I come across as rather cynical but I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I will cry at the drop of a hat at the end of romantic comedies and bawl when animals die. Here are the top ten tearjerking movie moments that will get me every time. **spoilers ahead**
10. Antarctica - the whole of it.
This little Japanese movie is one I saw when I was very young. It is literally the only time other than my granddad's funeral that I've ever seen my dad cry. It's about a research team in Antarctica who leave their huskies behind tied up for what they think is going to be a short time until the new team arrive only to not be able to get back due to weather. The dogs are forced to fend for themselves in the ice and storms. Of course, most of the dogs die (some tied up still, some trying to survive on the icebergs) but in the end, only two survive. I cried due to sadness about the dogs' deaths, I cried when the two dogs are reunited with the team at the end. It's soooo sad and happy at the same time. :(
9. The Neverending Story - Artax.
I feel like I was traumatised by Artax's death in The Neverending Story. It was so awful to watch as a kid, the horse sinking into the mud because he's too sad to overcome the swamp - what did they think they were doing?! Kids everywhere fell apart. Wahhhh! It was great acting by Noah Hathaway as a young one and I will never be able to hear that music again without thinking about drowning horses. Thank goodness the horse is alive again at the end, otherwise I would have been scarred for life, I think. In fact, the whole movie is pretty dark for a kids' film.
8. Legends of the Fall - the whole thing!
Man, that movie is a real downer! From the moment Samuel (who I still saw as the little kid in E.T.) gets stuck in barbed wire on the WW1 battlefield and poor Brad Pitt can't get him out in time for him to die by gunfire, it gets more and more sad and depressing. In fact, so depressing that in the end, Susannah and Tristan's deaths don't even have much impact because we're already about as traumatised as we can get. The worst one by far is the young girl, Isabel 2, who as an adult is accidentally shot as a way of saying 'you're happy, Tristan? Well, fuck you!'. That was just downright mean! Combined with a ridiculously emotive James Horner score, this movie was a bawl-fest from start to finish - I remember hiding in the cinema as a teenager watching it because I was so pathetic.
7. The Green Mile - the mouse, Del's death and John Coffey's death
It doesn't matter who he plays, Doug Hutchinson creeps me out. What a great actor - his ability to play reprehensible characters is nothing short of brilliant. The mouse being squashed was bad enough but when Hutchinson's character deliberately tortures Del in the electric chair to be sadistic and then pretends it was a mistake is horrible and gutwrenching. :( And then John Coffey's death - well, the bit where he asks to leave the hood off during his execution (despite being innocent) because he's afraid of the dark... well, I swear, I cried like a baby! Soooo bloody sad! It only makes up for it that the mouse is alive at the end! RIP Michael Clarke Duncan.
6. Mr Holland's Opus - the end
I have seen this movie about 50 times and I still react exactly the same way every time at the end. I think it's because Richard Dreyfuss is such a fantastic actor and his acting skills when he cries are just so damn effective. I can totally relate to this movie and the passion that this teacher has for music and it's such a sad yet happy ending. But it really hits a nerve that the music department funding was cut in the movie as I feel that today's education department are doing exactly the same thing and that's the saddest part of all. I only hope that I can have even a fraction of the impact on my students and colleagues that Mr Holland does in the movie.
5. Turner and Hooch - the death of Hooch.
I can't handle animal deaths in movies. Mum and I went to see A Dog's Purpose and even though I hated the book, we both cried all the way through. Such a sook! Well, Hooch's death in Turner and Hooch gets me every time. I think it's a testament to Tom Hank's acting but also because the dog is so damn ugly, he's adorable and everybody wants him! It didn't even make up for it by having a cute puppy at the end. :(
4. Seven Pounds - the entire end
I pretty much had that awful lump in my throat the entire second half of this movie. I actually really like Will Smith as an actor and he did such a good job. But particularly, I think Rosario Dawson was the one that made me bawl in this movie. It's a heartbreaking story and you feel so damn sorry for poor Tim/Ben who has felt such overwhelming guilt and shame for so long. It's really hard to ascertain whether it's actually a happy ending or not - I just can't reconcile it. All I know is that I really didn't see it coming and was genuinely shocked at the actions Tim/Ben took. And it's a movie that has stayed with me for a long time.
3. The Pursuit of Happyness - the ending
Another Will Smith movie. As I said earlier, I'm a sucker for happy endings. I had the biggest lump in my throat at the end - you feel so relieved and happy for him at the end, knowing just how hard everything was for him. It is particularly good to know that this was actually a true story and that this amazing thing happened to someone in real life. I think this is actually one of my favourite movies. It really is heartwarming. Nawwww!
2. Pay It Forward - Trevor's death and the revelation of Eugene Simonet's childhood
Eugene Simonet's recounting of the abuse he received by his father and being burnt alive is heartwrenching but when children die in movies, it's particularly traumatic. This one was one of the worst because of who the kid was. Haley Joel Osment as a young boy was a particularly easy child actor to love - that earnest little face and his formidable acting skills for such a small boy are very easy to relate to. Trevor's optimism and spirit make his death so much harder to take. The scene with the crowd and the candles makes me bawl. Every time. I'm such a baby!
1. My Girl - Thomas J's funeral
This movie gets me EVERY TIME. I have lost count of how many times I've seen it but the funeral scene with Vada approaching Thomas J's coffin makes me lose it every time (and when Vada reads her poem too for that matter!). The movie itself is actually a beautiful coming of age story but this scene is iconic for the important development of its lead character who despite growing up in a funeral home, is confused about death until it hits her right in the face. "His glasses....he can't see without his glasses!" Waaaaahhhh! Awful!
Honourable mentions go to:
- Billy Bibbitt's death in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest;
- Dumbledore's death in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince;
- The Terminator lowering himself into the fire in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
- Red Dog - again, another dog dying but also Josh Lucas' character's death.
Dishon mentions:
- The Notebook - I wanted them to die because the movie was so insufferable;
- Titanic - there was totally room for Jack on that door...Rose was a mole. Not even sad, just annoying!
- Anything else by Nicholas Sparks - pure schmalz, no genuine emotion.
- Remember Me - talk about exploiting a genuine real tragedy to get a reaction. Not sad, just offensive.
- Beaches - puke inducing and has that horrible song 'Wind Between My Cheeks'
