Need a Good Cry? Put Your Recommendations For Tear Jerkers Here!

[Spartan Girl]

I wanted to reach through the screen and hug him so badly.

His whole journey through the film is so heartbreaking, because he starts out so bright and sweet and optimistic and totally believing that love conquers all...and then he gets put through the ringer. Yet what's really moving is how, after cathartically writing down his story in the end, he manages to pull himself out of his drunk depression. He's older and sadder, but he still believes in love. So even though the movie ends on a sad note, there was a bit of hope.

Or at least that's the way I interpreted it.

[Rockstar99435]

I'm such a sap. Just reading through everyone else's posts made me tear up. Along with many that have already been mentioned, my 'always makes me cry' movies are:

 

Rudy- I start tearing up when the captain tells the coach that he is acting like the captain and turns in his jersey and by the time Vince Vaughn's character throws a touchdown so Rudy can play, I am sobbing. Every time.

 

The Fall- there are lots of sad moments, but at the end when the little girl is begging Lee Pace's character

not to kill any more of the story's characters,

"don't cross your fingers. Show me your hands." I lose it. The ugliest of ugly cries.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Rockstar99435

[Crs97]

Rudy- I start tearing up when the captain tells the coach that he is acting like the captain and turns in his jersey and by the time Vince Vaughn's character throws a touchdown so Rudy can play, I am sobbing. Every time.

Watch HBO's "The Newsroom" talking about Rudy. It is a great tribute to that movie.

(Search for newsroom and "Rudy in five minutes")

[jacksgirl]

Watching Ricky Gervais hawk some phone plan made me think of The Invention of Lying. I  blubbered multiple times during that movie- wish more people saw it, it was unique, funny, witty and well-acted. I highly recommend it.

[bosawks]

Why do I continue to watch the end of "Marley & Me" whenever I stumble across it?

WHY!?!?!?

Edited April 24, 2016 by bosawks

[Cobalt Stargazer]

More from Brooklyn. The final lines as Eilis returns to her husband, her new home and the life she wants to make.

"You have to think like an American. You'll feel so homesick that you'll want to die, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won't kill you. And one day the sun will come out - you might not even notice straight away, it'll be that faint. And then you'll catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past. Someone who's only yours. And you'll realize... that this is where your life is."

*happy tears*

[shoregirl]

A League of Their Own was on today and even though I've seen it countless times, I still cry when the telegram that Betty's husband was killed.  I also get teary when they sing their theme song (Im not really sure that it was a name) at the hall of fame.

[Schweedie]

Okay, so, if you want a tearjerker and you don't mind subtitled movies? I suggest Hungarian movie White God. It's a little bit like Homeward Bound, if that movie were brutal and awful and about dogs losing faith in their humans. It's absolutely gorgeous cinematography-wise, and has lovely acting from the young lead actress. And referring back to the earlier conversation about being a music crier, well... Let's just say that the last scene has me full on ugly-crying - tears and snot and sobbing, the whole nine yards.

[Bastet]

White God is a beautifully-shot movie, and in fact well done on pretty much all fronts.  But I cannot get through it.

[Schweedie]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

White God is a beautifully-shot movie, and in fact well done on pretty much all fronts.  But I cannot get through it.

Yeah, I don't blame you. It's not what you'd call an easy watch.

[Spartan Girl]

On 5/9/2016 at 10:22 PM, shoregirl said:

A League of Their Own was on today and even though I've seen it countless times, I still cry when the telegram that Betty's husband was killed.

That part was so sad that even bratty little Stillwell was subdued by it.

[Spartan Girl]

Bumping up this thread because I just watched the movie Ragtime.

Just...damn.

Its hard to believe they made a Broadway musical of this movie. And considering how depressing most Broadway musicals are, that says a lot.

It was easy to sympathize with Coalhouse Walker Jr. The asshole fireman trashed his car and no one would give him any justice for it. And while I understood why he wouldn't let it go....what good did his actions do for himself and poor Sarah? What a mess.

[AimingforYoko]

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Bumping up this thread because I just watched the movie Ragtime.

Just...damn.

Its hard to believe they made a Broadway musical of this movie. And considering how depressing most Broadway musicals are, that says a lot.

It was easy to sympathize with Coalhouse Walker Jr. The asshole fireman trashed his car and no one would give him any justice for it. And while I understood why he wouldn't let it go....what good did his actions do for himself and poor Sarah? What a mess.

