Two things for this thread, the former being the main course. The latter being secondary, as it’s a topic that gets done now and again.
1) Movies that made you cry when you were expecting them to.
Example: Phone Booth makes my eyes tear up, there I said it. In the end when Stu/Colin Farrell “confesses” his sins, gets to me every time and I never thought that movie was going to be one that would make me tear up.
2) Movies that make/made you cry, with a little hint that you just might. Or with full knowledge beforehand that you were likely to have your eyes exude a watery discharge.
Example: I recently watched Requiem For a Dream recently, 'nuff said. I knew beforehand it was about drugs and pretty sad, but apparently I wasn’t in a strong enough emotional state when I watched it because dayum! There was no way I’d be able to pass it off as “something in my eye”. I was crying.
I mostly knew beforehand that I might, so that’s why RFaD doesn’t fall under 1.
I’m pretty sure it was the soundtrack. T’was damn good.
Example 2: God Bless the Child I knew beforehand was probably going to make me (and the other students) cry.
My first thought was Up, but I see it’s been mentioned.
It’s not a movie, but I definitely teared up playing Cave Story. There’s a moment in the middle–if you’ve played it, you’ll know what I’m talking about–the part
where Curly sacrifices herself and it made me cry the first time I played it.
I hadn’t cried in 12 year until ET broke my reserve, and now I routinely cry at movies and songs.
One that took me by surprise was A Mighty Wind.
Parker Posey hears “Kiss At the End of the Rainbow” come through the dressing room speakers and just sort of stumbles right out the door with Jane Lynch right behind her. They join a small group watching off stage, Lynch holding Posey’s shoulders in almost maternal fashion.
I was warned in advance by my son that this made him cry, in the company of other dudes. But it stars Björk, and her music (which I am not a fan of). I didn’t expect to make it through the movie to begin with.
“Cry” does not even begin to describe the flood of emotional outpouring that ensued after the final scene. I WAILED and BAWLED full force, for at least a half hour. Then I cried. I was a mess for days.
Great movie BTW, even if you don’t care for her music. In this film, with this story, it works.
It’s the only time I’ve seen my father cry, and it was sniffling, not real crying.
(OP, I assume you meant category 1 to be “when you weren’t expecting them to?”?)
The movie I cried the hardest in was The Waterdance, but not at the part I’d expect. It’s when an unsympathetic character goes through some crap and I cried like a baby. Partly because he reminded me of my brother, the big lug.
When William Forsythe has been banking on suing the driver who hit him, and finds out his mom has hired some lawyer who won’t get them much. The thing he’s been clinging to is gone and he barges outside and has this impotent rage where he just kind of yelling and sort of crying. I know I wasn’t supposed to like him but I felt SO BAD for him!!! That poor guy.