Movies that make me cry
I'm a hard stone, so to speak, so whenever I cry at a movie - I feel it deserves a recognition.
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- DirectorDon BluthStarsPat HingleGabriel DamonHelen ShaverAn orphaned brontosaurus teams up with other young dinosaurs in order to reunite with their families in a valley.When I was little, I never cried at this film, but now that I'm older, watching the scene with Rooter after Littlefoot's mother passes really gets me teared up.
There's some pretty heavy stuff in this kids movie, including a realistic depiction of depression. - DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsJada Pinkett SmithQueen LatifahVivica A. FoxDesperation drives four inner-city women to bank robbery in Los Angeles, then they start mistrusting each other.Missing you, by Brandy, Gladys Knight, Chaka Kahn and Tamia - Oh God, it's so sad when it comes on at the end.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsMeryl StreepKevin KlinePeter MacNicolSophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust.Holocaust survivors don't exactly come back as they were. Totally haunting performance by Meryl Streep.
- DirectorKimberly PeirceStarsHilary SwankChloë SevignyPeter SarsgaardA young man named Brandon Teena navigates love, life, and being transgender in rural Nebraska.No, this is so not a hollywood movie - it's a movie depicting the inhumane crimes commited against a person who just wanted to be accepted and loved.
- DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsCharlize TheronChristina RicciBruce DernBased on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.The ending always makes me cry - mostly because of the music.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTom HanksMichael Clarke DuncanDavid MorseA tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.While a lot of the moments in the film made me laugh - it made me cry like a baby at Coffey's execution scene.
- DirectorGregory NavaStarsJennifer LopezEdward James OlmosJon SedaThe true story of Selena, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart-topping albums on the Latin music charts.Her music lives on, and will not be forgotten.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsWill SmithBill PullmanJeff GoldblumThe aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive."Is mommy sleeping now?"
"Yeah, mommy's sleeping"
Probably the saddest pieces of dialogue ever on film. - DirectorFrank CoraciStarsAdam SandlerKate BeckinsaleChristopher WalkenA workaholic architect finds a universal remote that allows him to fast-forward and rewind to different parts of his life. Complications arise when the remote starts to overrule his choices.Strange, this is the first comedy I ever cried at. Seeing what is in the future and the idea that you're not able to change it makes it even more heartbreaking.
- DirectorTed DemmeStarsJohnny DeppPenélope CruzFranka PotenteThe story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.The ending is quite sad. Somehow Johnny Depp is able to make this drug dealer likable.
- DirectorShana FesteStarsGarrett HedlundGwyneth PaltrowLeighton MeesterA rising country-music songwriter works with a fallen star to work their way to fame, causing romantic complications along the way.A little bit underrated - this is actually a good movie. Paltrow makes the character so believable and full of humanity despite how horribly screwed up she is.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsKevin KlineJoan AllenSigourney WeaverIn suburban New Canaan, Connecticut, 1973, middle-class families experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse find their lives beyond their control.Pretty cool movie that also had me in tears at the end.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsBjörkCatherine DeneuveDavid MorseAn Eastern European US immigrant with a love for musicals has to cope with the gradual loss of her vision.Quite horrible in some parts - a lot of injustice done in this film.
"I just wanted to hold a little baby." That gets me every time! - DirectorAdam ShankmanStarsMandy MooreShane WestPeter CoyoteTwo North Carolina teens, Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan, are thrown together after Landon gets into trouble and is sentenced to perform community service.Mandy Moore's song "Cry" did it for me, of course.
- DirectorAlexander PayneStarsGeorge ClooneyShailene WoodleyAmara MillerA land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.This is mostly sad because of George Clooney's excellent performance - and it sort of hit home.
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsJean RenoGary OldmanNatalie Portman12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.The main characters are so sweet and likeable that it makes the various things that happen to them so much more emotional.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeremy IronsGeneviève BujoldHeidi von PalleskeTwin gynecologists take full advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman.It was really sad and also very disturbing to see the twins deteriorate into complete madness because of drug use and co dependence.
