Top Five Movies that Made Me Cry

Rodney 208 Comments

Given that Valentine’s Day is around the corner, here in the film chatting world everyone gets expectations of taking their loved ones or special gal to dinner, and maybe a movie.

So while this typically ends up being some sort of Chick Flick, that has always been about guys strategically gaining favour with their girls for doing something just for them. Or at least going to see that movie they wanted to see, and have the perfect excuse to go see it without getting teased. Its a win-win.

But while everyone else is ranking their best Chick Flicks, I am doing something a little different. I am simply going to rank the top five movies that have MADE ME CRY.

Yes, I have a soft side to this snarky exterior and trust me guys, that scores more points than taking them to see Twilight. And while not many films have broken down this hardened war torn exterior, there have been some films that have jogged my emotions enough to spark a response.

This list is going to share those exact moments the waterworks were too much to contain, so this could have spoilers. Just to warn you.

#5 – UP!
During the whirlwind scene setting the premise of the film, we see young Carl being befriended by the spunky Elle, and they grow up together and find a life together. That was a beautiful introduction and montage scene done right, that illustrated elements of their very long life together.

When the bouncy trip through their life slows in pace and eventually shows the news that Ellie is ill, it gets sad. But seeing her pass and him at the funeral were not what tripped me off. It was him going home to that empty house. I was done. I dodged a look at my wife, not to see if she got misty too, but more to see if she would catch me wiping my eyes.

#4 – Power of One
This movie had me in choked up moments more than once. I really felt a strong connection to the character as the film is so well done to illustrate. But the variety of misty eye moments in the movie were enough, and they are offset by a number of feelgood victories in the story too.

When the well meaning and beautifully warm love interest Maria (Fay Masterson) is senselessly slain by an evil Nazi (Daniel Craig) I was horrified. When PK shows up at the funeral, her father is outraged blaming his rebellion and forward thinking for her demise – and the dozens of Africanners she touched step over the horizon singing I was done. Weepy city right there.

#3 – Braveheart
I went to Braveheart knowing what the movie was about, but not knowing the specifics. I knew that a freedom fighter would stand against English oppression and free Scotland, but what I didn’t know was that Wallace throws away his chance at a quiet life after a British Lord kills his woman. That detail was never revealed to me.

So in that scene, where Murron is captured and set as bait for Wallace, and she looks hopefully over the horizon with utter fear in her eyes. I am waiting for the textbook Hollywood rescue scene, but instead he slits her throat.

Oh my, that was effective for me. Seeing that trigger such a change in Wallace was powerful, but watching her fade away got my throat making with the lump. But I was also moved deeply when Wallace drops to his knees in front of her father, and he struggles to reach out a consoling hand in a gesture of forgiveness. Ahem… I think I got something in my eye…

#2 Best of the Best
Eric Roberts is joined by a number of other misfit martial artists in this late 80s action flick to enter an Exhibition Contest against a Korean Team. Each of these 5 athletes has his own quirks and emotional burdens entering into it, but the secondary star of the team is Tommy Lee, who has his own grudge to face as the man he is paired to fight accidentally killed his brother in Tournament years before.

What makes this something more than just a typical martial arts vendetta action flick is that while Tommy Lee’s motivation for becoming the Best of the Best was his brother’s death. And he is fully aware that the power and strenth he has is literally lethal. He struggles that the grudge he carries may cause him to lose his temper and seriously injure or kill this competitor.

The surprise ending finds Tommy holding the victory point to win the tournament for his team right open before him and rage fills him. He forfiets the win fearing what he may do next. Noble effort. But that wasn’t it.

During the award ceremony, the man Tommy did not take down gives a moving speech about his brother, and shares his medal with Tommy. Damn that came out of no where and messed me up.

#1 – Lion King
All full of Noble strength with a name that sends chills down the spines of lesser quadropeds in all that the sun touches.. Mufasa stands as a Warrior King to be feared and respected. He only has to speak to envoke automatic loyalty. And to see him frollicking about and chuckling with his dear lion cub Simba is heartwarming. But that just perfectly set me up for the fall.

Even more emotionally triggering is his death. Seeing the desperate efforts of this stalwart king to save his young son from a stampede, and the fear in those eyes… then while Simba is swept to safety, he dies. When lion Cub Simba pleads at the still form of his fallen father, my heart broke.

But when he lifts his giant paw and curls into his chest whimpering, its over. Puddleface.

EVERY DAMNED TIME.

I got a little weepy writing that last part. Not ashamed to admit it. Interestingly enough James Early Jones was in both of the top two films I mentioned, both in supporting roles.

There are other films that have hit me emotionally and stirred things up inside, but this manly man has so far been able to avoid physical evidence of such weakness. These are just among those that really got me.

Is there any film that got you choked?

Edit This is a real discussion, and you are not being funny with the “I cried because I paid to see it” lines. Lets keep this civil.

Comment with Facebook

About Rodney

View all posts by Rodney →

You may like these posts

208 thoughts on “Top Five Movies that Made Me Cry”

  3. There are many, basically any movie about animals.

    Hachi: A Dogs Tale-True story of a dog that waited for 9 years at a train station for his owner to return. The owner had previously died. If you don’t cry in this movie, something is wrong.

    Eight Below-A story of a group that had to leave their sled dogs behind during a blizzard. Heartbreaking!

