30 Cathartic Movie Tearjerkers
In the before times I often avoided movies I thought would make me cry. Now, I don’t know about you, but I feel like I need to have a good cry every 4-6 weeks just to process the pent-up feels about pandemic life and the state of the world.
Here are a 10 tearjerkers I’ve watched and can recommend, followed by 20 additional recommendations from my friends on Twitter! If you have additional suggestions, the most reliable way to reach me is on Twitter @jarrahpenguin.
My Recommendations
Soul (2020) - Most recently I watched the Pixar movie Soul for a good cry. My dad was a big jazz fan and the basement club where the characters play reminded me so much of the former Cellar club in Vancouver, where my dad often took me and my sister. Like Coco, Soul is a movie that deals with big, existential themes with beauty, grace and heart, and leaves you on a hopeful path. If you’re looking for a more nuanced, critical analysis before watching, here’s a great thread of analyses by black reviewers.
A League of Their Own (1992) - There’s no crying in baseball but there 100% is crying watching this movie.
Kedi (2016) - The most heartwarming and tearjerking documentary about Turkish street cats and the people who love them.
Brokeback Mountain (2005) - I just can’t quit...crying...during this movie.
My Girl (1991) - No! Not the bees!
The Hours (2003) - I can’t even count the number of times I watched this for a cathartic cry in university and it still works!
The Muppet Movie (1979) - or you could just listen to “The Rainbow Connection” by itself and find that sufficient.
West Side Story (1961) - I quote from one of my favourite songs:
The most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard: Kleenex!
I just got a new box of Kleenex!
And suddenly I know
I’m ready for this show to start.
The Shape of Water (2017) - No one can tell me not to feel empathy for a sexy fish man and his underdog friends!
Stepmom (1998) - I feel like my junior high school friends and I practically learned crying from this movie.
Your Recommendations
Coco (2017) - And heck, let’s add Wall-E, Up and Inside Out while we’re talking more Pixar films
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Ladder 49 (2004)
Big Fish (2003)
Arrival (2016)
Lion (2016)
Dead Poet’s Society (1989)
Somehwere in Time (1980)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003) - to be fair, you might not want to watch two other complete films before you get to the tearjerker.
The Pianist (2002)
Deep Impact (1998)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
I Kill Giants (2017)
E.T. (1982)
Legends of the Fall (1994)
The Book Thief (2013)
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Beaches (1988)
Now go forth and just let it all out.
