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Sometimes you just need to get in a good cry. In fact, it’s been highly suggested that crying is actually good for you. Feeling sad, melancholic, or generally just distraught and can’t quite seem to get them flowing? We’ve got you covered. All you need to do is put on a good cry movie — one which is not only emotionally impactful but also a damn good movie, period. There are plenty out there: I myself have sat in the protective darkness of the cinema, crying practically non-stop through C’mon, C’mon, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, and If Beale Street Could Talk. One particularly draining afternoon screening of Roma was accompanied by widespread cases of the sniffles.
That’s the power of movies — they can commandeer your emotions, steering you in whichever direction they choose. With so many titles clustering the “tear-jerker” category on Netflix, it can be overwhelming to try to pick one that is actually worth your while, which is exactly why we’ve compiled this list to watch at your own discretion. They might be sad, beautiful, or everything in between, clear your schedule and stock up on tissues. You’re gonna feel a lot of things, and it’s going to be beautiful.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Long before he was Groot, Vin Diesel lent his voice to a kind-hearted gargantuan stack of metal in The Iron Giant. Crash-landing on Earth from somewhere out in space, the Giant is a giant of the gentle sort, even if his entire body is essentially one big weapon. Ignore the plasma cannons and the rocket launchers…he’s really a good guy when you get to know him. But that doesn’t stop paranoid, xenophobic federal agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) from making it his life’s duty to find and destroy the giant under the guise of patriotism. Oh yeah, it all takes place during the peak of ’50s Cold War paranoia, as you can see in the movie’s enthusiastic nostalgia for sci-fi B-movies of the bygone eras that snidely match the film’s pulpy premise.
Really, though, the Giant is an unbearably lovely creature with the mind and personality of a young child learning how to express their emotions for the first time. After meeting his first friend, the young, lonesome, and quirky Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal), the Giant learns about the power of kindness, love, and sacrifice. Without getting into the finer, spoiler-ish details, let’s just note that somewhere in the movie is a one-two-punch to the emotions that’ll likely have you reaching for another box of tissues. Surely such a behemoth of a robot that’s decked out with pretty slick weaponry can’t choose a life of peace, love, and understanding, right? Well, stay tuned. Mixing lavish hand-drawn illustration with computer-generated effects, The Iron Giant is a transition between old and new, past and future. It’s a brilliant, mesmerizing tale that condemns violence in the face of fear while preaching the eternal virtue of understanding the unfamiliar.
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is much more than just a great family-friendly flick: it’s basically the Citizen Kane of live-action talking-animal-adventure films. Remaking the beloved Disney classic The Incredible Journey, this movie does everything its predecessor did, only much better. (Imagine Lassie Comes Home, times ten!) Chance (Michael J. Fox), Shadow (Don Ameche), and Sassy (Sally Field) — an American Bulldog, a Golden Retriever, and a Himalayan cat, respectively — set off on the titular journey after being led to believe that they’ve been abandoned by their family. The brave little pets make their way across the treacherous Sierra Nevada mountains, encountering dangerous obstacles along the way, and it’s only through their dedication to return home to their family that they have any chance of survival.
On a technical level, there’s so much of this movie that’s genuinely impressive. I mean, check out the way these animals move! It almost really seems like they’re talking to each other! With the boundless magic that is moviemaking, director Duwayne Dunham brings this fantastic story to life, blending suspense, humor, and plenty of emotion. Maybe it’s just because they’re animals, and maybe it’s just because they’re all so darned cute, but this movie will tug at your heartstrings in every direction. You’ll cry happy tears, sad tears, and everything in between because this one’s got it all. Filled with its fair share of heartbreaking and heartwarming moments, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is the type of flick that’ll make you want to hug your pet and never let go.
My Dog Skip (2000)
Jeez. Sometimes movies are so emotionally impactful it almost seems unfair. My Dog Skip is one of these, a movie that takes out the knife just long enough to make you feel safe, all before plunging it back it into the unhealed wound it had left behind. Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz) is an only child with few friends, whose life is transformed by the arrival of a Jack Russel Terrier named Skip (played by a dog aptly named Sweetie). Everybody loves Skip, and I mean everybody, from the adults to the children to the butcher that feeds him bologna sandwiches daily. And Skip seems to pretty like much everybody, but the person that Skip loves most is Willie. They’re best friends, and like the best of best friends, Skip helps Willie grow. He helps him make new friends, helps keep him out of trouble, and always watches his back.
If you love dogs (who doesn’t?), and especially if you remember your childhood pup (again, who doesn’t?), it probably doesn’t take much for a canine-centered movie to bring some tears down your face. My Dog Skip is so saccharine-sweet, so emotionally powerful that it’ll likely send them streaming down like a broken dam. There was a real-life Willie Morris who passed away shortly before the film’s official release. Well, that means there was a real Skip, too, a boy so good that he deserves the beautiful, touching tribute that is My Dog Skip. It’s a glorious fanfare for childhood dogs everywhere, one that will surely make you fondly reminisce on a pup that changed your life for the better.