    Free Willy
    A Little Princess
    My Girl
    Benji Movies
    An American Tail (that little mouse does it everytime)

  4. 1 – Ikiru (When he sings in the swing)
    2 – The Road Home
    3 – Terminator 2 (The ending still gets me…)
    4 – The Champ
    5 – Grave of the Fireflies

    There is a lot more, but these are the ones that got more tears out of me.

  5. The movie that came closest to making me cry was E.T., when he gets sick. The only movie that put me over the edge and actually pried some tear duct action out of me was All Dogs Go To Heaven.

  6. I ve cried for a very few.. But there is one film made me cry the whole night that day..

    “HACHIKO” – THE DOG STORY. The second half where the master dies and he stays ther everyday morning til he dies.
    Next was

    “WINDSTRUCK” – Brilliant mix of emotions. Made me cry a lot.

  7. What about Beaches? I know it’s hard to choose these things but that is a blubber session guarantee! Or ‘Saving Private Ryan’ when the mother gets the three telegrams at once. Sad, sad, sad!

  11. god idnt even thnk anyone will read my comment but i just watched remember me and cried my eyes out! not just at the ending but various scenes from begining to end! its crazy you need to watch it ):

  12. The Lion King is the saddest movie, and you got it so right, the part were he snuggles under his dads paw and then puts his face to his dads makes cry so I had I could end a drought!

  13. There’s two kinds of crying in films for me, from sadness/empathy, and also a strange kind of ecstasy.

    Some films that have triggered the former kind of tears:
    – Titanic: watched as a teenager with friends at the cinema, we were in such a state that none of us could get up til the end of the credits

    – Watership Down: as well as still having the capacity to utterly traumatise me, the end death of Hazel is sad, yet somehow beautiful.

    – Braveheart: the brutal killing of William’s girlfriend, the nobility of the woman being taken away to be raped by the local lord, and William’s death

    – Passion of the Christ: I’m not religious at all, and cried more for the brutality that humans can commit against each other
    – A.I.: the whole film I find upsetting, but the end is just overwhelming. Due to personal circumstances where I know about how just wanting love is the centre of kids’ existences, and he gets to have just a little of it at the end.

    The other kind of crying at films happens when I find something especially beautiful, or powerful, or somehow makes me feel how incredibly special it is to be alive. Corny, I know. Examples of this are:

    – Sunshine- the death of the captain out on the surface of the spacecraft, vapourised by the power of the sun. I found it moving but also elegant, a testament to the universe’s power and a ‘good’ death.

    – Contact- I’m a massive astronomy and space nut, and I cried when Ellie Arroway finally gets to the beach and meets the aliens, who turn out to be using her memories of her dead father to communicate. Tears because who doesn’t want to ‘meet’ someone close who’s passed away, but also because I love Carl Sagan’s (who wrote the book) optimism that other civilisations would want to meet us, and be able to look beyond all the terrible things about us as a species, to our capacity for love.

    – The New World: this is my absolute favourite film. I cried right at the start, from the powerfulness of the Wagner music, and imagining how incredible it must have been to be a sailor on a ship, really truly seeing a new world for the first time. The entire film was stunning, like a poetic dream to me, a beautiful attempt to try and say something about the experience of being human. I was in floods at the end, having experienced a kind of ecstasy at seeing Pocahontas’ journey to her own new world, and the sensual, fully alive testament to being human that she and the film represented. I had to go and sit in a pub with my husband for half an hour to calm down. It was the kind of incredible feeling I think most people feel in religion.

  14. One thing that Disney got right in the 80s-early nineties was their powerful kids movies. I hear people mention Old Yella, but what about Homeward Bound (the two dogs and cat)? I couldn’t possibly mention one scene as it had several. There was also Benji the Hunted, that was a very scary movie for little kids, not in the horror sense but the desolate loneliness.

    Some other ones I’ve had an emotional attachment to:

    City of Angels – After beginning a burgeoning relationship (after he falls to earth) she dies when a car plows into her. All that sacrifice.

    Transformers the Movie – not the Bay movies, but the original animated movie, and the original death of Optimus Prime. The setup for that was the heroic counterattack by Optimus when they came to Autobot City’s defense. I remember the pride and excitement of all the kids in the theatre at the time, and the crushing despair of watching Optimus die, extremely powerful moment, particularly when you know this as a kid.

    ET – Another with too many scenes to count, not sure why no one mentioned it.

    War of the Worlds (Modern Version) – This movie was emotionally crippling for me, the despair, the desperation, the scene where he had to kill the character played by Tim Robbins was pretty powerful, i felt real sympathy for his daughter, but then maybe thats cos I’m a father myself and would probably do that very same thing to protect my own.

  15. I’ve only cried in 3 movies in my life:

    1) Pay it Forward
    2) Forrest Gump
    3) The Road

    Both Pay it Forward and Forrest Gump were when I was about 6 or 7. I haven’t cried since while watching Forrest Gump, though the part where Bubba dies (which is the part I cried at as a youngster) still makes me ridiculously sad, and I haven’t watched Pay it Forward since.

    I really wasn’t expecting to cry at the end of The Road, having read the book. Yet nonetheless, waterworks.

    Also, I felt like I should have been crying at the end of An American Crime, but I was just really disturbed. Plus the whole “Ellen Page seeing herself dead on the floor” gimmick really killed the mood of the movie for me.

