Almost any movie from any genre can be emotional for any number of reasons, but something needs to be extra hard-hitting and universally moving before it can be labeled a tearjerker. This term refers to movies that have highly emotional stories that, at their core, tend to be sad, with the movies themselves usually made with the expectation thatviewers will be moved, quite possibly to tears.
As such, when focusing on movies that are the most potent tearjerkers, it’s not necessarily the case that these are also the saddest movies of all time. That’s remarkably subjective, in any event, and oftentimes, the most soul-crushing and depressing movies qualify as the saddest, with some leaving one feeling numb and shattered, rather than likely to cry.What follows are some of the best certainly intentional tearjerkers, with most (but not all) being bittersweet, balancing the sadness with some hope, and the resulting contrast proving the emotions all the more effective, in many cases.
25’Steel Magnolias' (1989)
Director: Herbert Ross
Steel Magnoliasis one of the quintessential 1980s tearjerkers, and is comparable to other films of that decade that seem designed to be as sad as possible, includingTerms of EndearmentandBeaches(consider those two runners-up, for current ranking purposes).Steel Magnoliasisa dramedy that’s more and more of a drama the longer it goes on,leading up to an emotional conclusionthat feels inevitable.
Nevertheless, any sort of predictability or formula at play in the film does little to blunt how sad many find the experience of watching it to be, though it’s thankfully not a complete downer. There are themes surrounding perseverance and finding strength through emotional bonds made with others, and those things plus some humor here and there makeSteel Magnoliasemotionally balanced, relatable, and cathartic.
Steel Magnolias
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24’Marley & Me' (2008)
Director: David Frankel
Dogs are like the ice cream of the animal world, because it’s hard to find too many people who dislike either. Because of how universally beloved “man’s best friend” is, there’s an argument to be made thatmaking a tearjerker movie about a dog(tending to end where you’d expect) isn’t all that difficult to do, and indeed, there have been plenty of notably sad ones made throughout cinema history.
Yet of them all, it might well beMarley & Methat’s the most famous for making people cry, even if they know what’s coming. It follows a young couple starting a family alongside their mischievous puppy, Marley, who grows older as his owners do as well, with the entire life of said dog depicted, both the happy and sad moments.Even if it could be accused of feeling cheesy or saccharine, it’s not hard to see whyMarley & Meis so potent a tearjerker.
Marley & Me
23’The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
Director: Peter Jackson
Admittedly,The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingisn’t a tearjerker in the sense that every single minute of it seems to be in service of eventually making the viewer cry. As an epic film andconclusion to a beloved fantasy trilogy, it’s packed with tons ofexciting and action-packed moments, featuring huge battle sequences and elaborate special effects that still look dazzling 20+ years later.
However, also owing to its status as a trilogy capper, it understands that saying farewell to characters and a world one’s been in for 9-ish hours (more like 12 with the extended editions) is sad, and the various endings are often moving. The trilogy does end with good triumphing over evil, but the sacrifices made along the way,and the fact that some characters end up parting on their own terms, once the adventure’s over, make things surprisingly bittersweet.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
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22’Little Miss Sunshine' (2006)
Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
A dramedy about family that also happens to be one ofthe best movies released during 2006,Little Miss Sunshinefollows various dysfunctional family members who take a road trip together, and learn to bond along the way. Most don’t fit in with “normal” people, in one way or another, but it’s all about how it’s okay to do your own thing, especially if you may find like-minded people to share your life with.
It’s the sort of thing that could meander into schmaltzy territory if not done right, butLittle Miss Sunshinehits all the notes it needs to, earns its most emotional moments, and overall feels incredibly well-balanced tonally.It’s a great road trip movie that’s simultaneously funny, sad, and heartwarming, making it an easy film to recommend for viewers wanting to feel something.
Little Miss Sunshine
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21’Coco' (2017)
Director: Lee Unkrich
Cocoisn’t just one ofthe best-looking movies released by Pixar, but it’s also one of the most touching. The animation studio’s become well-known for putting out various movies that are enjoyed by all ages, and likely to make people of all ages cry at times, too, andno listing of iconic movie tearjerkers can be complete without some acknowledgment of Pixar.