Also sad now because of the late Howard Rollins' issues. What a talented, damaged man. Loved him in A Soldier's Story.

[methodwriter85]

Jackie and Manchester by The Sea definitely got me with the tears. Lion came close.

[raezen]

I saw a lot of tears at my screening of Moonlight. I was curious about the opinions across the board and started watching some reviews online. Until now I have never seen reviewers cry as they were giving a review. Two young Aussies reviewing the film online  (and were trying to be lighthearted about) broke into tears by the end. The emotions start showing at about 5:55 but guy on the left had a lip trembling for like a minute before. 

Edited February 15, 2017 by raezen

[topanga]

A Dog's Purpose had everyone in the theater in tears (or near-tears) during several scenes. A happy story overall, but there were some sad moments. 

[PrincessEnnui]

On February 13, 2017 at 8:11 PM, raezen said:

I saw a lot of tears at my screening of Moonlight. I was curious about the opinions across the board and started watching some reviews online. Until now I have never seen reviewers cry as they were giving a review. Two young Aussies reviewing the film online  (and were trying to be lighthearted about) broke into tears by the end. The emotions start showing at about 5:55 but guy on the left had a lip trembling for like a minute before. 

 

This is the saddest, funniest, and thoughtful thing I've seen today. I think I want to see this movie, but I can't make it through Precious. Don't see myself making it through this movie.

[adhoc]

Elephant Man. 1980. John Hurt. I defy you not to cry at the end.

[pancake bacon]

On 2/9/2016 at 7:29 PM, Spartan Girl said:

The ending of The Buddy Holly is so depressing. The film "ends" with Buddy happily performing at that last concert with his pregnant wife at home and his former band mates planning to surprise him on the road....then all of a sudden, the sad music starts playing with the closing crawl of how Buddy, Richie Valens, and the Bopper being killed in a colander crash that very night. Talk about a bummer ending.

And they don't even mention the fact that his wife had a miscarriage after hearing about it on the news.

Wow, this movie is not as remembered as it deserves to be… and it's amazing that you bring the move into the discussion, @Spartan Girl. The Buddy Holly Story is an excellent musical and a compelling 'biopic' about Buddy Holly. It didn't quite follow the facts of Buddy's life, yet felt true to his life, and movie magnified Buddy's musical achievement and contribution to modern rock and roll. And then: tragic ending that's the stuff of "the day the music died." 

The cherry on the top is that Buddy Holly is played to Oscar-deserving greatness by GARY BUSEY. Yes, he's wacko now, but he was just stunningly good in this role. Plus, the music was played live on each take. (Take a seat, Les Miserables.) They don't sound exactly like the Crickets, but what is played gets to what makes Buddy's music, well… rock. 

[Spartan Girl]

I think Logan should be added to this thread. Who would have thought an X-Men movie would be so unbelievably tragic?

[LadyAmalthea]

The Joy Luck Club never fails to make me cry all the way from "best quality heart" scene to the end when June meets her sisters.  

The Land Before Time when Littlefoot's mother dies, and again during the "it's nobody's fault" scene.  For some reason that was always so much sadder than Mufasa dying in the Lion King (although that makes me well up too).

[Silver Raven]

On 3/7/2017 at 7:48 PM, LadyAmalthea said:

The Land Before Time when Littlefoot's mother dies

Bambi's mom.  Sob.

[Shannon L.]

A Normal Heart.  The entire thing.  What a beautiful and tragic movie, wonderfully acted and directed.  It's the true story of a group of gay men who worked to get the government and the AMA to take the AIDS crisis seriously.  Sadly, it was made for HBO, so you can only see it if you get HBO Now or buy it. 

[Silver Raven]

Dumbo's mom.  OMG.

[dusang]

On 3/9/2017 at 3:35 PM, Silver Raven said:

Bambi's mom.  Sob.

 

36 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Dumbo's mom.  OMG.

I am continually surprised by how fucked up most children's movies actually are.  Mufasa's death?  Nemo's whole family?  UP?!?

[Spartan Girl]

14 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Dumbo's mom.  OMG.

Hey at least she didn't die!

[Dandesun]

On 3/18/2017 at 3:53 AM, Spartan Girl said:

Hey at least she didn't die!

No, she was just wrongfully imprisoned for protecting her baby from a mob of assholes.

And if Mrs. Jumbo getting chained up in a wagon and separated from her baby for doing what mothers are supposed to do isn't enough to get you... there's the entirety of 'Baby Mine.'

