastic Mr Fox (2009)

• Based on: Roald Dahl’s book of the same name
• Cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson
• Movie Rating: PG
• Watch On: Disney+, Amazon (rent)
• Movie Synopsis: An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers’ retaliation.
• Book Vs Movie: I read the book ages ago and watched the movie when it first released, so don’t have perfect recall, but I believe I enjoyed both!
• Other: This stop-action movie is composed of almost 56,000 shots.

Fly Away Home (1996)

• Based on: William Lishman’s autobiographical Father Goose
• Cast: Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin, Dana Delany
• Movie Rating: PG
• Watch On: Amazon (rent)
• Movie Synopsis(IMDB): A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.
• Book Vs Movie: This is on my to watch and to read list both; I have previewed both the book and the movie, and both read and look like musts!
• Other: This inspirational tagline: To achieve the incredible, you have to attempt the impossible.

Legends of the Fall (1994)

• Based on: Jim Harrison’s novella of the same name
• Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Aidan Quinn
• Movie Rating: R
• Watch On: Netflix
• Movie Synopsis(IMDB): In the early 1900s, three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of Montana are affected by betrayal, history, love, nature, and war.
• Book Vs Movie: Can’t comment on this as have to yet read the book. But if you have read the book, do let me know if you think it is worth a read? I did enjoy the movie (and of course, seeing a young Brad Pitt was cool too!).
• Other: Rudyard Kipling makes an appearance in the movie! Well, not really, but through his words at least. William Ludlow reads “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” in one of the scenes.

Little Women (2019)

• Based on: Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women
• Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern
• Movie Rating: PG
• Watch On: Amazon Prime (rent/buy)
• Movie Synopsis(IMDB): Jo March reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.
• Book Vs Movie: While I have watched many of the movie/TV versions, nothing compares to the book, right??!
• Other: I think this one is an all-weather movie, perfect for watching anytime of the year 🙂 But the 2019 Greta Gerwig version (the favorite for my teens, but a close second for me) is perfect for autumn with its color tones.

Matilda (1996)

• Based on: Roald Dahl’s book of the same name
• Cast: Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman
• Movie Rating: PG
• Watch On: Starz via Amazon Prime
• Movie Synopsis(IMDB): A girl gifted with a keen intellect and psychic powers uses both to deal with her crude, distant family and free her kind teacher from their sadistic headmistress.
• Book Vs Movie: M for Matilda was part of my book vs movie series as well.
• Other: and waiting for Matilda the Musical (2022) coming soon to Netflix!

October Sky (1999)

• Based on: Homer Hickam, Jr’s memoir ‘Rocket Boys’
• Cast: Jake Gyllenhal, Chris Cooper, Laura Dern
• Movie Rating: PG
• Watch On: Starz via Amazon Prime
• Movie Synopsis: The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner’s son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father’s wishes.
• Book Vs Movie: The book has been on my TBR ever since I watched the movie years ago, but I am yet to read it. Soon…..maybe?
• Other: The movie title is an anagram of the book’s title!

Persuasion (2022) or Any Other Adaptation (?)

• Based on: Austen’s novel Persuasion
• Cast: Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis
• Movie Rating: PG
• Watch On: Netflix
• Movie Synopsis: Eight years after Anne Elliot was persuaded not to marry a dashing man of humble origins, they meet again. Will she seize her second chance at true love?
• Book Vs Movie: I am yet to see the movie (and wondering if I should, or not, as I am hearing mixed reviews about it. And the tomato-meter on this one is pretty low. Dear readers, if any of you have watched it, do let me know what you think? As for the book, I put it in my list of books by favorite authors I am yet to read a while ago (because I am not sure if I read it or not)
• Other: There are at least three other adaptations of the book (and I am realizing I haven’t watched any of them! So maybe one of the other versions

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

• Based on: Matthew Quick’s novel “The Silver Linings Playbook”
• Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Rpbert DeNiro
• Movie Rating: R
• Watch On: Amazon Prime (rent)
• Movie Synopsis (IMDB): After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
• Book Vs Movie: Loved the movie more than I thought I would. Yet to read the book.
• Other: Apparently shot in thirty-three days!

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

• Based on: Washington Irving’s story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
• Cast: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson
• Movie Rating: R
• Watch On: Amazon Prime (rent)
• Movie Synopsis(IMDB): Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, with the culprit being the legendary apparition, The Headless Horseman.
• Book Vs Movie: I watched the movie and read the story years ago, and well, I think, I loved reading it more than watching the movie (though it is good as well)
• Other: Need at least one such movie for fall, right?! While I do have Coraline on my list, Sleepy Hollow certainly helps set a spookier, creepier mood for Halloween.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

• Based on: Jenny Han’s novel of the same name
• Cast: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish
• Movie Rating: TV-14
• Watch On: Netflix
• Movie Synopsis: A teenage girl’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life.
• Book Vs Movie: While I am yet to watch the movie or read the book (yes, I know!), my teenager has done both for this one! And from what she tells me, she loved both equally.
• Other: Got to love the tagline: The letters are out.

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

• Based on: Miklós László’s play “Parfumerie”
• Cast: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
• Movie Rating:  PG
• Watch On: Hulu
• Movie Synopsis: Book superstore magnate, Joe Fox and independent book shop owner, Kathleen Kelly fall in love in the anonymity of the Internet both blissfully unaware that he’s trying to put her out of business.
• Book Vs Movie: I haven’t read the original play, but I have watched the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner as well, and loved that too.
• Other: The original Hungarian play “Parfumerie” inspired many movie and stage versions, including the two mentioned here. So four that I know of now: 1940 – The Shop Around the Corner (a gift shop setting); 1949 – In the Good Old Summertime (a music store setting); 1963 – a stage play called She Loves Me (parfumerie setting), and the featured movie of course in my favorite setting (a bookshop!)

Related Reads

• 50+ Great Family Friendly Movies for Valentine’s Day
• It’s a Wonderful List of Holiday Movies Based on Books
• 35 Movies Featuring the Radio: My Ode to Them
• 30 Great Children’s & Young Adult Books Made into Movies
• Top 10 Books Vs Movies
• 30 Fantastic Books to Read For the Fall Season

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, have you watched any of these movies? Or read the books? Do let me know your thoughts about the ones you have watched/read as well as recommendations for other similar books/movies.