  18. 1. Bambi–from the first time as a child to now at 60+
    2. The Biscuit Eater
    3. Old Yeller
    4. Dumbo
    5. Carousel
    6. South Pacific
    7. Where the Red Fern Grows
    8. Forrest Gump–at the reflecting pool

  19. I’m kind of lame, but I think the saddest movies are:
    -Toy Story 3, there’s quite a bit of scenes here. when there’s the beginning scene with his childhood and “You Got a Friend in Me” was playing, and then when his Mom walks into his room for the last time, and Woody looks at the picture of him, Buzz, and Andy as a child. And then, the final scene when he introduces them and jerks the Woody doll away from Bonnie.
    -Monsters Inc, when he says goodbye to Boo, closes the door, and she opens it up and goes,'”Boo!” and he is gone.
    -Forest Gump, when Sally Field dies and he says,”She died on a Tuesday.”
    -In Dumbo, when all the other animals are being held by their mothers, and Dumbo’s mom is in the caged cart thing, and rocks him with her trunk through the bars. I’ve pretty much realized Disney movies kill me everytime.

  20. Only one movie ever got to me. That had to be “The Last Samurai”.
    It tells a great story about honor, integrity, character, integration, and acceptance.

  21. I’ve just recently watched Letters to Juliet. The part when Claire read Sophie’s answer to the letter and the nice happy ending really made me cry like a baby! geeeez.

  22. Lets see….since I cry at just about anything lol. But if my memory serves me well…my top 5 are.
    5. Titanic
    4. (Forget the name of it but it stars Michael Keaton as a man dying and makes video’s for his unborn son to watch after he passes on)
    3. Field of Dreams
    2. Marley and Me (the vet scene putting the dog down, no way I could imagine doing that to my dog)
    1. E.T. (I remember bawling at the theater with everyone else, never heard an entire audience sob out load)

  23. I’ve only ever truly cried in 4 movies:

    1. I bawled my eyes out like a baby in the Notebook. At the very end where Old Allie remembers Old Noah and then forgets him. I was sobbing for a half hour after the movie ended, it was so sad.

    2. The end of the Orphanage gutted me. Especially since I thought it was gonna be a scary movie and it totally did a 180 on me. I was sobbing so much after the movie that my friends had to buy me an ice-cream to cheer me up.

    3. A Little Princess: I haven’t watched this movie in 8 years cause I know it makes me cry every time. It’s the ending bit when Sara and her father reunite. Yeah, I completely lose it at that point.

    4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: the entire film is just so beautiful and touchng and bittersweet that it reduces me to silent tears.

  27. I’ve read through more than half of the comments and I still haven’t seen it.
    Can’t believe this one hasn’t been mentioned yet.

    The end of “Field of Dreams”, when he asks his dad to play catch with him.
    Tearing up just thinking about it.

  31. Wow! These are all great and just reading them and thinking about when I watched them gets the ol’ tear ducts flowing. Definitely Marley and Me (I’m such an animal lover and have gone through almost the exact same thing), Braveheart for sure, everytime. Especially at the end when Robert the Bruce gives his speech to his army – “You bled with Wallace… now bleed with me!” Hoo boy! *fans eyes* Green Mile? I believe I wept uncontrollably… in the theatre. Then the lights came on… yay!

    Click is another great one listed already too. So sad, but at least ended on a high note. Oh, here’s one not mentioned… The Road. Geez, right at the end when the boy’s father dies… holy crap! I’m a new father myself, so this was heart wrenching.

  32. ohhhh I am sooooooo with you on the lion king.It’s the only movie to ever make me cry, EVERY TIME.It my favorite movies and I can’t even watch it unless I’m alone. Everything about the movie is amazing and epic.

  34. I have only watched Braveheart out of the movies of your list sir. It’s really heart warming actually the final wallace’s execution scene.
    Another great movie made me cry which is “Schindler’s list” . liame neilson’s character finally says “I could have saved more” . at that point i couldnt hold my tears no more. great actor.

  35. In no particular order:

    Click
    Marley and Me
    Seven Pounds
    The Shawshank Redemption
    Forrest Gump
    Lion King
    Saving Private Ryan
    Lost in Translation
    Titanic
    One Litre of Tears (japanese; drama series version)
    The Pursuit of Happyness
    Lord of the Flies

    1. I can’t believe nobody has said P.S. I Love You before you! I started crying in the first scene where they were having an argument and not sure if I stopped all the way through. Very touching.

  41. 1. A Perfect World (kevin costner and clint eastwood) If you wanna see a man cry make him watch this movie
    2. Notorious – tears were flowing when biggies mom heard his music
    3. The Miracle at St. Anna
    4. Set It Off – at the end when TT dies and Cleo gets shot up
    5. The Pursuit of Happyness – sleeping in the restroom

  42. Blade Runner…at the end when Rutger Hauer’s charachter saves Harrison Ford at the last moment,instead of killing him,because he realizes the value of life…and when he states all the amazing things his eyes of seen will be “lost…like tears in the rain” at his own death.

  45. man on fire had the most emotional ending in any movie ive ever seen my whole life. as a male i have not cried in littleraly years but this movie did the job and always will no matter how many times i watch it.