Waterworks. Always.

[MissT]

Field of Dreams:  at the end when Kevin Costner asks his dad if he wants to pay catch..... Gets me every time.

[Silver Raven]

Just now, MissT said:

Field of Dreams:  at the end when Kevin Costner asks his dad if he wants to pay catch..... Gets me every time.

Oh, God.  My all time favorite movie, and that ending.  I just can't.

[shoregirl]

1 hour ago, MissT said:

Field of Dreams:  at the end when Kevin Costner asks his dad if he wants to pay catch..... Gets me every time.

I usually get teary eyed when James Earl Jones starts making big his speech with one constant being baseball and I stay teary eyed the rest of the movie. 

[Spartan Girl]

The scene in the new Beauty and the Beast when the last petal falls and the enchanted objects all bid each other farewell as they start to "die" made me teary. Yes, I knew it was going to be okay, but it was still so damn emotional. This particular exchange destroyed me:

Cogsworth: My friend...it was an honor serving with you.

 Lumiere (resigned and the last one standing): The honor was mine.

*sniff*

Edited April 6, 2017 by Spartan Girl

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On that note; in the last battle during 300 after most of Leonidas' army has been killed, he and one of his captains have the following exchange:

"It's an honor to die at your side."

"It's an honor to have lived at yours."

Not quite tears, but very close.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

2006's We Are Marshall is based on a true story. In 1970, a plane crash killed most of the football team and some of the coaches from Huntington, West Virginia's Marshall University. With the entire town reeling from the loss, the president of the college decides to cancel the football program that year instead of trying to build it back up. One of the players, who was ill and thus missed the fatal flight, gets the remaining players to gather everyone on campus they can find, and he interrupts the meeting to announce the decision to shut down the program. The dean asks him what he plans to say, and he replies, "I don't have anything to say, sir. But they do."

They move to the window, and almost everyone on campus has congregated on the lawn. The player, who's portrayed by Anthony Mackie, lifts his left hand where the other students can see it, and the people outside start chanting, "We are Marshall! We are Marshall! We are Marshall!" Needless to say, the decision to scrap the program was reversed. *sniff*

[Archery]

I think it was a theatrical movie, but I saw it on TV when I was a kid:  Without a Trace, with Kate Nelligan and Judd Hirsch.  Nelligan's 6 year old son is kidnapped, and she never loses hope that he will be found, although everyone else does.  Hirsch is the NY detective, and following a tip from some whackadoo who keeps calling every few months, he goes to this apartment in NJ where he finds the kid. He realizes that they could have found him sooner, if they hadn't just dismissed the caller's tip.  He starts driving back to NY, escorted by NJ police.  When they cross into NY, he radios the NJ cops and says, "Okay, I can take it from here."  They radio back, "If you don't mind, we'd like to tag along."  They pull into Nelligan's neighborhood just as she's walking home from the grocery.  When the kid gets out of the car, she just drops her bags and RUNS to him.

I have a very clear memory of my mother and me both being wrecked by that ending. 

Someone mentioned Precious.  Mariah Carey's best ever performance is as a social worker.  Her horrified silence as Precious tells her story is breathtaking.  That's what make you cry:  the idea that there is literally nothing she can say to make any of this girl's experience not monstrous.

[Bastet]

Watching The Shawshank Redemption for the umpteenth time, I must submit Brooks' death and all that preceded it with his release -- his desperate attempt to assault Haywood so they'd "let him" stay in prison (and referring to prison as "home" when he muses he could shoot the manager as a bonus and get sent back), letting Jake the bird go, trying to make do on the outside, in a world so unfamiliar to him, the conversation about being institutionalized, etc.  "They send you here for life, and that's exactly what they take."

[Cobalt Stargazer]

What makes it even more powerful is that Brooks dying is what convinces Red to live, to not go down that same path but instead take off for Mexico and find Andy. That while prison took most of his life, he can probably still make it on the outside, just not in the States.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

What makes it even more powerful is that Brooks dying is what convinces Red to live, to not go down that same path but instead take off for Mexico and find Andy. That while prison took most of his life, he can probably still make it on the outside, just not in the States.

Yes, that's the part that makes me smile, not cry.  "Get busy living, or get busy dying.  That's goddamn right."

[Spartan Girl]

I watched Jackie again last night. It's a sad film in general, but the saddest parts had to be the ones with Caroline and John. The part with Jackie explaining what happened to their father....that's one of the things parents hope they never have to do.