- DirectorAlek KeshishianStarsMadonnaDonna DeLoryNiki HarisDocumentary following singer Madonna on her controversial Blond Ambition tour in 1990.The scene where she visits her mother's grave with "promise to try" playing really gets me going.
- DirectorKelly AsburyLorna CookStarsMatt DamonJames CromwellDaniel StudiA captured mustang remains determined to return to his herd no matter what.This is the first animated movie I've cried at. The "Sound The Bugle" sequence, along with the feeling of utter despair and hopelessness of the title character is just heartbreaking.
- DirectorBrad SilberlingStarsNicolas CageMeg RyanAndre BraugherAn angel on Earth, a doctor unable to believe, a patient with a secret, a love story made in Heaven.Deeply affecting. It made me cry all night.
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsBrandon LeeMichael WincottRochelle DavisA man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's murder.The whole theme of death, plus the "happy" ending in which we're told never to stop loving our loved ones even if they're gone, only makes it sadder with Brandon's death during the making of the film. This is the perfect goth movie.
- DirectorRussell MulcahyStarsSigourney WeaverHenry CzernyRyan KelleyTrue story of Mary Griffith, gay rights crusader, whose teenage son committed suicide due to her religious intolerance. Based on the book of the same title by Leroy Aarons.This film really cuts deep, mostly because of the theme of family and loss of a family member. Despite being so emotional, it's a very important film to see.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsKevin CostnerWhitney HoustonGary KempA former Secret Service agent takes on the job of bodyguard to an R&B singer, whose lifestyle is most unlike a President's.It made me cry before the moment Whitney's signiture song comes on at the end. Now it makes me cry even harder because she's gone.
- DirectorPhil Alden RobinsonStarsKevin CostnerJames Earl JonesRay LiottaIowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.Nothing tragic happens in the movie but the connection to the audience is so emotionally powerful, it's incredible. He built it, he came, and I cried buckets.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsWil WheatonRiver PhoenixCorey FeldmanA writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.I didn't cry the first time, but on the second viewing at the end I did.
"I won't be afraid, I won't cry, as long as you stand by me."
But both River Phoenix and his character Chris Chambers are no longer standing with us. :( - DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsJavier BardemMaricel ÁlvarezHanaa BouchaibA man dying of cancer tries his best to leave the world on his own terms.Definitely one of the most melancholic, depressing but rewarding movies of all time.
- DirectorTom HooperStarsHugh JackmanRussell CroweAnne HathawayIn 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.One of the most breathtaking movies in recent years. Fantine's emotional torment was hard to watch and it was even sadder when some of the beloved characters die.
- DirectorArthur HillerStarsAli MacGrawRyan O'NealJohn MarleyA boy and a girl from different backgrounds fall in love regardless of their upbringing - and then tragedy strikes.Very flawed and ultimately not as powerful as I thought, but powerful enough to get me going.
- DirectorDavid FrankelStarsOwen WilsonJennifer AnistonEric DaneA family learns important life lessons from their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog.I'm not a huge dog lover, but this made me cry buckets anyway.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodViggo MortensenIan McKellenGandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.At the end when Frodo leaves the Shire, for me is one of the most tragic moments in the film, despite the ending being a happy one.
- StarsBen KingsleyHannah Taylor GordonBrenda BlethynThe life of Anne Frank and her family from 1939 to 1945: pre-war fears, invasion of Netherlands by German troops, hiding in Amsterdam, deportation to the camps, return of Anne's father.Of course anything to do with Anne Frank and the Holocaust gets me depressed. I was crying at different points in the movie.
- DirectorVadim PerelmanStarsJennifer ConnellyBen KingsleyRon EldardAn abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her house's new owners.Each event that gradually takes place in the movie just gets worse and worse and worse until no happy ending is possible.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.Yeah ok - everyone cries at this movie. Not because of the death of a main character but because of the ending. It's a depiction of heaven in some ways. It tears me up just thinking about it!
