# Best tear-jerking line(s) in a modern movie. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 20, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971 "2005-06-20T00:58:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/181 "2005-07-02T04:19:03Z")
Thanks, **Terminus**. Grissom was an Indiana boy like me. I thought I remembered seeing the memorial to him during a field trip when I was in elementary school. ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/182 "2005-07-02T04:31:30Z")
The seriously underrated Bruno Kirby in the _Best day / Worst day_ scene in **City Slickers** “Same Day” ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/183 "2005-07-02T10:49:52Z")
Since we’re allowing Buffy, how about _The West Wing_ episode _In Excelsis Deo_? The final funeral scene. No words are spoken; we just have the soundtrack of the choristers. ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/184 "2005-07-02T17:38:01Z")
I don’t really have an entry, just an observation. A few movies have choked me up because of the emotional content of a given scene, but I’ve noticed that I am much more likely to tear up if a person or persons on screen are crying in some manner. Sympathetic tears, maybe. And given that, I have noticed that, since the death of my mother late last year, the first real death I have personally experienced, I am _much_ more likely to turn on the waterworks. I don’t think I ever really realized how many movies have some form of death scene until the idea of how death causes someone somewhere real pain was brought home to me in real life. Now it seems every third or fourth movie I watch has me misting. Hell, I even rewatched **X-Men 2** the other day, and had to wipe my eyes at Wolverine’s trembling lower lip after Jean’s death. Sheesh. My point? Sometimes a scene appears to be just an attempt at emotional manipulation to one person, but to another it resonates true, bringing to mind those still-present feelings of loss. [/amateur psychologist] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/185 "2005-07-02T20:02:04Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > At the end of _Schindler’s List_: Also, near the end, when Oskar is getting ready to flee, and he drops the ring the rescued Jews gave him, and in picking it up, he begins to weep, “I could have done more. I could have done more.” I curl up in a fetal position every time I get to that part of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/186 "2005-07-02T22:41:34Z")
“Hold me” “I can’t” and "Before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards, it did. I don’t think it would be snowing now if he weren’t still up there. Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it. " ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/187 "2005-07-02T23:43:00Z")
> [@Terminus Est](#): > > During testing for Apollo 1, a fire broke out in the capsule. Workers could not get door open. The three astronauts burned to death. > > The son was probably very much aware of this. I guess that’s what gets me. Lovell (Hanks) had already explained to his son about the fire and the inability to open the door. When the mother told him that there was a problem, he related to it in the only way he knew. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/188 "2005-07-03T00:09:22Z")
_Empire of the sun_ Towards the end, when the Americans attack the camp and Jim is cheering them on, then breaks down and says: “I can’t remember what my parents look like.” Also when he’s with the other children and a group of parents come in to try to find their children, and he just stands like a statue - until his mother sees him and barely recognizes him and he reaches out to touch her face like he can’t believe she’s real. Usually tears running down my by that time. In _Little Man Tate_ when Fred says “My mother’s dead” And _Fiddler on the Roof_ when Chava has eloped and is trying to talk to Tevya. The line “If I try to bend that far…I’ll break” coupled with the look on his face and her face…gets me, every time. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/189 "2005-07-03T00:14:59Z")
And I forgot _Billy Elliot_ - when Billy’s been accepted to the school and his father is running through the town to the union hall celebrating - and bursts in yelling “he did it! He fucking did it!”. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/190 "2005-07-03T03:06:07Z")
Don’t know if this one’s been posted yet, but I just saw it on TNT, at the end of Saving Private Ryan: “Tell me I’ve led a good life. Tell me I’m a good man.” ---
**Author:** ![sneezy5660](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@sneezy5660](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sneezy5660)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/191 "2005-07-03T05:25:47Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > "Champ?.CHAMP! **CHAMP!!** > > Rick Schroder nearly killed my sister when she saw this. We nearly called an ambulance as she couldn’t breath she was crying so hard. > > Field of Dreams gets me everytime. I saw Champ when it was first in the theaters. (Yeah, I’m old!) As I was leaving the theater, I saw most of the men in the audience, hiding behind snack bar napkins, sniffling and muttering, “Damn allergies!” I smiled at them, wiped away my tears, and left the the room. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/192 "2005-07-03T14:10:31Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > And I forgot _Billy Elliot_ - when Billy’s been accepted to the school and his father is running through the town to the union hall celebrating - and bursts in yelling “he did it! He fucking did it!”. Thanks for the reminder. “Give the boy a fuckin’ chance!” ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/193 "2005-07-03T16:25:25Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Since we’re allowing Buffy, how about _The West Wing_ episode _In Excelsis Deo_? The final funeral scene. No words are spoken; we just have the soundtrack of the choristers. That scene chokes me up every time, despite the fact that _Little Drummer Boy_ is my least favorite carol. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/194 "2005-07-05T18:51:52Z")
I just wanted to bump this thread slightly before it fades away, to report: I caught the last 15 minutes of **Field of Dreams** (oft-cited in this thread) yesterday on the WE (women’s entertainment) Channel. I turned it on just after Moonlight Graham and the hot dog and James Earl Jones’ speech, but just before JEJ heads into the corn field. And then Ray recognizes his father, and shakes his hand, and introduces him to his granddaughter…and I’m starting to feel a little choked up… AND THEY CUT TO A COMMERCIAL. After 2 minutes we come back for the “Is this heaven?” line, and then…“Hey Dad…you wanna have a catch?”…credits, the end. Idiots. Philistines. Heathens. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/195 "2005-07-05T21:56:18Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > “Hold me” > “I can’t” > > and > > "Before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards, it did. I don’t think it would be snowing now if he weren’t still up there. Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it. " I never expected _Edward Scissorhand_ to be such a tearjerker. I was watching it and my friend had told me about the part where Winona Ryder’s character asks Edward to hold her and he replies that he can’t. I was like, “Pfft…that’s so sappy.” And there were tears silently streaming down my cheeks when I saw that part. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/196 "2005-07-06T00:25:01Z")
Another one: I always tears up during **Welcome Back, Roxy Carmichael** , when Dinky rushes out to the limosine, dressed pretty in pink, only to discover her hero is a no-show. And then her suitcase opens up and all the little candies fly out everywhere. It’s been awhile, but that’s how I remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/197 "2005-07-12T04:54:41Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > You just reminded me of the scene in _A League of Their Own_ when the one woman gets THE TELEGRAM. Always kills me when she starts wailing. You know, I just HAD to be watching this movie again and looking at this thread when that scene happened. Tom Hanks adds to it, though, with the way he walks through the locker room, and just says her name. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/198 "2005-07-12T07:04:25Z")
Well, this one ain’t anywhere near the top of the list, and it’s barely a tearjerker, really. But I thought it deserves mention… In _The 13th Warrior_ "I’ve run about as far as I care to…Today, was a _good_ day! Yie. One would do well to die half as well as that. ---
**Author:** ![DarRRva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@DarRRva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarRRva)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971/199 "2005-07-12T13:31:01Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Since we’re allowing Buffy, how about _The West Wing_ episode _In Excelsis Deo_? The final funeral scene. No words are spoken; we just have the soundtrack of the choristers. Most definately. The West Wing has had me choked up so many times, it’s hard to count. But that episode was an absolute killer for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tear-jerking-line-s-in-a-modern-movie/308971.md?page=9)