# Movie that makes you cry, every time. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546 "2002-05-17T13:32:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/61 "2002-05-20T09:28:47Z")
**Magnolia** **Terms of Endearment** **Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Ring** There’s 3 or 4 spots that get me every time (starting with the look on Gandalf’s face when Frodo volunteers). The very underrated **Beautiful Girls**. The Pooh/Christopher Robin scene breaks my heart. I’ll go along with **To Kill A Mockingbird** & **The Man In the Moon** (another underrated movie) too. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2002, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/62 "2002-05-20T09:55:56Z")
_The Nightmare Before Christmas_: Sally’s song, and the song’s reprise at the end. _From Hell_: “Goodnight, sweet prince…” And, this is a TV movie, so I hope it counts…_Gary Larson’s Tales from the Far Side_, (_possible spoilers ahead_) the part, set to a recording of “I’ll be seeing you,” where a Wolf is watching old home movies of his (her?) mate, ending with the footage of her getting caught in a steel trap, a hunter walking up, the camera dropping to the ground…and the film runs out, and the camera turns back to the wolf, slumped in his chair, head buried in his paws, as the camera pans up to a full moon, with the last line of the song (“I’ll be looking at the moon, but I’ll be seeing you”) accompanied by a wolf’s howl. I first saw that scene when I was 11 years old, and it still chokes me up. Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/63 "2002-05-27T06:17:56Z")
Digging this up because I recently, and independently, compiled a list of ten: **Private Ryan**. First it was the opening and closing battle scenes, and it still is. But on a subsequent viewing, I also teared up when Tom Hanks’ character abruptly starts telling about himself. It is kind of a reworking of guy-shows-photo-of-his-sweetie-he’s-toast, but that scene is what turns his character, after it’s been established. **A.I.**. “Mommy loves Martin because he is real, and when I am real, mommy’s going to read to me, and tuck me in my bed, and sing to me, and listen to what I say, and she will cuddle with me, and tell me every day a hundred times a day that she loves me!” That may not work on everyone, but I had the same bitterness and desperation at one time. **Fried Green Tomatoes**. What **HelloKitty** said. **Beauty and the Beast**. The whole thing, practically. I identify with Beast almost as much as Belle. **Snoopy Come Home**. It’s only been recently that I’ve been able to watch beyond the farewell banquet. The kids’ fake-crying doesn’t affect me, but Charlie Brown out at the dog house under the full moon…Plus the song. And I don’t mean the “Snoo-oo-oopy” song. If you don’t remember it, you’ve blocked it out. **Deep Impact**. From the montage sequence (wedding, mom’s overdose) till the end. I’m not kidding. I couldn’t even suck it up after the credits. And it wasn’t just me: the women’s room was awash. Speaking of which, Mr. Rilch reported some damp-eyed men after **Private Ryan**. **Babe**. “That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.” But also the scene where Farmer Hoggett stops at the last minute from killing Babe, and Fly’s telling of Rex’s story. **First Contact**. James Cromwell is in two of my crying scenes. A person in a robe steps out of the ship and lowers his hood to show that he is not a vicious (at the time) Klingon or a flaky Romulan, but a peaceful Vulcan. “Live long. And prosper.” Indeed. **Toy Story 2**. Jessie’s song. And when Woody tells Buzz he won’t leave. **How could that song not have gotten the Oscar?!** **Rudy**. Only the very end. Well, maybe a little when the guys all turn in their jerseys, but definitely the last scene. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/64 "2002-05-27T07:57:34Z")
To Kill a Mockingbird You can stand up, be courageous and make a difference It’s a Wonderful Life You’ve already made more of a difference than you’ll ever know ---
**Author:** ![hillbillycavewoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bc8723/32.png) [@hillbillycavewoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hillbillycavewoman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/65 "2002-05-27T17:37:56Z")
what’s the name of that movie…help me out here, you guys… It has Brad Renfroe in it, quite young, and he makes friends w/ this other young kid, who has AIDS…they go on a trek to find this obscure “cure” they read about…and Refroe’s character even gives him a likely-looking plant, in his effort to cure… Oh come on, what’s the NAME of that movie? (I’m snapping my fingers, like an idiot…) Well anyway. The scene at the end, with the shoe. His shoe…WAAH! Anyone who’s seen it will know what I’m talking about. I hope. (exits message board, still babbling incoherently) ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/66 "2002-05-27T17:55:04Z")
I’ve become much more of a wuss as the years go by. I think it’s healthier. I’m boggled that no one’s mentioned **Grave of the Fireflies** here. It just builds and builds. In **The Thin Red Line** (Malik’s version) there’s a scene about midway through of the marines taking a small village; the battle starts out with a paranoid advance through a completely fog-shrouded bamboo forest. The ocasional bullet whizzes by, worse psychological torment than sustained fire would be; bamboo creaks all around. Then all hell breaks loose and is quickly resolved. It’s the integration with the musical score that really gets me. And my throat lumps just thinking of one of the lines of closing inner voice: “If I do not meet you in this life, then let me feel the lack. One glance from your eyes, and my life is yours.” **Sling Blade** got me at several points, most especially when Karl is telling the boy about what would have been his little brother. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/67 "2002-05-27T23:50:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hillbillycavewoman \* > \*\*what’s the name of that movie…help me out here, you guys… > It has Brad Renfroe in it, quite young, and he makes friends w/ this other young kid, who has AIDS…they go on a trek to find this obscure “cure” they read about…and Refroe’s character even gives him a likely-looking plant, in his effort to cure… > > Oh come on, what’s the NAME of that movie? > (I’m snapping my fingers, like an idiot…) > > \*\* [The Cure](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0112757). ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/68 "2002-05-28T00:16:45Z")
Of course, who doesn’t cry at Schindler’s List? I made the mistake of seeing it – get this – in an attempt to cheer myself up by going to the movies. But did anyone else here cry at the end of Like Water for Chocolate? All those unfulfilled dreams…I bawl every time. ---