City Lights (1931)
Nearly 100 years after its release, Charlie Chaplin’s masterwork City Lights remains one of the most poignant and beautiful romantic comedy films ever made. It’s also one of the most emotionally potent, with an ending so glorious that it’s guaranteed to stay engraved in your memory long after the credits roll. When a Tramp (Chaplin), a bumbling but pure-hearted vagabond, falls in love with a blind flowergirl (Virginia Cherrill), a hilarious series of events ensues. Comedy brilliance aside, City Lights is also a damn powerful portrait of the all-pervading power of love and kindness.
It’s hard to underestimate the artistic prowess of Chaplin. His Little Tramp character transcends his own work and has become instantly recognizable to many people that have never seen any of his films. City Lights is his greatest romp, the one that most effectively merges the gut-busting slapstick comedy and emotional poeticism that have since become his brand. The last few minutes are among the best Chaplin has ever committed to film. It’s easy to get teary-eyed just thinking about it.
Brief Encounter (1945)
Set to swelling, romantic compositions by Rachmaninoff, Brief Encounter is a romantic-drama film for the ages. It’s a look at the complicated nature of love and our struggle to make sense of it all. Laura, a middle-class Englishwoman (Celia Johnson), unexpectedly falls in love with a handsome stranger (Trevor Howard), and the rest is history. Cinema legend David Lean directs with unflinching precision, working from a play by Noël Coward. The two leads intertwine as their illicit infatuation with each other threatens to disrupt the lives they know.
Fog and wispy steam tear across train platforms and shroud the would-be lovers in romantic images. The script works effortlessly to give a multitude of layers to the restrained romance, with Johnson and Howard both giving utterly captivating performances. By the time the film climaxes, you’ll be crying along, lost amongst the complicated beauty of love’s unwavering power.
Big Fish (2003)
An ode to tall tales and the fathers that tell them, Big Fish is a delightful and heartbreaking vision from Tim Burton. The movie follows Will Bloom (Billy Crudup), who struggles to make sense of the life stories his dying father (Albert Finney) tells him. Through elaborate, whimsical flashbacks detailing young Edward’s (Ewan McGregor) tales, the movie works to blur the clear distinction between fact and fiction. More important than the stories themselves, though, is the strained relationship between Will and Edward. As he reflects upon his life, it quickly becomes clear that Edward merely wants to impress his son, while Will meanwhile only wants to get to know his father. It’s beautiful and one-hundred-percent worth crying over.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
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Few movies are as utterly life-affirming as It’s a Wonderful Life. There’s a reason why the James Stewart-starring holiday classic is part of an annual tradition for houses all around: it’s really good. But it’s also crammed to the brim with every emotion in the book: joy, despair, melancholy, remorse, hope…and the list goes on. Frank Capra’s masterful film is chameleon-like in the way that manages to hit so many notes, cover so much track, and shift into so many different genres without faltering. It’s one of the movies that has acquired a staggering reputation and absolutely deserves it.
If you’re one of the few left that hasn’t seen it, you need to get on it. When financially-troubled banker George Bailey (James Stewart) contemplates suicide one cold Christmas Eve, it’s up to his guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers) to convince him that life is…well…wonderful, and absolutely worth living. A favorite of countless fans—including Capra and Stewart themselves—It’s a Wonderful Life is a film that shows the beautiful moments of life that are too often overlooked, one that will assuredly move you to tears.
The Farewell (2019)
The Farewell, Lulu Wang’s beautiful portrait of intergenerational family life, is a movie that’ll have you reaching for your phone in order to call your Granny. Partially based upon Wang’s own life experiences, the film revolves around Billi (Awkwafina), an aspiring writer whose grandmother (Zhao Shu-zhen) unknowingly has a terminal cancer diagnosis. The relationship between the two, while loving and fruitful, is often complicated by cultural differences (Billi has lived in the US for most of her life, while Nai Nai remains a Chinese native). Wang’s film easily juggles the complicated themes of cultural identity, one’s debt to tradition, and the pain of possibly losing a loved one. With an emotionally resonant script backed by captivating performances all around, The Farewell is a lovely, tear-jerking portrait of the complications of family life.
Paddington 2 (2017)
How can you not love Paddington? Just look at the little guy…he’s freakin’ adorable! A polite, thoughtful little bear in a hat and duffel coat — what’s not to love? If his first film, Paddington, wasn’t already enough, his second, Paddington 2, surely is. One of the rare sequels to not only meet but surpass its predecessor, Paddington 2 is a confectionary treat for all ages. After finally finding a home in the first film, Paddington spends most of his time in the sequel finding a way to return to it once he’s framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Why’s it that such a wholesome, pure-hearted critter like him can’t catch a break? Why are things so unfair?
Paddington 2 is as lovely as it gets. Drenched in eye-popping hues and with elaborate Wes Anderson-esque set-design, it’s a movie that starts sweet, stays sweet, and ends even sweeter. There are enough silly bear antics to keep anybody entertained, and an unexpectedly succinct social commentary pushing for prison reform leave the viewer with some food for thought.