In the case ofCoco, it revolves around a young boy who learns about the history of his family after accidentally getting stuck in the Land of the Dead, teaming with ancestors who have passed on in the real world to get back to said real world, before he runs out of time. Its saddest moments come near the end, and truly prove capable of sneaking up on you, considering that the first two acts of the film, despite being about mortality, are generally comedic in tone.
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20’Good Will Hunting' (1997)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Few films from the1990s are as iconic asGood Will Hunting, which is notable for helping to launch the careers ofMatt DamonandBen Affleck(the pair starring in and writing this film) as well as for featuring perhapsRobin Williams’smost acclaimed dramatic performance. It’s about a troubled young man named Will Hunting, and the life-changing bond he makes with a professor who recognizes Hunting’s potential for greatness.
As far as tearjerkers go,Good Will Huntinggoes big andsets its sights directly on your tear ducts, keen to milk them for all they’re worth. But when the acting is as good as it is here, and the screenplay is this honest (albeit a tiny bit clichéd), the approach generally works, making this one drama film that’s now more than a quarter-of-a-century old, yet still holds up remarkably well.
Good Will Hunting
19’Brian’s Song' (1971)
Director: Buzz Kulik
Sports movies, by their very nature, are usually capable of getting emotions stirred, given sports are generally exciting/absorbing to watch and get invested in, arguably just as much as they are to physically take part in. Various sports movies also prove moving because they tell underdog stories, butBrian’s Songproves to be a tearjerker because of the real-life story it tells, and the tragic yet powerful friendship it depicts.
Brian’s Songis very simple, showing the bond betweentwo football players,Brian Piccolo(James Caan)andGale Sayers(Billy Dee Williams), andwhat happens when the former learns he has a terminal illness.Brian’s Songproves far more emotionally affecting than most TV movies of its time, with the quality of the acting from its two leads undeniably helping, and the story being undeniably moving, owing to just how direct it is.
18’Dancer in the Dark' (2000)
Director: Lars von Trier
Lars von Trierdoesn’t pull puncheswhen he makes films, and as such,Dancer in the Darktakes an undoubtedly sad story and pushes the miserable stuff contained within to 11. There is the faintest sense of it being bittersweet by the end, owing to the film being about the sacrifices a single mother makes for her only son, but the execution means it’s stronger on the bitter side of things than it is on the sweet.
Dancer in the Darkis also stunning and stirring, though, meaning it’s far from just being non-stop misery, even if those darkest moments are the ones that prove most memorable when reflecting back on the film.As far as musicals go, it’sone of the more oppressively sad and confronting, but those okay with tearjerkers that also happen to be uncompromising ought to check it out.
17’A Star Is Born' (2018)
Director: Bradley Cooper
Speaking of sad movies with a focus on music, 2018’sA Star Is Bornis the most recentA Star Is Bornfilm; the fourth overall, with other takes on the story being released in the 1930s, 1950s, and 1970s. The 2010sA Star Is Bornmight well bethe strongest when it comes to the tear-jerking elements, because the emotions presented throughout the story are intense, and come with a certain level of grit and authenticity.
The well-worn story is about a young woman whose career in the music industry is taking off, and the tumultuous relationship she has with a man whose music career is heading in the other direction. It’s thankfully bittersweet, rather than entirely sad, because the story is all about charting one character’s triumphant rise alongside another’s tragic fall, with all the conflicting emotions circling around in between ensuring the film packs an emotional wallop.
A Star is Born
16’Casablanca' (1942)
Director: Michael Curtiz
When it comes to bittersweet romance movies, few are quite as effective and emotionally impactful asCasablanca. Large parts of the movie prove exciting and sometimes even funny, though the central aspect of the film – two lovers reuniting in unexpected circumstances, and one having to give up the other for the greater good – proves to be its most memorable.
Casablancais great as it builds up to the final five to ten minutes, sure, but then that whole ending sequence at the airport is something else, and a big reason whyCasablancais held up as one of thevery best movies not just of the 1940s, but of all time.There’s a relatability to the story of love and loss being told here, and it’s presented in such a way that still resonates all these decades later.
