A Good Cry

I’m a big softy.  I can cry at the drop of a hat, so to speak, especially if there is music involved. Music already plays such a big part in my life.  It stirs my soul, and when paired with images that tug in my heart or my own personal connectivity, I can bawl as good as any baby.

Years ago, when my children were little, I used to get-together with some women whose husbands (along with my own) would all be out of town at this same time.  We would plan “Tear-Jerker Movie Night,” and sit and watch movies that made us cry. It felt good, and there was no one there to roll their eyes at our every shed tear.  We loved it!  Nowadays, when I’m watching a movie I already know makes me cry, I just tell my husband in advance, and if he comes through the room, I just motion him on through.  “Nothing to see here – move along,” I say through my gasps.  If it’s a ‘new cry,’ I just say, “Pass the tissue!”

I began thinking about movies that stir me.  The list, however, almost became endless.  Some movies have a scene, some just a moment; with others the entire picture has me reaching for tissue, in many cases, it is the inspirational or 'final' ending...  And there are patterns, so I’ve decided to group them without too much explanation. If you’re not sure what’s so ‘weepy’ about any of these, watch them again, and see if you can find ‘those moments.’  I guarantee they’re there.

With that, here’s just a few movies that make me cry:

Gallipoli

Schindler’s List

Saving Private Ryan

The Adventures of Milo & Otis

Finding Nemo

The Three Lives of Thomasina

Prince Caspian & the Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Ghost

The Natural

Forever Young

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

St. Ralph

Mona Lisa Smile
Little Women (1994)

Mr. Holland’s Opus

When Did You Last See Your Father?

Splash

13 Going on 30

The Good-bye Girl
Big

The "father" of all my tearjerkers!

...And these movies have me crying from the very start!:

The Color Purple 

Dad 
Hachi: A Dog’s Tale 
Toy Story 3 

Table for Five