  46. Everyone should be sure to watch some of the earlier Classic Tearjerkers from bygone eras:

    Splendor in the Grass (Still makes me sob)
    Old Yeller (I know, it’s a dog, but still)..
    It Happened One Night
    East of Eden
    Roman Holiday
    The Third Man
    Mildred Pierce
    Imitation of Life (Still crying)
    An Affair to Remember
    A Place in The Sun

  49. My friends call me stupid for this but I cried watching Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith during the order 66 scenes when they killed all those jedi.. And of course, Obi-Wan’s “You were the chosen one!! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not joined them!! Bring balance to the force not leave it in darkness!!” “You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you..”

    *sniffs*

  52. The final scene in Seven with Brad Pitt. For some reason I was swept up in the moment and got really sad about his wife, then wanted to shoot Kevin Spacey myself!

  54. I agree with most on here, but one that isn’t mentioned and had me crying the first time I saw it was King Arthur. When Arthur is on the hill watching the people leave just as the Saxons are aproatching and yells down to the guy with many children. And then later when the horses act up and they know they need to go back with Arthur to almost certain death. Then the bird is set free. For some reason those parts make me weap.

  55. Very good list. I haven’t cried in a movie up until a few weeks ago when I watched “Taking Chance,” about a Marine who need to get shipped home after he is KIA in Iraq. I think it was the first time I cried in a movie. Twice.

  57. There are quite a few but the most recent one was Everybody’s Fine. I got all misty eyed and then I turn around, my girlfriend is just crying her eyes out along with the rest of the theater. The story with most of the kids and the performances (Rockwell, Barrymore) were mediocre but De Niro was just excellent in the film and damn…he made you sad.

  58. don’t know if anyone is gonna get to read ‘comment 127’ at this point, and I apologize if it’s listed somewhere up there already, but an oldie that always got me was ‘Project X’, when the one chimp sees the other dead on the table and it’s arm just hangs there(think that’s about right-it’s been a while since i’ve seen it, and don’t know if I’ll ever actually watch it again. sniff.)

  59. Remember the Titans — from the carwreck until the end of the movie

    Armaggeddon — when Willis’ character volunteers to save humanity; when they arrive and Tyler’s character meets the Air Force captain

    Taken — when Neeson’s character is at his ex-wife’s house and his CIA friend is giving him the grim news; when he finally rescues his daughter

    Y Tu Tambien — when they both find out that she died.

    Saving Private Ryan — the final scene at Arlington National Cemetery

    Gladiator — When Crowe’s character dies.

  60. 1. Lord of the Rings , Return of the King – where they all kneel down to the hobbits.
    2. Reign over Me – in the courtroom.
    3. Lion King – Mufasa’s death.
    4. Remember the Titans – the funeral at the end.
    Anime.
    At the end of the first Bleach movie where the girl is fading away from everyone’s memory.

  61. For me, it’d be:

    Grave of the Fireflies – Jesus H. Christ that film made me bawl!
    Dear Zachary – if you’ve seen the film, you’ll know why
    Central Station – the Brazilian film

  63. I know it’s probably just me but:

    Jersey Girl. The scene where George Carlin tells his son he’s afraid of being alone. Something about that scene got me.

    Also,

    Kung Fu Hustle…yeah, yeah I know but the scene where the main character realizes who the girl with the lollipop is just kills me for some reason.

    The only other film I can say got me was Pan’s Labyrinth.

  64. Gallipoli – the inevitable, unnecessary death of thousands of soldiers. Stupid war.

    Pay It Forward
    Steel Magnolias
    Dead Poets Society
    The Outsiders
    Life is Beautiful

  65. Into the Wild – the scene just before the end where the film reflects back on the lives of all the people Chris met along the way, ending with his dad, who began being so strong and emotionless, collapsing on his knees in the middle of a road unable to hold back the tears for his lost son. So heavy I tried to fight it but couldn’t stop myself balling.

  66. Honorable mention: The Road to Perdition, the silent scene in the rain. It’s a very powerful scene.

    I cried not because it was sad, but somehow I was very moved by the scene and the performance of Paul Newman.

  67. *Spoilers*

    Never Ending Story – Swamp of sorrows, when Atrax dies.

    The Power of One – to many scenes to choose from, bring tissues.

    Gladiator – The Patracide, Maximus loosing his family, The ending (Mostly being a mixture of sadness and happiness and being incredibly touched.

    Syriana – The end of the movie, jesus fucking christ I was angry and sad at the same time.

    Sunshine – When Mace dies.

  68. 5. Certain episodes of Record of Lodoss War (Chronicals of the Heroic Knight)
    4. Last episode of Cowboy Bebop
    3. What Dreams May Come
    2. Last of the Mohicans
    1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (watch it directly after a break-up and dont cry, i dare you.)

  71. The Patriot
    I almost forgot about that. When his daughter finally speaks to him, my flood gates are wide open. I can’t help it. “Poppa!”

    The Abyss
    When Bud loses his voice because he’s screaming for his wife to come back to life.

  72. Courage Under Fire – The scene where Denzel Washington visits the parents of his friend to tell them the truth of how he died.

    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – The scene where Li Mu Bai has been poisoned and Yu Shu Lien has to watch him slowly die.

  73. im getting misty eyed just reading some of these. oh the power or movies.

    the first movie i cried at in the theater was Cool Runnings when they picked up the bobsled and carried it across the finish line. I was a kid and didnt know what was happening to me. it was so weird. it wasnt like i slammed my finger in a door, skinned my knee, or was getting in trouble from my parents. it was a movie that made me cry. i think i grew up a little that day. i was in 3rd grade.

