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My SZN Watch Guide · Autumn nights · 🍂 Autumn

Rainy day films for a washed-out weekend

The walk is off, the rain has set in — here's what the afternoon is for.

8 picks · 6 min read

A wet path through autumn trees with fallen leaves stuck to the ground

A properly wet Saturday is a gift if you treat it as one. The walk is off, nobody is expecting you, and there is time for something longer than an evening usually allows.

These are My SZN's rainy-day picks, sorted roughly by how long the rain looks like it's staying.

Amélie (2001)

Small pleasures, close-ups and a green-gold Paris. It makes a wet afternoon feel deliberate rather than wasted.

Mood
Whimsical
Perfect for
An afternoon on your own
Runtime
About 2h 2m
UK rating
15
🤎 Keep this film for later

Spirited Away (2001)

Rain, bathhouses and a train across water. There's a whole sequence of it that works better than any weather app.

Mood
Dreamlike
Perfect for
A family afternoon with older children
Runtime
About 2h 5m
UK rating
PG
🤎 Keep this film for later

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Fast, pink, extremely tidy. Good when the weather is grey and you want the screen to be the opposite.

Mood
Brisk and comic
Perfect for
A short afternoon
Runtime
About 1h 39m
UK rating
15
🤎 Keep this film for later

Knives Out (2019)

Rain on the windows of a big old house, and a plot that keeps you upright. Rainy-day films don't have to be sleepy.

Mood
Sharp
Perfect for
A Saturday that needs occupying
Runtime
About 2h 10m
UK rating
12
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Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Actual rain, in the actual film. It's also two hours you can watch without moving from the sofa.

Mood
Windswept
Perfect for
A long grey afternoon
Runtime
About 2h 9m
UK rating
U
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

If the rain is in for the whole day, start a trilogy. This is the cosiest of the three — half of it is about second breakfast.

Mood
Epic and cosy
Perfect for
A day that isn't going anywhere
Runtime
About 2h 58m
UK rating
PG

Maple says: Maple's note: one film per rainy day. Rushing a trilogy is how you end up sick of it.

🤎 Keep this film for later

Chef (2014)

Sunny, warm and full of food. Sometimes the right rainy-day film is the least rainy one on the shelf.

Mood
Sunny
Perfect for
A miserable afternoon needing cheering
Runtime
About 1h 54m
UK rating
15
🤎 Keep this film for later

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Obvious, and entirely correct. It is still the most cheerful ninety minutes ever committed to film.

Mood
Joyful
Perfect for
A washed-out bank holiday
Runtime
About 1h 43m
UK rating
U
🤎 Keep this film for later

Make a night of it

  • Something in the oven or the slow cooker before you start — the house smells right by the credits.
  • If there's a break in the weather, take it. A twenty-minute wet walk makes the second film better.
  • Blankets out of the cupboard, not off the bed. You'll thank yourself later.

And if the rain clears, our autumn bucket list has plenty of things worth pulling boots on for — the film keeps until tonight.

Runtimes are approximate and UK age ratings can differ between cuts and re-releases — worth a quick check on the BBFC website before a family night, and before you press play on anything with younger ones in the room.

Questions people ask

What should we watch on a rainy afternoon with children?
Spirited Away for older children, Paddington 2 or Wallace & Gromit for younger ones. Anything under two hours leaves room for the rain to stop.

My SZN editorial. We don't list where films are streaming — availability changes constantly in the UK and we have no rights-checked source for it.

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