# Men: Movie scenes that seriously choke you up.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 20, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911 "2014-10-20T13:34:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/61 "2014-10-21T14:48:57Z")

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Hooch is crazy!

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**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/62 "2014-10-21T14:56:04Z")

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Age 36  
GER 5 (I’d say sentimental rather than emotional)

\*\*Cinderella Man \*\* I don’t even think Russel Crowe is that good of an actor, but he does ‘quiet honest man down on his luck’ exceedingly well. The scene where he goes hat in hand to the room full of fight organizers is one of the stand out tear jerking moments. Contrast that with **The Pursuit Of Happyness** , where I was screaming at the screen the whole time at an irresponsible father chasing a pipe dream.

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**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/63 "2014-10-21T14:59:31Z")

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> [@Andy](#):
>
> I’m probably a 2.5. I watched this film a few days ago and there were tears streaming down my face at the Auden poem.

That actor said once he got a fan letter from Ian McKellen, who said that scene had done more for acceptance of gays than any other in film.

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**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/64 "2014-10-21T14:59:32Z")

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> [@bump](#):
>
> Yeah, but what about the end of “Luck of the Fryrish”? That one gets me every time.

Yeah, me too.

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**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/65 "2014-10-21T15:18:09Z")

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Ya’ll are a buncha crybabies. 😃

Age 45  
GER: 2, unless it involves a dog’s death and then 10 and I can’t even watch the damn movie.

Aside from the obvious (dogs “dying” in movies), there’s only one that I can think of that tears me up every time and it’s stupid.

But, in School of Rock… when Dewey Finn finally gets the kids to their Battle of the Bands performance, I tear right up. Then when they start showing shots of the previously uptight parents being obviously proud of their rebel kids… :: sob :: Gets me every time.

I think because that’s very personal to me. I had the kind of parents who thought anything I was interested in was useless and not worth pursuing. My sister and I often play “I wonder if” and wonder how successful we’d have turned out – or at least how much more confident – had we been encouraged just a little bit to pursue our interests. Something like taking music lessons and learning to play in a rock band would have been a pipe dream for both of us and my parents would have never allowed it. Ever. Yet developing musical ability was something I always wanted to do. So I get weepy when I see these fictional kids actually get the support of their parents in doing something the parents don’t value, but they can see the kids do, so they support it.

Can I return my parents at the parent store? What’s the statute of limitations on parental returns?

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**Author:** ![Cephkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cephkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cephkiller)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/66 "2014-10-21T15:23:02Z")

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AGE: 44  
GER: 2

Some very good selections so far. Here’s one that hasn’t been mentioned yet…

Artax sinks in the Swamp of Sadness (Neverending Story)

[http://youtu.be/y688upqmRXo?t=45s](http://youtu.be/y688upqmRXo?t=45s)

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**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/67 "2014-10-21T15:32:10Z")

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Age: 32, when watching a film or music, probably a GER of around 8.5. Way I figure, what’s the point of enjoying a work of art if I’m not willing to allow myself to be emotionall moved by it. There’s several films mentioned above that hit me like Armageddon, Forrest Gump (Jenny’s grave), Green Mile, Mr. Holland’s Opus (the end scene), but there’s a few I didn’t see listed yet. A few of these probably will be a little WTF, but it is what it is. These are in no particular order, just as they occurred to me.

**Lion King** , death of Mufasa  
**Braveheart** , torture/execution of William Wallace, particularly “Freedom!” and Muron’s funeral  
**American History X** , when his brother is shot at the end  
**Man of Steel** , Jonathan Kent’s sacrifice  
**Lord of the Rings** , Boromir’s redemption  
**12 Years a Slave** , several parts particularly when Solomon is forced to whip Patsey and when Eliza is forcefully separated from her children  
**Mask of the Phantasm** , where Bruce is in front of his parents’ grave asking why he can’t be happy  
**Of Mice and Men** , when he has to kill Lenny  
**Inception** , when Cobb finally gets to see his kids at the end, when Mal kills herself  
**Good Will Hunting** , the “It’s not your fault.” scene

Hmm… I know there’s more. Maybe I’m even higher than an 8.5?

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**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/68 "2014-10-21T15:43:05Z")

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Oh wait. This thread wasn’t for women, was it?

Sorry, my bad. I’m not good at following the rules. :o

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**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/69 "2014-10-21T15:50:17Z")

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35, and like a 2 on the emotional scale, which drives my wife nuts.

That said, we have little boys at home. And I can not watch any of the Toy Story movies with them because I’m tearing up beginning to end. I find excuses to be nowhere near the room where these movies are being watched in order to maintain some sort of fatherly pride now.

End of Shawshank Redemption when he comes out of the sewer.

End of Rudy.

I think that’s about it.

