Hello autumn: these movies also take place in New York
Can you be nostalgic for a place you've never been? Yes, you can. There's nothing I would rather do than spend autumn in New York. Walking through streets covered with deep red, gold, and orange fallen leaves, breathing in the fresh, cool air while strolling through Central Park, and enjoying fresh apple pie at a cozy café as the dark evening is slowly illuminated by fairy lights. Okay, maybe I'm romanticizing it a bit, but isn't that pretty normal? That's what you get when you grow up with fantastic autumn movies that just happen to take place in New York. Are you in the mood for a hefty dose of pumpkin spiced romance? Then pay close attention, because this New York is the calling card of these autumn films:
@ethanbarber.co pov: it’s an early saturday morning in november and you just stepped out of your upper west side apartment to go for a walk in the park. the air is crisp, the skies are grey, and a quick gust of wind sends the autumn leaves swirling around you as you make your way across columbus avenue. you stop and say hello to your favorite baristas at the coffee shop around the corner before heading on your way. as you take the first sip of your cappuccino, you pop your airpods in, and press play on your favorite fall playlist. in this moment, you feel like kathleen kelly in the opening sequence of you’ve got mail and for a brief moment, everything in the world feels at peace. and that’s just a tiny slice of the magic of autumn in new york 🍁🚕🌇🎃🍂✨ shot on iphone 4k at 30fps upper west side, central park life in manhattan #ethanbarberco #newyorkcity #autumninnewyork #uws #upperwestsidenyc #upperwestside #autumn #shotoniphone #ocotber #november #lifeinmanhattan #nostalgia #90s #00s #2000s #nycgo #centralpark #newyorker #newyorkphotographer #iloveny #nycbucketlist #youvegotmail
1. Autumn in New York (2000) (Videoland)
Well, how can we start this list with anything other than Herfst in New York? The title gives it away: this is the autumn movie you want to see. A moody, sad romantic story that you can watch with candles lit and a cup of hot chocolate in your hands? Sign me up. It’s about the older restaurant owner Will Keane (Richard Gere), who as a true womanizer absolutely does not believe in long-term relationships. Now that he is almost fifty, he runs into the 21-year-old Charlotte. The passionate, short-lived affair turns Will’s life upside down when he discovers that Charlotte is seriously ill and has only one year to live. Autumn plays a symbolic role here: as we see the leaves falling from the trees and let autumn pass us by, Will ultimately must also let Charlotte go. And that autumn atmosphere is reflected in everything: in intimate candlelit dinners, walks through a Central Park covered with orange leaves. It’s full of warm colors, a low sun – even the clothing screams autumn with those long coats. And who can say no to a movie with Richard Gere and Winona Ryder? Not me. But I do need to keep the tissues handy.
2. Serendipity (2001) (Pathé Thuis)
A cozy romance definitely belongs in New York, because yes: everyone romanticizes this city, right? Or am I just thinking very much about myself right now? Maybe. This is the stage for a novel: with those beautiful townhouses, misty streets where the smell of warm coffee fills the air and leaves rustle under your feet, where you can walk for hours. Stopping at the cutest cafés for a warm coffee to take with you while you stroll hand in hand through Central Park, surrounded by trees that turn beautifully orange. That’s what the creators of Serendipity thought too. Here, New Yorker Jonathan meets British Sara in Bloomingdale’s when they both want to buy the same pair of gloves. After a brief struggle, Sara gives in when he treats her to coffee. When they run into each other again after that coffee, it seems to be fate. Although the two are in a relationship (oh-oh), they spend the whole day together. After the best date ever, they want to see each other more often, but when Sara’s phone number is blown away by a sudden gust of wind, she sees it as a sign from the universe: maybe it’s not meant to be. Instead of exchanging numbers, they decide to test fate. Sara writes her name in a book that she will sell to a second-hand store. Jonathan notes his on a five-dollar bill that disappears into the world. “If we are really meant to be,” she says, “we will find each other again.” Seven years later, despite all their efforts, they have not found each other again. When they both get married, they decide to try one last time.