**Author:** ![kspharm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@kspharm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kspharm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/69 "2002-05-28T04:57:43Z")
Seconds for **Babe** and **Rudy** : But, the all-time tear-jerker for me is **Last of the Mohicans**.The first time I saw this movie was in 10th grade American History. It was a room full of adolescent posturers, full of bravado and machismo. I was always trying to fit in and fully aware of the social implications of showing “sensitivity”. Yet, I bawled during the scene where Daniel Day-Lewis shoots the Englishman (his arch-nemesis) in the head to save him from the agony of burning alive. Man. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/70 "2002-05-28T05:05:32Z")
Thank you, **Drastic** , I was getting ready to add **Grave of the Fireflies** myself. The film opens with the 10-year-old main character dying alone and ignored in the middle of a crowded train station, and just gets worse from there. A masterpiece, but man is it a downer. It did cause a funny moment in another movie, though. In **Trouble Maker** (a Hong Kong comedy), a meek schoolteacher is training in martial arts at a Shaolin temple. When the time comes for him to leave, the master and his assistant are sobbing uncontrollably. The student thinks they’re upset that he’s leaving, but then the camera cuts to show they’re actually watching **Grave of the Fireflies** on TV! ---
**Author:** ![hillbillycavewoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bc8723/32.png) [@hillbillycavewoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hillbillycavewoman)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/71 "2002-05-28T17:01:57Z")
Thank-you! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/72 "2002-05-28T17:41:07Z")
Lots of ones mentioned so far get me bawling. One scene unmentioned is the scene in “Forrest Gump” when Forrest tells a dying Jenny of the beautiful things he’s seen in his travels; when she says she wishes she had been there with him, he replies, “You were.” A perfect, simple expression of love. A recent addition to my bawl list: “The Rookie,” with Dennis Quaid, during the scene where Quaid/Jim Morris has finally made it to the major leagues, and his wife reaches down into the bullpen before the game and they touch hands, and the looks they exchange tell you all you need to know. Beautiful scene. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/73 "2002-05-29T02:19:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hillbillycavewoman \* > \*\*Thank-you! \*\* Quite welcome! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/74 "2002-05-29T16:54:50Z")
Alot of the films already mentioned. Two more They have been showing **Breakfast at Tiffinay’s** all the time lately on cable and I keep catching the bit at the end when she runs back to find the cat in alley and, and, (give me a second) Forget it and of course when Kevin says “Dad do you want to have a catch?” in **Field of Dreams**. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/75 "2002-05-29T17:14:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sidle \* > **Didn’t even see the re-release of ET, because I cried so hard in the theatre as a kid.** Ditto. I’m still dehydrated from it, after 20 years. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sidle \* > **And-oh my God-I saw this movie once-_It’s My Party_, with Eric Roberts as a guy who’s dying of AIDS, and has a last party with all his friends and his boyfriend. Practically floated out of the theatre. Never cried so hard at a movie in my life. That, I’m scared to see again.** The comic relief for ME in that movie was watching Gregory Harrison try to _cry_ in that movie! He looked so comically ridiculous to me (and the two friends who were watching with me) that it completely broke the dramatic tension. ---
**Author:** ![okielady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/fbc32d/32.png) [@okielady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/okielady)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/76 "2002-05-29T17:52:24Z")
Mask - With Cher and Eric Stoltz, of course the scene where he dies, but also when his voice-over is reading the lists of his likes and dislikes, and both lists end with “And the sun shining on my face.” Boohooing like a baby. Selena - True story, so I already knew how it would end, but the scene with the family in the hospital, especially the husband…Ack! My Girl - At the funeral, and in the poetry class at the end. 'Nuff said. Green Mile, Man in the Moon, Forrest Gump, Steel Magnolias, Fried Green Tomatoes, hell I cry at nearly every movie that has a touching scene or deals with death. It’s Always Something (the Gilda Radner story that was on ABC a few weeks ago) had me blinking back tears. ---
**Author:** ![seawitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@seawitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seawitch)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/77 "2002-05-29T23:01:32Z")
I always cry at the end of **Braveheart**. I’m an easily manipulated sucker. I also end up crying during military movies - **Glory** , **Band of Brothers** and **Blackhawk Down** all make me tremble and bawl like a baby. Didn’t affect me quite as much until I married an Army man… ---
**Author:** ![Vince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@Vince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vince)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/78 "2002-05-29T23:43:51Z")
\*\*Ah, it’s good to see don Bluth’s work similarly affected someone else here. I always cry (or cried) when watching The Land Before time. That one scene where Littlefoot is chasing the cloud shaped like his mother. He chases it shouting “Mama!” and the music kicks in and he realizes it’s not her and- and… :(! \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/79 "2002-05-30T00:16:40Z")
There are so many… **Edward Scissorhands** for one. I have seen it twice, and each time not only did I cry, I was depressed for a week afterwards and attempted to craft a happy-ending sequel in my head (it didn’t work). **Forrest Gump** when he’s talking to Jenny’s grave and crying at the same time. **The Land Before Time** at the same place Vince said. **Toy Story 2** at Jessie’s song, which also strengthened my desire to thwart my mother and keep everything I have ever owned (But it’ll be lonely!) ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546/80 "2002-05-30T00:20:20Z")
The end of Disney’s **Beauty & the Beast** The picture of me sobbing to it in Juxtaposition to my username is pretty funny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-that-makes-you-cry-every-time/109546.md?page=3)