Don’t You Just Love Nora Ephron in the Fall?
Every fall (or late summer), it seems our social algorithms turn to shades of autumn in the content we’re given. Last year, I couldn’t get over how many reels I saw that focused on fall delights—dreamy leafy décor, atmospheric books, and countless cozy activities, including seasonally appropriate movies and shows. One could write on Gilmore Girls’ affinity for fall and its permanent association with it for those who rewatch and love the show.
But I want to talk about another fall staple: the films of Nora Ephron. When it wasn’t Gilmore Girls or Twilight on my feed, it was memes and clips of When Harry Met Sally or You’ve Got Mail. “I’m ready for Meg Ryan Fall,” said one caption of a picture of Ryan’s Kathleen Kelly character holding a pumpkin. When you think of movies set in New York during autumn, you inevitably think of Nora Ephron; it is virtually impossible to divorce the two.
An autumn walk in When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Ephron was an artist whose work means so much to me (and I have a small dog named after her to prove it!). For the most part, her work is about women and for women. I admire her as a feminist legend and her ability to poke fun at herself and to make aging funny. Her humour’s not what we’d always call hopeful, and some aspects may today be considered outdated, snarky, or even downright unkind. However, she wrote a lot of relatable characters and essays that resonated with her readers.
She dabbled in every field of the written word as a novelist, playwright, journalist, essayist, blogger and, perhaps most memorably, screenwriter. She wrote several films (Silkwood, Heartburn, When Harry Met Sally) before writing and directing some of her most significant films, including Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and Julie & Julia. I’m in awe of the incredibly large body of work she left behind, much of which is still so beloved in the romcom film and literary spheres.
However, an important note: It’s easy to look back on her work fondly, but it’s imperative that we don’t overlook the lack of or complete absence of cultural diversity in the casts of Ephron’s films, to say nothing of representations of more than one body type, or of any disabilities. Moreover, there is a distinct absence of queer folx, and a big theme of her work emphasizes a distinct cisgender binary of characteristics of “men” and “women.” While we’ve come a long way since the heyday of these films, we should remain aware that we’re on a continuous journey towards equity and inclusion in representation onscreen.
Apart from Gilmore Girls, I’ve noticed that other overtly autumnal films are almost always Halloween movies. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course! But sometimes you want that quintessential, cozy fall feeling sans the spooky vibes, and Ephron’s films deliver, whether the setting is in New York, Paris, or even Seattle.
Ephron’s films are…
Observant
The characters use every possible opportunity to pepper us with dissections of the people and the world around them to the audience, and we often go “Yeah!” in agreement or “A-ha!” in newfound realization. Her humour is almost exclusively verbal, though she does get in some quiet, light slapstick moments if you pay attention (see the café scene in You’ve Got Mail).
A symphony
If music’s not something you think about when you consider Ephron’s films, it should be! They’re great soundtracks featuring every artist from Carly Simon to Roy Rogers to The Cranberries. Across the “trio” of Meg Ryan films alone, you have Jimmy Durante, Armstrong and Fitzgerald, Harry Connick Jr., Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra—very (unsurprisingly) New York. Each piece does the job of setting the mood, be it silly, despondent, or affectionate.
A visual feast
Ephron was a notorious foodie, as is obvious from her films. You could easily tell someone to watch Julie & Julia and call it a day since there’s no end to the parade of sumptuous dishes. But she injects food appreciation in other ways, from scenes in Zabar’s grocery (those CHEESES), in Katz’s Deli (including that iconic utterance of “I’ll have what she’s having.”), to Ryan’s character Sally’s unique ordering style, to a passing mention from Billy Crystal’s character Harry deeming Mallomars “the greatest cookie of all time.” (I’m still pining to verify this claim).
Baking delights in Julie and Julia (2009)
Stylish and nostalgic
While the décor is very OF the moment, you can’t help but want to live in each character’s shoes. Obviously, Kathleen Kelly’s superb apartment in You’ve Got Mail takes the cake; it’s a brownstone. She has an en suite bathroom with stained glass windowed doors and wall-to-wall built-in bookshelves.
Another reason I think we’re—perhaps unwittingly—drawn to these films is because they all take place before social media would obtain so much of our time and attention. Even in You’ve Got Mail, where the novelty of the plot is that the characters are using the modern, newfangled method of *email* to communicate, their process of writing to each other feels more akin to handwritten letters back and forth than the kind of messaging we have today (though there is an amusing IM scene in there too!).
For writers and book and movie lovers
Undeniably, a love of classic Hollywood influenced Ephron’s work. When Harry Met Sally featured Casablanca, and Sleepless in Seattle focused on An Affair to Remember. It’s sweet to see her pay homage to them in this way.
For the bookish types: You’ve Got Mail. Period. It is a movie for book lovers. Its bookshop scenes are the stuff of legend, and I could live happily in them forever. Besides that, it has a sequence of Kathleen Kelly gushing about Pride and Prejudice as Tom Hanks’ Joe Fox begrudgingly pushes through it. (In fairness to him, it can be hard to make yourself read something you weren’t keen to read to begin with.) In addition, a wonderful, albeit brief, scene in When Harry Met Sally takes place in a beautiful Shakespeare & Co.
The Shop Around the Corner in You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Finally, almost every film of hers features a writer, journalist, or editor. It’s not always a focal point, but having someone in publishing is a signature component and shows that Ephron has clearly woven little pieces of herself into each film.
You likely have your autumnal rituals that take place outside, like apple picking, hay riding, pumpkin patching, and county fairing, to name a few. Some people also like combining fun activities with others, such as taking photos, linking up with family, or wearing autumnal attire. The same’s true for watching movies, and this author loves to pair an Ephron with a similarly snug occupation, such as:
Baking
Jigsaw puzzles
Blanket and pillow nests on the couch (you’re never too old)
Crafting
An amazing meal
The film you watch doesn’t have to be set in the fall to be apropos, either! I’ve seen lists of “Movies to Watch This Fall” that included Julie & Julia and Sleepless in Seattle on their other merits alone; they embody the desired cozy spirit. Whichever way you choose to enjoy the colder months ahead, I hope you’ll watch at least one movie that makes you revel in all its comfy glory.
Meaghan Steeves is a freelance editor and writer.