- DirectorLee UnkrichStarsTom HanksTim AllenJoan CusackThe toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.This is strange, I hadn't cried the first or the second time I watched this movie, but on the third time I was like "don't cry, the toys aren't even crying" but then I did. Hehe.
- DirectorCaroline ThompsonStarsSean BeanDavid ThewlisDocs Keepin TimeThe fates of horses, and the people who own and command them, are revealed as Black Beauty narrates the circle of his life.Also anything to do with horses makes me weep. :*)
- DirectorHattie DaltonStarsTom BurkeBenedict CumberbatchJJ FeildJames and his three closest lifelong friends go on an ill-advised trip to the stunning coastal area of Barafundle Bay in West Wales. What follows is a touching and comical adventure dealing with friendship, heroism and love.Utterly breathtaking, soothing, heartbreaking and warming at the same time. The bond between these four characters is the best and most accurate I've seen on screen so far.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.The part where Solomon is reunited with his family, after all the horror he's experienced in the film made me cry so much. Although his line "I apologise for my appearance, I've had it rough these last years." made me laugh a little.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsJeremy IrvineEmily WatsonDavid ThewlisA young farm boy enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. His hopeful journey takes him out of England and onto the front lines as the war rages on.Pretty much like Black Beauty, the film is from the point of view of a horse, only this time, it's set during WWII.
- DirectorJohn HughesStarsSteve MartinJohn CandyLaila RobinsA Chicago advertising man must struggle to travel home from New York for Thanksgiving, with a lovable oaf of a shower-curtain-ring salesman as his only companion.Known for its sentimental ending and the brilliant chemistry from Steve Martin and John Candy, this also made me cry a lot. RIP John Candy.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsEddie RedmayneFelicity JonesTom PriorStephen Hawking gets unprecedented success in the field of physics despite being diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age of 21. He defeats awful odds as his first wife Jane aids him loyally.What a brilliant film and a truly remarkable performance by Eddie Redmayne. The relationship between the two characters is so touching and genuine.
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.The ending to this film made me sob. Not just teary eyed, but really crying hysterically for a few minutes.
The chemical castration scenes were gut-wrenching to say the least. Seeing what these bastards did to this great man made me so angry and hurt, especially after all he did for the government. - DirectorChris ColumbusStarsRobin WilliamsEmbeth DavidtzSam NeillAn android endeavors to become human as he gradually acquires emotions.The movie is deeply touching, because it deals with all the basic traits of being human, growing old, seeing loved ones die and dying with dignity.
- DirectorJosh BooneStarsShailene WoodleyAnsel ElgortNat WolffHazel and Gus are teenagers who meet at a cancer support group and fall in love. They both share the same acerbic wit and a love of books, especially "An Imperial Affliction", so they embark on a journey to visit an author in Amsterdam.Well this film was bound to make anyone with a heart cry. Despite being a teen movie, it's deeply touching, philosophical and tragic.
- DirectorAndrew HuttonStarsBenedict CumberbatchJamie ParkerAidan McArdleThe story of Vincent Van Gogh, with dialogue sourced from his own words.This docudrama starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Vincent Van Gogh always makes me cry in the end. Such brilliant, unique artist.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsJack LemmonHank AzariaWendy MonizA journalist finds himself questioning his own life when his best friend, a dying man, offers him some very powerful wisdom and advice for coping in relationships, careers and society.People complain about movies like these for being too sentimental or melodramatic. But this film counters all of those criticisms and lets us know whats important: To be loved is all that matters.
It's even sadder knowing that this was also Jack Lemmon's last film role. The perfect exit, I guess. - DirectorBill CondonStarsIan McKellenLaura LinneyHiroyuki SanadaAn aged, retired Sherlock Holmes deals with dementia, as he tries to remember his final case, and a mysterious woman, whose memory haunts him. He also befriends a fan, the young son of his housekeeper, who wants him to work again.Seeing a 92 year old Sherlock Holmes losing his memory, unfocused, getting weaker and estranging himself from all of his loved ones, is really depressing.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAmy WinehouseMitch WinehouseMark RonsonArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.The whole film basically makes you feel like you really knew Amy. And it showcases what a raw and unique talent she had. So naturally I cried at the end when she's gone.