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**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/70 "2014-10-21T18:33:14Z")

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Hmm…after reading these responses maybe I’m not a 6.5 GER afterall. I’ve never actually had tears leave my eye sockets from a movie, though this thread is loaded with guys who say movies/tv don’t get them emotional and rate themselves as near robots on the GER but then go on to list a few movies that get them sobbing/waterworks.

I guess I base my 6.5 on my own perceived heartache at some of those scenes.

Based on the responses in this thread so far I’d probably change my GER to a 1.5 or something.

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**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/71 "2014-10-21T18:44:44Z")

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> [@StGermain](#):
>
> Does anyone really say, “have a catch”? I’d say, "Do you want to play catch?"StG

I say “have a catch”, and I forgot to mention _Field of Dreams_ upthread. Another in my line of “father issues” movies, and the scene always gets me.

> [@Sterling\_Archer](#):
>
> One sad one that did get to me was “My Life” with Michael Keaton. When he is recording the speech for his unborn son and says, “No matter what, I’ll always be your dad.” Tearing up now, just thinking about it. I’m such a wuss! 🙂

Excellent suggestion and yes, me too.

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**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/72 "2014-10-21T20:43:01Z")

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And now for the strangest one in this thread:

**Home Alone**. Yes, the comedy with MacCauley Caulkin. I couldn’t believe this silly movie brought out the waterworks.

The scene where Kevin looks outside and sees the creepy old man hugging his estranged son.

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**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/73 "2014-10-21T20:54:01Z")

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> [@HubZilla](#):
>
> And now for the strangest one in this thread:
> 
> **Home Alone**. Yes, the comedy with MacCauley Caulkin. I couldn’t believe this silly movie brought out the waterworks.
> 
> The scene where Kevin looks outside and sees the creepy old man hugging his estranged son.

Oh, are doing ‘most unlikely’ now?

_Splash_ when Tom Hanks was saying how he’d never find true love.

_Muppet Treasure Island_ at the end when Jim lets Long John escape.

I just discovered there’s a Treasure Island with Charlton Heston, Oliver Reed and Christian Bale. HTF did I not know this?

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**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/74 "2014-10-21T20:59:49Z")

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I think you guys missed my OP where I listed the live action Casper movie with Bill P and Christina R.

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**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/75 "2014-10-21T21:05:39Z")

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_Schindler’s List._ The little girl in the pink dress. Yes, I know, Spielberg was blatantly trying to push our buttons, but it worked. “One death is a tragedy. A million is a statistic.”

_Titanic._ “We are dressed in our best, and prepared to die like gentlemen.”

_2001._ When Dave Bowman is dismantling HAL’s brain.

_Zulu._ The dueling songs: the Zulus singing their war-chant, the Welshmen singing “Men of Harloch”.

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**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/76 "2014-10-21T22:31:09Z")

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The BBC animated movie “When the Wind Blows”…  
“Shall we get into the paper bags now?”…

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**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/77 "2014-10-21T22:40:08Z")

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> [@mbh](#):
>
> _Schindler’s List._ The little girl in the pink dress. Yes, I know, Spielberg was blatantly trying to push our buttons, but it worked. “One death is a tragedy. A million is a statistic.”

Slight hijack: I agree with how powerful that scene is, but wasn’t there some black-and-white way he could’ve identified the girl? A large daisy on the lapel or a bigger one on the back of the jacket? Or maybe a Star of David that we’d see later? Making the jacket pink tells me Spielberg thinks we’re too stupid to keep track of it ourselves. If there was another reason, please enlighten me.

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**Author:** ![danhanegan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb9ed0/32.png) [@danhanegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danhanegan)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/78 "2014-10-22T02:14:01Z")

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Age 53, 9 or so on the weepy scale.

The Abyss. Two scenes in particular.

The scene where Bud refuses to accept Lindsey can’t be resuscitated.

The moment when the guy who doesn’t have enough oxygen to get back to base types “love you, wife”.

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**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/79 "2014-10-22T02:24:02Z")

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Age: 47  
GER: 4-5

**The Fellowship of the Ring:** “I would have followed you my brother…my captain…my King.”

**The Return of the King:**"Forth, and fear no darkness! Arise! Arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day… a red day… ere the sun rises! Ride now!.. Ride now!.. Ride! Ride to ruin and the world’s ending! DEATH!

**Glory:**  **Colonel Robert G. Shaw:** [points at the flag-bearer] If this man should fall, who will lift the flag and carry on?  
[Thomas steps forward]  
**Cpl. Thomas Searles:** I will.

And let’s not even mention **Old Yeller** or **Marley and Me**.

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**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-movie-scenes-that-seriously-choke-you-up/701911/80 "2014-10-22T02:52:38Z")

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Age: 42  
GER: 5

> [@Hampshire](#):
>
> And the “Papa, don’t go!” scene from The Patriot had me bawling.

Good choice, that one get’s me as well.

The start of the first of the **Star Trek** reboot films when Kirk’s father hears his new-born on cry for the first time just before ramming the enemy ship. My first child was born a few months before we saw the film so it really got to me.

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