3. You’ve Got Mail (1998) (Prime Video, Videoland & Apple TV)
Is it even an autumn movie without Meg Ryan? Nope. And I always want to see an enemies to lovers story. This film is truly a love letter to the Upper West Side: brownstone houses, small cafés, and of course bookstores – because that’s what it’s all about. First of all, Tom Hanks starts the film with the line: “Don’t you just love New York in the fall?” That sets the perfect tone. Joe Fox, aka Tom, runs a large chain store called Fox Books. When he wants to expand westward, he plans to push out the small, independent bookstore The Shop Around the Corner . There must be room for his business. The owner of this bookstore, Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), is furious with Joe. What follows is a fierce battle between the two. But there’s something they both don’t know: they are each other’s anonymous pen pals, sharing their deepest thoughts via email. As they fall head over heels in love online, they fight each other in real life. Until they discover who is really behind that screen… and then it gets really interesting.
4. Maid in Manhattan (2002) (Prime Video & Videoland)
Mmm, yes, you probably don’t expect Ralph Fiennes in a romantic film, but believe me: this is a really beautiful film. This is the fairytale story of this list: a poor maid falls head over heels for a rich man who ‘saves’ her. Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mother in the big Big Apple. Not in an Upper East Side apartment, but in the Bronx. To scrape together some money, she works as a maid in one of the most luxurious hotels in Manhattan. When she tries on the clothes of a wealthy hotel guest, suddenly senator candidate Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) walks in. He thinks she is also a guest, and after a good conversation, the spark ignites. A fiery romance develops, but of course, that can’t end well with all that lying and deceiving, right? No, of course not. And those autumn vibes? We mainly see them in the stylish outfits. Just look at this look: Jennifer stole the show in a white Dolce & Gabbana trench coat that is still going viral. With that white turtleneck and golden hoops, yes, that’s a classic outfit, right? Perfectly autumnal.
5. Step Mom (1998) (Prime Video, Apple TV)
In this film, you can’t escape Julia Roberts’ wide smile. Dressed in red hats and the most amazing autumn looks, she plays Isabel Kelly. As a successful fashion photographer, she never wanted to have children. She has a career and a nice life, right? That changed when she met Luke Harrison (Ed Harris). A year ago, she met him when he had just divorced, and Luke? He already had two children: Anna and Ben. Isabel tries everything to be a good stepmother, but she doesn’t get along well with Luke’s daughter and his ex-wife Jackie (Susan Sarandon). All tensions come to an abrupt end when it turns out that Jackie is terminally ill. Everything about this film feels like a nostalgic autumn film: the colors, the holidays, the outdoor scenes. Oh, and that horseback riding scene? With those red trees in the background? So beautiful.
6. When Harry Met Sally (1989) (Amazon Prime and Apple TV)
We end with a banger. The autumn movie of autumn movies. Wanneer Harry Sally Ontmoette. Here we see – can you guess it? – how Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) meet at university. They absolutely hate each other, but they have to drive to New York together because yes: they are both moving to the big city. They argue about the fact that Harry claims that men and women can never be friends without sex and romantic feelings. Once they arrive, their paths separate. Then we see them five years later: they run into each other by chance at the airport, where they again get under each other’s skin. Again, they bump into each other five years later when they are both single. They decide to go for coffee, and a friendship develops. They become each other’s wingman and best friends. Can there really be a friendship between a man and a woman? Or does there always come more into play? Everything about this film screams autumn. The knitted sweaters, the long coats, the scarves, Central Park covered in an orange blanket. That last scene appears everywhere in every autumn playlist and mood board. The film is the perfect example of New York in the 80s. It’s warm, the Twin Towers are still standing, and the film was not made with modern cameras, but with 35mm film rolls. This is why this film feels so real and yes, autumnal.
Are you already in the mood to spontaneously book a one-way ticket to New York? Ice skating at Rockefeller Center? Checking out all the pumpkin-decorated houses? I certainly am. So you know where to find me next week. I’m going to listen to ‘Herfst in New York’ by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Bye.