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.Easily the best film in the series. You invest and love these characters so much and watch them grow for years.
Snape's revelation in the pensive is especially heartbreaking and deeply moving.
It also marks the end of an era - which is always really sad. - DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintAs Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.Dumbledore's death scene is quite possible the saddest death in the Harry Potter series, in my opinion.
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsRuth NeggaJoel EdgertonWill DaltonThe story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision.I was tearing up at many different parts of the movie. The protagonists are such kind, beautiful and rare people that it makes what happened to them even more tragic.
In the end, I cried even more when they finally get what they want. - DirectorGarth DavisStarsDev PatelNicole KidmanRooney MaraA five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple after getting lost hundreds of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.This tale, based on a true story, about a young indian boy who gets lost on a train, adopted by an Australian couple and growing up trying to know where his family is, is deeply moving, powerful, riveting and uplifting.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsHugh JackmanPatrick StewartDafne KeenIn a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.Very brutal - both in its violence and emotional impact. RIP X-men.
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsAndy SerkisWoody HarrelsonSteve ZahnAfter the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.The whole film is pretty serious and broody. The last scene made me cry. The whole journey was so epic.
- DirectorAdrian BuitenhuisDerik MurrayStarsHeath LedgerBen HarperKim LedgerFriends and family of the late actor Heath Ledger remember his life and career.He was too bright a star for this world. We will always miss him. :'(
- DirectorMark HermanStarsAsa ButterfieldDavid ThewlisRupert FriendThrough the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a German concentration camp, a forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.Any film about the holocaust is bound to make anyone cry. This is a story about a small boy of a Nazi officer who befriends a jewish boy in a concentration camp. The ending shocked me to my core. But there really can be no happy ending with themes such as these.
- DirectorLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.Though sickly sweet at times, the film did not fail to make me cry near the end. With themes such as death, loved ones and remembering family, this is a truly heartfelt classic.
- DirectorBen HowlingYolanda RamkeStarsSimone LandersMartin FreemanMarlee Jane McPherson-DobbinsAfter an epidemic spreads all over Australia, a father searches for someone willing to protect his daughter.A grim but beautiful story about a father trying to survive a zombie plague with his baby daughter on his back.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris HemsworthMark RuffaloThe Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.Contains one of the most now infamously shocking endings in any commercial movie. Thanos sacrificing Gamora, Spidey's death and the lingering horror during the end credits was enough to keep me crying for a while.
- DirectorBradley CooperStarsLady GagaBradley CooperSam ElliottA musician helps a young singer find fame as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.The last song pretty got all of us going.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansMark RuffaloAfter the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.Much sadder than Infinity War for very different reasons. Natasha and especially Tony's sacrifices had me sobbing for quite a bit. A truly bittersweet ending.
- DirectorIsao TakahataStarsTsutomu TatsumiAyano ShiraishiAkemi YamaguchiA young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.An obvious tearjerker. A deliberate anti-war anime that shows the true cost of it. It is basically about two kids starving slowly to death. :'(
- DirectorWill SharpeStarsBenedict CumberbatchClaire FoyAndrea RiseboroughEnglish artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.This is such a sweet story about a gentle, amazing man and his love for his wife, paintings, cats and kittens. Its score and its story really blew me away and pulled at my heartstrings.
- DirectorRyan CooglerStarsLetitia WrightLupita Nyong'oDanai GuriraThe people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening world powers as they mourn the death of King T'Challa.The first and last scenes of the film made me cry so much. It's really tragic we no longer have Chadwick or T'Challa with us. He truly was a legend.
- DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattChukwudi IwujiBradley CooperStill reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own - a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.I cried like 3 or 4 times during this film. It mixes both horrible tragedy and emotional highs, as well as animal abuse/experimentation. Rocket's backstory was beyond tragic and I felt so much for this little guy.