TV and Movie Moments That Might Make You Cry

published October 11, 2009

Rarely does it occur when a movie sparks any emotion out of me. Usually I just have 2 emotions - stoked or pissed. But sometimes, just sometimes, a movie or even a couple TV shows will choke up the manliest of men. If anyone tries to talk to you during these moments, you say "hold on" and take an extended bathroom break, and return nonchalantly. Well different people react to different things, but these cinema moments got me closest to sobbing like a little girl. A couple actually managed to succeed. Sometimes the most manipulative of sob films will get nothing, but withsome of the simpler things - Niagra Falls.

Scrooged - Speaking of which, I actually thought Scrooged with Bill Murray was an emotional roller coaster. I remember this movie as a kid, and it was funny, sad, scary,and happy all in one. The past, present and future were all tear jerkers - especially the past. Anything with him as a kid or with his ex-girlfriend was devastating. This modernized version of A Christmas Carol still manages to be top 3 Christmas films of all time - if not #1. I'll have to make a note to rewatch it in the near future.

Forrest Gump - You can go into this movie prepared knowing that they're going to do something to try to yank out a tear or two, and still you will be put to the test. The parts that really get me are any parts with Jenn-ay. Perhaps it's because we all know our own Jenn-ay: a beautiful girl we once knew who fell down a wretched path of self-destruction and we secretly hope they one day come back.

Band of Brothers - For the most part, this mini-series is just an awesome and realistic recounting of WW2. I believe it was part 9, the episode entitled "Why We Fight" that was the most heart wrenching. When the old people recount the stories, that's pretty heartwrenching to begin with, but once they find the concentration camp and the conditions that millions upon millions had to live, that was intense. And realizing that these events happened a mere 70 years ago, and that people that experienced this would still be alive is downright disturbing. Then it just spirals into depression of human evil in general, past and present.

Honey I Shrunk the Kids - Before you start laughing, realize I was a young child when I watched this, and have not and will not ever watch it again. I actually remember bawling when that asshole scorpion killed the ant. That day on, I stopped destroying anthills and using magnifying glasses to burn them. It wasn't until a college infestation of ants when I started killing them again.

Braveheart - Before Mel Gibson went all anti-semite and nutso, he made this quality flick. This was my favorite movie for years, mostly for the war sequences. However it's the death of William Wallace when we realize he did it all for a girl. As if that wasn't enough, he gets decapitated shortly afterwards. This is still a fantastic movie 15 years later and will still get some emotion out of you.

Kung Fu Hustle - How can a silly foreign action/comedy possibly bring a tear to my eye? Well once you get past the cartoony aspect of the movie, you have a really fantastic movie. The parts that got me were always the flashbacks where the main character saves the mute girl, anything with the large lollipop, and finally the end, when the Kung Fu Master has opened a candy shop. I'm even more stoked with the fact that Kung Fu Hustle 2 is due out in 2010.

Futurama (The Dog Episode) - I don't watch Futurama religiously, but it is a damn clever and funny show. But I caught this episode about Fry and his dog. Fry decided not to clone him because the dog 'probably forgot all about him.' Queue Connie Francis's "I Will Wait For You," and a montage of the dog waiting for him, and you have a real tear jerking moment. It a beautiful yet uncharacteristic moment in the series. You can watch the whole ending sequence here.

Transformers The Movie - I'm talking about the cartoon movie, not the Michael Bay garbage. The Autobots are in a tight spot, Optimus comes out and kicks some decepticon ass. He battles Megatron one on one. Both are gravely injured. Optimus ends up singly handedly turning the tide, but pays with his life. He passes the Matrix of leadership, and turns gray. When we were kids, this guy was our #1 hero. His death was as tragic as it got.

* * * * *