Sad movies are good for a lot of things. They make you feel better when you feel bad, or feel worse when you feel good. They make you feel...well, a lot. That's the whole point of watching them. And even if you don't like tearjerker movies, watching them can still have its benefits. For example, if you're on a date with a beautiful girl you met at an internet dating site and she loves this sort of movie, watching it with her will win you major points. And the emotional roller coaster she'll go on may just remind her of how precious and fleeting life is. Not a bad thing for her to be thinking about while sitting next to --and maybe cuddling up with-- you!
Want to sit on your own on a weekday night and get a little weepy? Read on for the top 10 tearjerkers of all time.
10. Terms of Endearment.
No matter what your hot-button might be, this tragic movie probably hits it: issues between mothers and daughters. The death of a loved one. A woman leaving her children behind. Rediscovering the value of life. This movie has it all. Especially if you have any issues with your mother, there's no way to walk out of this one dry-eyed.
9. Moulin Rouge.
Because of its tearjerker ending, this flick (my favorite of all time, by the way) could have earned a higher ranking on this list. But it's also a movie with a lot of wonderful, celebratory, happy moments. The acting is great, the sets are gorgeous, and the music never gets old. What's more romantic than that?
8. E.T.
Even if you consider yourself a tough guy with a heart of steel, you probably get a little misty watching E.T. Nobody can sit and watch the relationship develop between the cute alien and the lonely little boy and not have their heart affected by it. I'm not sure it's possible to watch E.T. say goodbye to Eliot without crying your eyes out. If it is, don't admit it to anybody... they may think you have no soul.
7. Steel Magnolias.
Like Terms of Endearment, this one is a tearjerker because of its relationships as much as its elements of tragedy. This one is all about living your life and learning to accept the people you love-- and about dealing with loss. I don't know any woman who hasn't laughed and cried along with this weepy chick flick.
6. Braveheart.
Did you think there would be no guy movies on this list? Think again! With violence and bravery and war scenes (and a very good villain played by Tim Roth), this is a Mel Gibson film at is best-- and before people started to suspect that Mel Gibson is kind of a jerk. There's no way to get through this touching, emotional story unaffected. Another film just like it that could have easily made this list? Gladiator, of course.
5. Ghost.
The fact that Patrick Swayze, who is wonderfully beautiful in this film, is so sick these days just adds to the sadness of watching this movie. A story about a love that just won't let go, this one is the perfect thing when you want a little bit (okay, a lot) of romance mixed in with your weepy.
4. Romeo + Juliet.
A big Baz Luhrmann fan, the 1996 version of this film with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes is and will always be my favorite. But any version of this story about two lovers who will --and must-- do anything to be together is always going to be a classic tear jerker.
3. Beaches.
I don't think any woman who's ever had a best friend can sit through this movie without being affected by it. Chronicling the ups and downs of best friends, played by Better Midler and Barbara Hershey, this tearjerker alternates between funny and touching and horribly sad. A story of what a real and complex friendship is really about. A great one to watch with your closest girlfriends!
2. Schindler's List.
While you could insert just about any Holocaust movie into this spot (the wonderful "The Pianist" comes to mind), Schindler's List is sort of the be-all, end-all of gut-wrenching Holocaust movies. A good one to watch to remember the past and the importance of preventing something similar from happening in the future. Only watch this one when you're willing to walk around in a daze for a few days afterwards.
1. Titanic.
Love it or hate it, Titanic is probably going to land at number one on most people's tearjerkers list. Why? Because it's probably the best tearjerker of all time! You can't sit through 3 hours of a love story and not be affected by a tragic ending... not to mention all the people who die during the course of that ending. This flick came out when I was 14 or 15, and I'm pretty sure I cried for a week straight afterwards. No exaggeration. There's no way you can beat that!
