Gandalf talking to Pippin before the battle of Pellanor Fields in RotK - ‘And then you see it… White shores and beyond, the far green country under a swift sunrise’ make me cry and cry. I’m a soggy mess by the time I get to them in the books, so I shouldn’t have been surprised at my reaction to them in the theaters.
Also in Donnie Darko (and I’m guessing at the exact line). Donnie asks his mother ‘how does it feel to have a wacko for a son?’. She’s in tears, but hugs him and says ‘it feels wonderful’. Sniff.
Val Kilmer gives up his wife in Heat (no particular line)
Val Kilmer dies as Doc Holliday in Tombstone “There’s no such thing as normal life, there’s just life. <coughs> Now you go out there and you catch that pretty young thing.” (Can’t recall the rest, and don’t want to resort to IMDB for this one.)
Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt walk off into the night at the very end of Meet Joe Black
True, none of these caused me to cry. But if I could cry, these would be a few of the places.
(Can’t think of any Anime at the moment except Grave of the Fireflies–but that’s just all tears.)
Wow, there are some good ones here. edwino, good call on The Sixth Sense scene you mentioned. The end of the Iron Giant gets me, too.
My submission would be two scenes in the same movie, Mulan. The first scene that makes me, er, have a slight ocular discharge problem, is when Mulan decides to go in her father’s place. She cuts her hair, gets his armor and horse and leaves. When her parents discover what she’s done, they also realize there’s nothing they can do. If they reveal her, she’ll be killed. If they do nothing, she’ll probably die in battle.
Finally, when she returns home bearing gifts her her father and he tells her the greatest gift and honor is having her for a daughter, I just flat out lose it.
Oh man, that’s what I get for not paying close enough attention. Thanks, Rilch. Strike my first submission, but I’m sticking with the second. It really is the line the father delivers that gets me.
That’s the one I came in here to post. My wife made fun of me for days after that movie, because I was blubbering in the theater. I also get choked up every time I hear that rumbling “Suuuuuperman” in The Iron Giant.
An obvious one (to me, anyway), from Jerry Maguire: “You had me at hello.”
You mean when Imhotep is falling into that well of souls or demons or whatever, and gives Rick and Evelyn that “wow…if only Anck Su Namun wasn’t such at ungratefull biatch (considering I came back from the dead…2x…to be with her) things might have worked out like they did with you two kids” look?
I’ve always liked the scene in Armegeddon where Will Patton’s kid is watching the launch on TV and is like “hey mom! that’s salesman’s on TV!” and the mom’s like “that’s not a salesman, that’s your father…”.
My most recent favorite is going to be LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring. It sticks out to me because it’s a line (and scene) not in the book, but it was just so perfect.
Frodo is going to run away at the end, after seeing how the Ring is corrupting his friends. Aragorn finds him, and there is a confrontation where you are not sure whether he is being seduced by it as well.
Frodo knows he can’t fight Aragorn, is so tired by his burden…so he offers him the ring.
Frodo: Will you take it? What would you do with the Ring? Would you destroy it?
Aragorn (walks slowly to Frodo): I would have gone with you…to the end.
(closes Frodo’s hand around the ring)
To the very fires of Mordor.
Frodo: …I know.
Jeez, I’m tearing up as I write this. Also second the Sam scene in LOTR: RoTK, and of course, there’s Frodo’s line if FoTR:
“I will take the Ring…though I do not know the way.”
Jenny: I’m a mama. His name’s Forrest.
Forrest: Like me!
Jenny: I named him after his daddy.
Forrest: He got a daddy named Forrest, too?
Jenny: You’re his daddy, Forrest. Isn’t he beautiful?
Forrest: He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. But… is… is he smart? Or is he…
Actually, it’s not so much this line that gets me teary, as it is the look on Gandalf’s face when he hears Frodo say it the first time. It’s the sorrow and heartbreak of knowing something has to happen, but wishing there was any other way to do it.
Another one that inexplicably tears me up is Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The line is: “Sanctuary!” (cheers of the mob) “Sanctuary!”…
I agree about Mulan, but I have a different set of lines/scene that tears me up:
Emperor:
“I’ve heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan. You stole your father’s armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese Army, destroyed my palace! And you have saved us all.” [He bows to her, and row by row, every person in the Imperial City bows to her.]
Say what you will about Disney, but they sure know how to tug on heartstrings. I will still bawl all the way thought the last 15 minutes of the original Incredible Journey