And the funeral mass scene where John, being mercifully too young to really understand the weight of what happened, tried to sneak away from the pew and toddle up to the casket only to have Bobby pull him back...broke my heart.  That little boy was so cute it hurt.

[amaranta]

My Dog Skip.  I cried for three hours.  Then I started to cry again when I went to bed.

I have not watched a dog movie since.  I guess I can't handle them.

E.T. and Up.  

And, yes, Terms of Endearment.  I wish Debra Winger had not been so out there and difficult; she had so much talent and potential.

[Qoass]

And I wish that women who have so much talent and potential would not be labeled as out there and difficult for being passionate about their work.  Men can throw phones and sexually harass their co-workers but instead of being black-balled, they get Oscars.

Topic?  I'm not a movie crier but my companion teared up five minutes into Hidden Figures.

[Archery]

Last night, I took my two teenagers (Boy 15 1/2, Girl 13) to see "Your Name.," a Japanese anime flick that has gotten an amazing reception around the world. My kids love anime (Girl more than Boy), and since they had earned a reward, I figured I could sit through an hour and half of angsty-teenager cartoon.  When the end credits rolled, we had to sit there for several minutes, as did other people, because, y'all, there were tears.  My son sobbed on my shoulder, while my daughter informed me that she "hated" me (not really) for taking her to see a movie that made her cry.  (She's hard as nails, that one.)  It wasn't that it had a tragic ending -- it didn't-- it was that the story was so beautifully well-done and emotional that you were just drained at the end.   Honestly, I have never seen anything like it. 

[amaranta]

Quote

And I wish that women who have so much talent and potential would not be labeled as out there and difficult for being passionate about their work.

And I agree with you.  Completely.  x1000.  I read this in an interview that she gave - an opinion that she expressed about herself.  It was in response to Shirley MacLaine's comments after filming Terms.  I was taken aback because she was so damn honest about it, right down to the sucking on MacLaine's toes during the filming of a scene (Debra was not in the scene and out of the shot) and bringing up Gere's without being asked.  This was a long time ago, when Winger took a self-imposed break; she was returning to make Shadowlands (1993) and there a long print interview - about how she really needed to get her shit together, regain perspective, etc.  I can try and find it, but it predates most online stuff.

I could have worded it better - she was troubled and had issues she needed to work out.  It was her choice to take a break.  Difficult was a poor word choice on my part and I apologize.  I still remain a pretty big Winger fan though.  One our best actors.

Edited April 19, 2017 by amaranta
typos. typo, typos...

[pancake bacon]

On 3/18/2017 at 4:03 AM, Silver Raven said:

Dumbo's mom.  OMG.

This is the mic drop of the "Need a Good Cry" thread. How. Dare. You. (Haha)

[Silver Raven]

[hoosiermom]

My top tear jerkers: Ghost, Pay it forward and The notebook. Oh, and lion king

[Cobalt Stargazer]

"Rogue One, may the Force be with you."

[Schweedie]

Look, I don't usually respond to being emotionally manipulated with overly sappy stuff. I roll my eyes at the end of Dead Poets Society and Pay It Forward, and felt nothing at Million Dollar Baby. But apparently when there are dogs involved all bets are off regardless of how sentimentally sappy it is, because I watched A Dog's Purpose this weekend and it was ugly. We're not talking, like, tears gently running down my cheeks, we are talking full on ugly sobbing and snotting while at the same time scolding myself, "for god's sake pull it together!" I didn't even think it was a good movie, but I cried more than when I watched Les Misérables or even Toy Story 3.

[raezen]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned Lion yet. At the screening I saw it by the end all you could hear was the sniffling in the audience. 

[topanga]

On 5/22/2017 at 3:39 AM, Schweedie said:

I watched A Dog's Purpose this weekend and it was ugly. We're not talking, like, tears gently running down my cheeks, we are talking full on ugly sobbing and snotting while at the same time scolding myself, "for god's sake pull it together!" I didn't even think it was a good movie, but I cried more than when I watched Les Misérables or even Toy Story 3.

Same here. But I cried throughout the movie--whenever we got to the end of a 'chapter.'

[Princess Sparkle]

At the nail salon I go to, they play movies during the day. Usually when I go, they play light movies, but when I was there last time, they were watching The Imitation Game. I had never seen it and by the time I got to the end, I was full on crying at the drying station while everyone else looked at me like I was a lunatic. I'm not entirely positive I can ever go back, but wow, that was one hell of a movie.