There's nothing like fall movies and TV shows to get us in the mood for cozy season. The aesthetics of orange, red, and yellow leaves as well as the fact that the plot points often revolve around friends and family give us an instant mood boost. Plus, fall fashion is to die for. Meg Ryan is one of our favorite leading ladies this time of year, and while she's returning to the screen in 2023 for What Happens Later, we're ready to go back to the '80s and '90s for "Meg Ryan fall," complete with oversize sweaters, shoulder bags, and lunch in a cute diner.
We rounded up our go-to Meg Ryan movies that will give you *all* the fall feels (as well as some of her other best hits). We also spoke with Kristin Marguerite Doidge, the author of Nora Ephron: A Biography, for a look into the director's vision when it came to bringing these stories to life. Grab your favorite fuzzy socks, an Apple Crisp Macchiato, and bookmark these titles for your next movie marathon.
When Harry Met Sally
This iconic Meg Ryan movie (which is currently streaming on Netflix) features Ryan and Billy Crystal as the namesake duo. Wrestling with the idea of whether men and women can just be friends, the 12-year story took seven drafts for Ephron to feel like Harry and Sally's relationship was developed enough for audiences.
We love common tropes like slow burns and friends to lovers, but we also love the fact that Ephron switched up the common rom-com expectations by using Harry's cynicism (instead of an outside obstacle) as the driving force behind keeping the couple apart.
According to Doidge, while the aesthetic of the film can be credited to director Rob Reiner, Ephron's screenplay is such a big part of the movie's DNA that it's connected to every aspect of the film. "From the stunning fall leaves in Central Park to Meg’s iconic chocolate brown bowler hat, [it’s] become known as a 'Nora' movie."
There's something special about watching these friends turned lovers help each other through the ups and downs of life, and with details like Ryan's iconic white sweater and walking through the foliage in Central Park, we get excited for fall as soon as the opener starts playing.
Sleepless In Seattle
Sleepless In Seattle, which you can stream on HBO Max, takes us on a journey around the country when widower Sam's (Tom Hanks) son Jonah tells the world via talk radio that Sam is looking for love. Annie (Ryan) hears the show and decides to write Sam and ask him to meet her at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day. Even though the movie takes place after the new year, the romantic and family themes of the plot give us those same cozy feelings.
Sleepless feels very intimate and relatable because of Ephron's down-to-earth approach to telling the story. Ephron was incredibly detailed with character interactions, like when Sam realizes that Annie peels an apple just like his late wife. It's those small points in the film that make the characters feel relatable, even if we've never been in their specific scenario before.
"What’s the detail you remember about someone who leaves?” executive producer Lynda Obst says in the biography. “It’s the touching detail that you’ll never see again — it is touching, but it has no sentiment. It has uniqueness, texture, smell.”
The layered clothing and rainy setting add an aesthetic touch that's perfect for fall, but it's really the will-they-won't-they back-and-forth that makes us root for the couple. From Sam's reluctance to meet Annie to when their eyes meet from afar, we as the audience see how easy it is to almost miss your chance with someone — and how important that chance is in the first place.
You've Got Mail
If you ask us, You've Got Mail, which you can stream on Hulu, might have the best fall vibes of all of Meg Ryan's movies. A cozy bookstore on the Upper West Side and plenty of sweaters, coffee, and pastries? Count us in. Ryan's Kathleen is pen pals with Tom Hanks' Joe, even though neither of them realizes they're real-world competitors.
"When you see You’ve Got Mail, you’re seeing Nora,” cinematographer John Lindley says in the biography. “What you’re seeing is her outlook on life, which is to be happy and embrace change.”
In an age of texting and swiping, being pen pals with someone feels like a classic take on romance that's extra swoon-worthy. The dreams and stubbornness of the leads make us root for them, and knowing their unknown feelings for one another makes this romance all the sweeter. Not to mention that it takes place in a bookstore, which is one location that will always make us feel cozy.
"What [Ephron] may not have anticipated is just how [fragmented] and divisive sections of America would become," Doidge writes. "Is that part of what makes her particular brand of optimism so appealing in this current moment? Possibly." When we're anxious or feeling sad, films like these offer us some light. We know that even though the characters go through realistic and difficult times in their lives, things turn out all right in the end.
These Meg Ryan movies are a great way to get you in the mood for fall. Before it's time to carve pumpkins or gather around the table for Friendsgiving, pour a cup of tea (our favorite is the Bigelow Vanilla Chai), throw on your favorite sweater, and snuggle up. We can't wait to watch them all.
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