  74. Ol Yeller. Very first memory I have of crying because of a movie. Matter of fact, the only one since. However, those commercials with animals being mistreated with Angel by Sarah Mclaughlin playing in the background still get to me.

  76. 1) Philadelphia – at the hospital when one of Beckets brothers breaks down when he is about to see his brother for the last time.

    2) Forrest Gump – visiting Jennys grave

    3) Up – the intro scene

    4) Dances with Wolves – when Two Socks gets killed

    5) Gladiator – Maximus returns home in Elysium

    6) Schindlers List – the shower scene, the women wait for the showers to come on and everything goes black.

    7) Crash – when the little girl gets shot (fortunately with a blank)

    8) Jerry Maguire – Rod Tidwell speaks to his wife and childen on the phone just after his big game at the end of the film.

    9) Fried Green Tomatoes – When Ruth dies in her sleep just as Idgie is telling the story about the oysters.

    10) The Road Home – ZhangZiYi desperately tries to see her love interest one last time when he is forced to leave the village. She runs, carrying her home made dumpling in a pot, she falls, the pot cracks and she see him in the distance moving away, she cries…arghhhh!

  77. I can’t believe no one has mentioned Glory! The ending gets me everytime. Starts off with Denzel getting shot. From that point on, I’m trying my best to hold in the tears, but when that last shot of them running into the cannon happens, I can’t hold it in anymore.

  78. In no particular order:
    1) My Dog Skip. (Well, basically ANY dog movie.)
    2) Dances with Wolves (“Dances with Wolves! I am Wind in His Hair! Can you see that I am your friend? Can you see that I will always be your friend?” Waaaah! I sob like a baby, every time.)
    3) The Notebook. I’m not a fan of Nicholas Sparks books/movies, but the ending of this movie is bittersweet and makes me cry but in a happy way.
    4) Chariots of Fire. The scene at the end when Liddell is running and throws back his head rips the tears out of me every time.
    5) Up

  81. The Notebook.

    It’s A Wonderful Life.

    Superman (Death of Lois Lane; Supey cries, blasts off flying, you know)

    Young Frankenstein (I laughed so hard…I cried)

    Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi (Darth Vader becomes Anakin Skywalker as he saves his son Luke)

  84. So many great movies named off so far by all of us.

    But I almost forgot about the movie “Life is Beautiful”.

    By far one of the most powerful and moving films ever made, if not THE most. You’ve got to be made of stone not to be crying by the end of this one.

  87. The end of “In America.”

    The end of the erasure process in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

    The photo montage at the end of “Pieces of April.”

    The opening sequence of “Where the Wild Things Are.”

    “Milk,” “Synecdoche, New York” and “Up,” in general.

    And, the opening sequence of Abrams “Star Trek.”

  88. Really nice movies everyone…
    Here are few of my picks, in no particular order:

    The Green Mile [cried buckets]
    Grave of the fireflies
    Titanic
    Big Fish
    Lion King
    Click
    Forrest Gump
    The Notebook
    The Pursuit of Happyness

    and few more which I don’t remember right now BUT the one no-one has mentioned till now is “Frequency”..great film!

  93. My most recent movie that I cried in was Click. The scene where Adam Sandler’s character finds out his dad died. So he rewinds back to the moment before he died. It just makes you think about your dad and you get all choked up. But that’s the most recent movie I cried too.

  94. Philadelphia – Tom Hanks lying in the bed at the end, just about to die and says “I’m ready”.

    Ground Hog Day – The part where he relives the final moments in the old man’s life, and nothing he can do can stop him from dying.

    Schindler’s List – As someone else mentioned above the scene with the gold ring, the realisation of just how many have died and there was nothing he could do.

    Saving Private Ryan – Lots of sad scene’s in that one, but Ryan as an old man breaks down in front of, although we don’t know it at the time, Capt. John Miller’s headstone. He asks his wife to tell him “Tell me I’ve lived a good life, tell me I’m a good man”.

    The Bourne Supremacy – Scene where he goes to tell the Russian girl that he killed her parents, then the sad look on his face as he limps away.

    Leon (The Professional) – Just after he’s cut the hole in the wall so Matilda can escape, she starts to cry because she doesn’t want to lose him.

    Empire of The Sun – The final scene, his parents are looking for him amongst all the children but don’t even recognise him. Just the look on his face, now aged and saddened by all the horrors that he’s seen.

  95. I also cried when the little girl finally speaks to her dad in The Patriot. But the one that gets me every single time is What Dreams May Come. Some very sad parts in that movie.

  96. I love that you have Best of the Best, that one gets me every time.
    In no real order
    5. A Time to Kill
    4. It’s My Party-Eric Roberts is fantastic in this.
    3. Breaking The Waves
    2. Invincible- I’m an eagles fan laugh it up.
    1. American History X

    Also Running Scared, The Notebook, and Phenomenon to name a few.

  97. How about the weirdest movie that made you cry? Something not really designed to hit you in that way, but due to some personal circumstance, it brought on the tears.

    For me – 8MM with Nicolas Cage. My first daughter had just been born at the time and at the end of the film when Cage came home from such a horrible experience and he thought his wife had left him. He stumbles to the crib he thinks is empty and sees his baby daughter there and he breaks down. He then crumples into his wife’s lap and tells her that she saved him by being there for him… Man, I was bawling.

