Think back to when you were a teenager for a moment. No matter what you had going on in your life, whether it was drama within your friend group or with your lustful teenage significant other, there was nothing quite like putting on a good movie and just forgetting your troubles for a little while.
Cut to adulthood as a parent and those feelings absolutely still exist when you pause your day to put on a movie. And when the weather outside starts to shift and you’re dying to get out your "Sweater Weather" mug and fill it with something pumpkin spice, there’s no better way to bond with your teen than putting on a film that just feels like fall.
One of the really great things about your kids getting older is that you no longer have to change the channel or put on a different movie whenever they want to join you for some television time because their tastes are expanding and they can handle things that are a little more mature. Not to mention that the fall season just naturally allows for some of the coziest, most atmospheric, and fun-loving movies out there that your teenager should watch with you by their side.
So, let’s dig into some of the best movies to watch with your teen this fall and the meaningful and silly life lessons they all offer.
‘Practical Magic’ is a female-centered dark comedy about sisterhood and curses in a small town.
The movie world hasn’t quite been the same since Griffin Dunne’s 1998 dark thriller comedy, Practical Magic. Acting heavyweights Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman play sisters from a family of witches in Massachusetts with the majority of the film taking place in a gorgeous old manor on a New England cliffside.
One of the main plot points in the film is that the sisters are part of a family curse that essentially dooms any man who may fall in love with them, so after an evil and abusive spirit comes to haunt the sisters and threaten the family’s existence, they have to come together to protect their kin, including their two eccentric witch aunts.
Practical Magic is a great film to watch with both teen boys and girls because it can help them to see both the humor and magic that exists within their unique family unit as well as the enchantment that exists in opening up your heart to finding love.
‘Beetlejuice’ is a wacky comedy that’s a fun time for the whole family and will put everyone in the mood for all things Halloween.
If there’s one movie from the 1980s that your teen needs to watch with their parent by their side to fully explain the magic that is Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, it’s Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice is the perfect combination of '80s campiness mixed with morbid humor that’s nicely rounded out by a plot that’s filled with complex characters experiencing profound feelings of grief and loss.
If you have a teen who’s interested in dramatic arts, they are sure to find Beetlejuice an inspiring watch due to the unexpected but always appreciated musical numbers and detailed sets and costumes that simply scream 1980s fun. Plus, there’s always a lesson to be taken about the heart-achingly beautiful notion of remembering our loved ones in the most spectacular of ways while still giving yourself the space to finally move on.
‘Mona Lisa Smile’ will make you want to grab a classic book and hit the college dorms with your best girlfriends and teen daughter.
Mona Lisa Smile hit theaters in 2003 and I can still remember sitting down in the theater to watch it with friends and just being engrossed the entire time by the 1950s college dorms filled with droves of excited young women completely thrilled by the thought of higher education, young love, and putting their new art teacher to the test.
The movie is set in 1953 and showcases none other than 20-something Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as eager students at the all-female and prestigious Wellesley College in picturesque New England. Each in their own way, the girls come up against an always passionate Julia Roberts — often seen wearing the most fabulous 1950s hats and floaty skirts, who comes into their lives as their new and inexperienced art history professor.
This film is great to put on if you have a teen girl who is off to college next year because not only will they get a feel for what the chaos of dorm life can be like at school, but it also portrays really beautiful female friendships and mentorships that are truly inspiring and life-changing for some characters.
‘Knives Out’ is exactly the kind of laugh-out-loud modern old-school mystery that will make you want to play a game of Clue by the fireplace with your kids.
Knives Out has everything you could want from a murder mystery comedy that it feels like a total fall classic the minute the credits roll.
Firstly, you have none other than Daniel Craig playing the always astute yet equally hilarious Detective Benoit Blanc, who shows up to help solve the murder of the patriarch from a dysfunctional and wealthy family. Second, you also get a handsome but devilish Chris Evans sporting the most quintessential autumnal sweater known to man. And third, practically the entire film takes place inside the grandest old-school East Coast brick mansion you’ve ever seen.
So, what will your teen appreciate about Knives Out? Other than the star-studded cast and ever-twisting plot, there are certainly plenty of laughs wrapped up in some real lessons revolving around strained family dynamics and finances that are intrinsically linked to class and even race.
This autumnal movie pick will give your teen Robin Williams at his best and a plethora of life lessons they weren’t expecting.
If you have a teenager who feels like they don’t quite fit in at school or they’re still looking for that good group of friends that will likely follow them through life, Dead Poets Society may be the perfect fall film to show them.
Not only does this 1989 film give you a great autumn setting as it takes place at a fictional all-male elite boarding school in Vermont, but you also get to witness a whimsically charming and contagiously enthusiastic Robin Williams. He plays an eccentric English teacher who starts a secret society for some of the boys in his class to study and celebrate poetry.
More from LittleThings: These 8 Fictional Moms From Film & TV Were Actually So Good We Wish They Were Ours
There are a number of important life lessons your teen may take away from this film with one of the larger themes being how important it is to live every single day to the fullest and really “carpe diem.” They might also find themselves inspired to truly live out loud and not be afraid of expressing themselves both artistically and emotionally.
‘You’ve Got Mail’ is a classic fall rom-com that every teen needs to watch at some point.
If you have a teen at home who is a bit cynical about life and love, there is no greater romantic comedy out there that simply oozes with New York City fall energy and charm quite like You’ve Got Mail.
This 1998 rom-com directed by the great Nora Ephron stars the two greats, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, who were practically at the helm of this always satisfying movie genre. One thing that will likely give you a nice sense of nostalgia while your teen sits there slightly dumbfounded at how texting just didn’t exist back then, is how you’re able to watch two unlikely people fall in love over email.
With fall in Manhattan as the backdrop, your teen is likely to want to start planning a mother-daughter trip to the Big Apple all while learning that oftentimes the people in our lives aren’t always as they seem and it can really pay off to give them a chance.
