Aesthetically speaking, the ’90s were an autumnal decade. This may not make sense if you think about it too deeply, but it’s true (in the same way that the ’50s were broadly “Christmassy”, and the ’70s were clearly one endless summer). The ’90s were all about slouchy knits, layered flannel and brown suede jackets. And some of the best ’90s movies – the ones we return to time and time again – were cosy and predictable, scattered in autumn leaves, and usually set somewhere charming and bookish like New York, New England, London or some sort of fictionalised school or university.
To that end, as the weather chills and we start toying with the idea of wearing a jacket – or else staying inside – here are 11 of the cosiest ’90s movies to curl up with on an autumn evening. Enjoy!
Obviously we’re going to kick this list off with a film starring the queen of autumn herself, Meg Ryan, known the world over for appearing in several unforgettably crisp-weather-appropriate sweater movies. Her co-star Tom Hanks is actually quite autumnal himself (see also: 1988’s , which was basically 13 Going on 30 but for boys). Anyway, has everything a cosy rom-com requires: a woman working in a book shop in New York, lots of turtlenecks and, in this specific case, a love story that develops over a chat room. Bring back AOL!
It doesn’t really matter that so much of the original – which stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as two witch sisters living under a centuries-old curse that means any man they fall in love with dies – doesn’t make much sense. (I wouldn’t think too deeply about the rules of the curse, for instance, which seem to fluctuate throughout the film.) With its whimsical ’90s wardrobe, comforting New England setting and a soundtrack that’s all Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks, it doesn’t get more deliciously October than this.
God, imagine going to Blockbuster in the ’90s and picking up a VHS of to watch of a Friday evening while it rains outside… pure bliss! – which is about two parallel timelines in which Gwyneth Paltrow has different hairstyles; that’s all you need to know – is a stone-cold classic. Not least because the film is, as British ’s fashion writer Olivia Allen points out, “the chicest autumn inspo of all time”. Think fitted double-breasted suit jackets, oversized, washed-out knits, baggy leathers, Calvin Klein coats and windswept hair.
(1996)
If you’re going as the girls from this Halloween (which, statistically speaking, some of you might be), it’s worth revisiting this ’90s classic, in which a bunch of gothy outcasts at a Catholic prep school in LA join forces to form a coven and invoke an ancient spirit called “Manon”. With a soundtrack crammed with ’90s deep-cuts (Letters to Cleo, Elastica, Love Spit Love covering The Smiths) and a wardrobe that’s all monochrome school uniforms, cross necklaces and kohl-smothered eyes, this one has a cult following for a reason.
Do you know how often I think about what it would feel like to move things with my eyes? More than an adult should. I can thank for that – the ’90s movie based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name about an incredibly smart six-year-old with kinetic powers and an insatiable love of books. There’s much to love about this film, from the soothing soundtrack to the cartoonishly evil characters (the older I get, the more I appreciate the fashion choices of Harry and Zinnia Wormwood) and the overarching sense that you, too, might be meant for better things.
Yes, I know, this one technically came out in the late ’80s, but this is my list and I make the rules! No but seriously, no cosy autumn movie rundown would be complete without the mother of them all: Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron’s , the rom-com that had everyone wondering whether their true love might in fact be right in front of them… if only they could see it! The cosiness is off the charts with this one: rustling orange-hued autumn leaves, cable knit sweaters in muted tones and an ending that is as delightful as it is predictable.
And here we have another incredibly cosy film about a bookshop keeper (apparently everyone worked in bookshops in the ’90s?), this time starring Hugh Grant as the bookshop keeper and Julia Roberts as a famous American actress who walks into his shop, kickstarting an on-again off-again romance that ultimately ends up, you guessed it, as on (with a few misunderstandings along the way – this is Richard Curtis, after all). Fun fact: this was actually the highest grossing British film of all time upon release (though it’s since been eclipsed by everything from to ).
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan did not star in one but three rom-coms throughout the ’90s (the first being the lesser-known , an admittedly bizarre start to the trifecta). Their second, however, was Nora Ephron’s cute classic, Sleepless in Seattle, about a grieving widower and an unhappily engaged journalist who get to know each other through a radio talk show (you can guess what happens next). Some might argue that this is more of a Christmas film, but let’s not get bogged down with the whens and wheres… with all those corporate greys and big scarves, it’s an autumn movie in spirit.
Starring Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney, follows two stressed single parents over the course of one gloriously chaotic day as one calamity occurs after another. Expect: lots of rainy New York days, pleasing trench coats and those big blocky mobile phones that business people used to carry around in the ’90s. It’s a rom-com, too, so you can expect a happy ending – an imperative for any cosy autumn watch, of course.
With its warm, earthy colour palette, academic setting and quirky ’90s edge, Wes Anderson’s ticks all of the boxes when it comes to cosy autumnal vibes. The film follows eccentric 15-year-old student Max Fischer (a baby-faced Jason Schwartzman), who throws himself at various extracurricular activities despite failing academically. He then becomes embroiled in a bitter rivalry with a local steel tycoon (Bill Murray) after they both fall in love with the same teacher, Miss Cross. See, I told you it was quirky.