  99. I’ve only had 3.
    Thin Red Line- The part where all the scrawney little Japanese guys get over run
    Up and
    Where The Wild Things Are- pretty much the entire 1st act had me crying, hell I was tearing up a little just when I saw the opening logos.

  101. “Man on Fire” starring Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning. The end of that movie, at the bridge, and you know the end of Denzel’s character’s life is at hand just as the reunion between captive daughter and her mother commences. Great song at the end and a great movie all around.

  103. I dont know if I cried at the end of Armegedon, I think I actually laughed..

    Mostly anything with goodbyes after investing yourself with the characters….then they part, it will always get me…(most cases)

  104. 5. Sound of Music – when Maria was getting fired by Von Trapp father then he suudenly hears “Eidelweiss” being sung by the kids

    4. Color Purple – Happy tears in the end.

    3. Passion of the Christ – during the scourging

    2. Schindlers List – when Schindler was leaving and he was given the ring and he kept saying he could’ve saved more… his car could’ve bought more lives.. etc.

    1. An Affair to Remember – in the end when Cary Grant visits Deborah Kerr and she won’t get up to greet him and he turns sacrastic, then when he is about to leave he slowly realizes why and starts searching for the painting he did that got sold to a crippled lady. (this one always gets me)

    Honorable Mention:
    Awakenings, Untamed Heart, Mask, The Notebook, the Champ, Love Story, Romeo and Juliet (Zafarelli version)

    1. Finally!!!! Somebody mentions the champ, i cant believe i had to scroll through so many crappy posts before it was mentioned by you!! Nice one.

  105. Big Fish – When his dad dies at the end, but he imagines it as all his friends, both made up and real, and his loved ones are there to see him off.

    Holy Moly Batman I totally forgot that one and it’s my favorite Tim Burton film!

    dido on Iron Giant!

    1. Vin Diesel was the voice of the Iron Giant?! LOL, how come I’ve never realized that before?

      But ya, Iron Giant is an amazing movie and that part chokes me up every damn time as well…

  109. recently i watched all the seasons of brothers and sisters (shutup, good show) and what i noticed is that the proper music for a scene is what seals the deal for me.
    i.e.: cold play’s fix you when mccalister has his heart attack. fuck, my streak almost ended.

  111. Seven Pounds – The ending, when he kills himself to give his heart to her.

    Big Fish – When his dad dies at the end, but he imagines it as all his friends, both made up and real, and his loved ones are there to see him off.

    Finding Nemo – The beginning, where Nemo’s mother dies.

    Man on Fire – The ending, where he sacrifices himself for the little girl.

    Gran Torino – Again, the ending, when he sacrifices himself so those innocent kids can have a brighter future.

    Now and Then, Here and There – I know, it’s not a movie, it’s an anime series. But I have NEVER watched anything in my whole life that has made me cry more from watching something, EVER. Powerfully Emotional. If you are into emotional story telling, then this is a MUST see.

  112. So glad you put Up, Braveheart, and the Lion King in there. All of which have made me cry at least the first time I saw them.

    Haven’t seen the other 2 on your list yet, but will soon as I get the chance.

    But Lion King still gets me to this day too. I still start to get watery eyed on Up. Braveheart, I’ve just seen it so many times.

  113. It’s hard to come up with just five…but here we go!

    5. Dear John – a great scene between father and son really got me
    4. Toy Story 2 – When Zurg shoots Buzz in the beginning…just kidding Jessie’s Song
    3. Jerry MaGuire – I just can’t help myself!
    2. 13 Going on 30 – Love this movie!
    1. The Passion of Christ – I think the only time I cried more was when my first child was born.

  117. Million Dollar Baby. I’ve seen it twice, and I will never watch it again. Not because it’s bad, but because it is so good it made seriously thibnk about my life differently. It haunts you.

  119. The Royal Tenenbaums
    When Chas watches Royal pass away in the ambulance.
    _______________

    Magnolia
    At least three times throughout its three hour duration.
    _______________

    Love Actually
    When Emma Thompson’s character finds out she’s being cheated on.
    _______________

    Little Children
    During the end narration.
    _______________

    X-Men 2
    When Jean sacrifices herself.
    _______________

    Lord of the Rings 1
    At the end when they replay Gandalf’s words of wisdom… “So do all who blah blah blah, but that is not for them to decide…”

  120. Transformers

    When Bumblebee was captured
    ——————————

    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

    When Optimus Prime died.
    ———————-

    Wall-E

    When Wall-E died.
    ————————

    The Notebook
    When Noah fulfilled his promise
    ————————-

    Titanic
    When Jack sunk into the ocean
    ————————–

  121. i’m glad you put the best of the best up there. saw it when i was pretty young and it made me cry, and you can’t tell if its a happy or sad cry. probably both. i saw it again in my early twenties and i had the same reaction. stranger than fiction had me teared up. but not crying!

  122. -Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
    -Dead Poet Society
    -Man on Fire
    -John Q
    -Patch Adams
    -My Sisters Keeper
    -I am Sam
    -The Fox and The Hound (when the old lady leaves Tod(thefox) in the woods. gets me every time.

    1. -The part of Fox and The Hound when the old lady brings him out to the woods and then drives away gets me every time.

      -Pearl Harbor when Ben Affleck tells Josh Hartnetts Character that He’s going to be a daddy, and he responds with “No, you are”

      -Up in the end when Carl comes instead of his dad and pins the bottle cap on

      -Marley and Me makes me think of my dog right now, who is having difficulty walking up stairs and everything too, I can’t ever watch the end.

