6 Movies That Feel Like November, But Don’t Ask Us Why

As Halloween fades away and the chilly pall of holiday commercialism settles upon the land, there’s one recourse: November. It’s all that stands between us and the chaotic mess of family drama and shopping that is December. That’s it. Just four blessed weeks of holiday-free, cider-soaked, cardigan-wrapped bliss. Even if you live in a warmer part of the world, you’ll recognize and appreciate November’s cozy, warm colors and august wisdom. You may even recognize it in the movies on this list, which are all definitively associated with November and we will not be taking questions at this time. 

Little Women (2019)

First of all, this movie feels like a Christmas movie without actually being a Christmas movie. There are sentimental scenes by the fire, or at least they feel like they’re by a fire. There is snow everywhere. Timothée Chalamet wears a scarf. Someone comes down with a serious respiratory condition. And yet, Little Women is not a Christmas movie. Now, what’s the only other thing that feels like Christmas and is incredibly close to Christmas, but is not Christmas? November.

Children of the Corn (1984)

If you attended elementary school in a region with all four seasons, then you may have had a cornucopia in your class in November. You may have even assumed that cornucopias would remain a fixture of adult life for years to come. Unless you grew up to work at Michaels, this would not be the case. However, you no doubt grew up to associate November with “the harvest,” whatever that meant to you, and for that reason, Children of the Corn is a November movie. Though the things being harvested are human organs, and the things doing the harvesting are the possessed demon children of Satan, Children of the Corn features lots of images of cornfields and is therefore in November.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

For starters, Dead Poets Society takes place in Vermont, one of the most autumnal parts of our solar system. Secondly, the movie evokes a range of emotions from elation to despair, both of which you may feel just before Thanksgiving. Thirdly, Dead Poets Society takes place predominantly at a school, which is always in session in November. Finally, this movie contains themes of maturity and existentialism, both of which you will ponder as you watch leaves transform, wither, and tumble to the Earth.

Thanksgiving (2023)

I don’t even need to tell you why this movie feels like November, but sigh, I’ll do it anyway. Obviously, it’s because it was directed by Eli Roth, who was born in April, which is just five months after November. Perhaps there’s a simpler connection to the month, but regardless, this movie about the November holiday of Thanksgiving is a great slasher flick.

The Cider House Rules (1999)

Must I remind you that every movie set in New England is automatically set in November? On top of that, this Maine-set movie is adapted from a book by John Irving, one of our country’s most autumnal writers. Anyway, if you haven’t seen this weepie, then it’s worth a watch: In addition to starring the venerable Charlize Theron, it features Tobey Maguire before he entered his f*ckboi phase. It also won two Academy Awards, and the race for Academy Awards usually kicks into high gear in November. That last thing isn’t why this is a November film; I just wanted to say the word November again. 

Any biopic about a famous British author

Whether it’s Tolkien, Finding Neverland, Saving Mr. Banks, or Becoming Jane, if it’s a biopic about a British author, then it’s a November film. After all, authors in movies are contractually obligated to wear cardigans and nurse coffee mugs at all times – and who else does that? People in November. Add to that the fact that the authors are British and you suddenly have an added layer of Novemberness. If there’s any month that pairs perfectly with the depressing gray skies of the United Kingdom, it’s November, and if there are any people on Earth that are as chilly as the month just before winter, it’s British people.