      -You can call it corny, but Tristan and Isolde had me sobbing into my hands. When he gets stabbed, yet continues to fight, then Isolde comes and is there while he dies, THEN they do a flashback? Yeah, definately can’t handle that

  125. I’ve never cried over a movie but some have broguht me close. The closing scene of A League of Their Own for one. I don’t know exactly what but there is something about that Madonna song “This Used To Be Our Playground” that plays during that part where the players have reunited and are playing a ball game for old times sake.

    1. Oh and for the anime fans. Barefoot Gen and Grave of Fireflies. These two are also ones that almost made me cry.

      Both are stories of children trying to survive after the atomic bombs that dropped in Japan in WWII.

      Spoiler!!!!!!!

      Grave of Fireflies is especially sad since it actually starts with the main character (a boy barely in his teens) about to die from starvation and in a nod to the “when you’re about to die your life flashes before your eyes” thing he recounts the last few years of his life starting from the day the bombs dropped (sorry I forgot which of the two cites he was in). Barefoot Gen actually ends on a happier note with the main characters actually surviving.

      1. I refused to re-watch Grave of Fireflies, not because it’s bad anime, far from it. In fact, it is one of the best anime of all time. But because it’s so tragic, heartwrenching flick, that you etched in your memories for sometimes after watching it. I remember once seeing it in a movie festival many years ago, i swear that the first time i saw a whole theater cried, and so many used kleenex around afterward.

  126. Jessie’s song in Toy Story 2: Yeah thats always a trigger.(and I’ve seen it 100 times w/ my kid and always have to look away)

    Rudy: the scene where they all give their jerseys up.

    The end of Where the wild things got me too..(such an odd but wonderful film.)

    E.T (my kid and I saw it for his first time the other day and cried for the first time in a movie)

    I got more but dont want to seem like a wuss..

    1. There, there dear, *sniff*…..I forgot

      1.) Wall*E
      2.) Stuart Little (sue me, I was like 5 when I first saw it)
      3.) I Am Sam
      4.) Forrest Gump
      5.) Castaway
      6.) When Harry Met Sally (my first ever love story)
      7.) Lost In Translation
      8.) Finding Neverland
      9.) Old Yeller
      10.) Ghost

      Bloody touching films, all of them…..didn’t cry (except in Wall*E), but was moved enough to not move…..

  127. Oh wow – Schindlers List – can’t believe I forgot that one. When Neeson holds up his gold ring and says how many more he could have saved, guaranteed tears.

    I refuse to watch Marley and Me for the fact that I KNOW what happens and don’t want to be all weepy.

  128. The first movie I ever teared up over was the made for tv movie Brians Song (1971) starring “James Caan and Billy Dee Williams” based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers.

    I still cant watch it to this day without getting teary eyed.

  131. Woah! What about Ghost? (the scene in which he gives her a penny)

    I bawled at the end of Were The Wild Things Are

    The lesbian letter in V For Vendetta

    Jessie’s song in Toy Story 2

    The girl in the red hoodie from Shindlers List

    The man-hug in Shawshank Redemption

    Forrest Gump when the girl dies at the end

    E.T.

    4. BLOODY HELL! How could I forget The Shawshank Redemption? That’s my favourite film of all time! Damn, that last monologue, the one about “Hope”! Oh my God!

      And there’s “Sunset Boulevard” as well! It’s so touching, the way she faces the cameras in the end, her butler/husband’s undying devotion to her…..damn…..

      1. I can see what you’re saying with Forrest Gump. Paths of Glory not so much but its a damn good movie.

        Pursuit of Happiness
        I am Legend…only when he kills his dog…that was rough.
        Life is Beautiful

      2. The part where the flight commander, Col. Willie Sharp, approaches Liv Tyler’s character, salutes her, and says, “Requesting permission to shake the hand of the daughter of the bravest man I’ve ever met.”

    2. I have to agree with you. The part that gets me everytime is right after they land and Chick’s(Will Patton)kid comes running around the cars toward him. The look on Chick’s face when he sees his son for the first time is heart wrenching but in a good way.

    3. haha i thought i was the only person who cried at the end of Armageddon. It was the second time i saw the film, i had been at the pub all night, put it in when i got home and shed a tear when Bruce’s character says goodbye to Liv Tylers character. Yes, a Michael Bay film made me cry, but not because it was bad…

  136. these always get me.

    Life is beautiful (laughed and cried at same time..cried more though)

    Pursuit of Happiness (corny cliche’s at times but powerfull)

    Marley and me (I know, I know)
    but that scene at the end when the kid is re-watching home movies and you see his faithful dog by his side since he was born..if you dont cry there, you’ve got no soul.

    1. I can never watch the ending of Marley and Me, I have to leave the room and act like I’m going to the bathroom or getting something to drink. Meanwhile I go and tears drip down my eyes when I think of my pets that I’ve lost in my life especially reminds me of my one dog that I grew up. Most people have that one pet that they always remember the most.

      Also Man on Fire with Denzel Washington or Saving Private Ryan. Those get me all choked up.

      1. Marley and Me pissed me off because it’s fucking PG and is aimed at little kids (which I have little sisters), and every chance they got they had Jennifer Aniston stripping down and trying to fuck Owen Wilson…in a FUCKING KIDS MOVIE. But the end is sad, I can say that much.

      2. Then perhaps you should have paid attention to the Rating.. oh right. You knew it was PG – Parental Guidance.

        Meaning it is Suggested your parents excercise discretion as some material may not be suitable for pre-teenagers.

        The movie was NOT aimed at kids. The PG was pretty clear with that.

        Just because it has a cute puppy in the poster does not mean it was a kids movie. Garfield was a kids movie.

      3. Rodney,

        Most kids GO to see PG films. And it’s a story about a dog, why wouldn’t they want to go see it and why WOULDN’T it be aimed at kids?

        I didn’t think the film was bad, but it just made me mad that it’s a movie that’s PG that has some sexual content and kids go to watch it.

        That’s just my opinion…

      4. And your opinion is based on the premise that this was directed at kids. And considering the suggestive public displays of affection I would argue that it clearly was not.

        The movie is rated as PG for mature subject matter. So … not for kids. Cute puppy or not.

      6. You can keep saying it was “directed at kids” all you want, but a PG rating warning of mature subject matter. Its your responsibility to observe these warnings to make these judgement calls.

        If you feel the film was marketed to kids is purely your opinion. It wasn’t. It was labeled as a family romantic comedy drama.. not a kids movie.

        It has elements for kids and adults, but some subject matter may be considered too mature.. they warned you.

        If you are too ignorant to read a simple film rating and subject matter review plastered all over the trailers, then that is your problem, not theirs.

        You make it sound like they advertised a Pokemon movie and then gave them porn. It was PG. accurate and approved.

      7. I see both of your points. Typically, movies that are PG are directed towards kids. However, I don’t think this film was geared that way. This film is for adult and kids. Geno was definitely correct that the sexual implications during the film would suggest something more. However, the general public, especially young kids, are so used to that type of stuff that it doesn’t phase them. I mean can see much more on regular TV these days.

      1. Save for the last two, the others didn’t make me cry, they were just extremely, extremely touching. I haven’t seen Up yet, though, but I guess if I had, it would’ve found mention…..

    3. 1. Life is Beautiful – What an amazing movie…all this time you think about what a funny comedy it is, and then WHAM…

      2. Old Yeller

      3. Dying Young – Seriously why did they make this movie?

      4. A Time to Kill – “Now imagine she’s white” (I bet Grisham wishes he thought of that line…)

      5. Jerry Maguire – Seriously saw this in Japan with a theater full of Marines, not knowing that the movie was a rom-com…thought it was a Tom Cruise movie about Football…and there was not a dry eye walking out…

      1. John Grisham did write that line, but it was a juror who said it, not the attorney. It was actually more effective that way in the book. I did love the movie as well though.

  138. I am Sam. Went with my wife just a couple of months after our son was born, and wept through most of it.

    Return of the King – that final scene when Sam & Frodo say their goodbyes was powerful.

    Phantom Menace. Because I actually paid to see it.

    1. No, people who say a movie was so bad that they cried over it is just silly exaggeration.

      There is no movie that bad that I would cry about it. Complain? Sure. But cry? No.

      If a movie is that bad, it cannot connect to me emotionally.

      1. I’m not sure if he’s wording it right, perhaps misusing the word “bad”? But also technically there are 2 different endings to Evangelion. 1, the end of the TV series and 2, the end of the 2nd movie.

        The TV series ending was meant to be the true ending, but Japanese fans wanted an ending with more of an action oriented or physical impact to it and to the main characters. So the creator went on and made the 2 ending movies, first of which is more of just recap of what happens in the series. There’s more to why there are 2 different endings, but it’s kind of complected.

        So the series ending is VERY highly emotional on mental level, that really makes you think, but also truly makes you feel for the main characters and all of the insane things they were forced to go threw, in their effort so save what’s left of the human race. Also it gives you a real since of impact from the effects of each of their flaws on both one another and themselves. All and all it’s a complete mind fuck. Can’t say it quite brought me to tears, but it certainly has made me look at life in a more profound way.

        And the ending of the 2nd movie is much more on the physical emotional level. I’d say more, but trying not to spoil to much. It’s hard talking about Eva without giving away too many surprises, because this series is just full of them. But I do agree that the end of the 2nd film is one of the most amazing and beautiful endings to any movie, EVER.

  140. When I read you post on #1, The Land Before Time popped in my head. When Little Foot loses his mom, very sad. Also, when he is sees his own shadow on the rocks and runs too it, cause he thinks its his mom. :(

    1. I totally forgot about those parts, been a long time since I’ve watched that movie.

      But ya, I remember now how sad and emotion it was the first time I saw it as a kid. Both my little sister and I couldn’t help cry over it. Think my mom got chocked up too when she watched it with us.

    3. The only movie that gets me every damned time is Watership Down. And it gets me twice!

      First, when Hazel gets shot by the farmer and Fiver dances with the Black Rabbit to that Art Garfunkle song ‘Bright Eyes”… even though I know Hazel makes it through, the seen puts me in traction.

      Second, the ending, when Hazel does pass on from old age, and he joins the Black Rabbit’s Ouzler (sp?). Damn, I get teary eyed just thinking about it.

      1. ‘All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies. And whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you: digger, listener, runner. Prince with a swift warning. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.’

        God damn that movie. Up has nothing on this Rankin Bass classic.

Leave a Reply