Movies can make us laugh out loud, reel in horror, question our understanding of things, and occasionally ball our eyes out. Sometimes, those films make us cry because they’re tragically sad or incredibly profound. Sometimes, it’s a feel-good film with your heart bursting warmly. These are 18 films that will have even the most reluctant criers fighting off the tears.
A Star is Born
Bradley Cooper’s emotionally charged directorial debut can’t help but leave you teary-eyed. Cooper stars alongside Lady Gaga in a debut of her own in a film about fame, music, love, and internal demons. The film received eight nominations at the Oscars, taking home Best Original Song for Shallow.
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Pursuit of Happyness follows a struggling salesman’s journey as he navigates homelessness, poverty, and parenthood simultaneously. Real-life father and son Will and Jaden Smith star alongside each other in this deeply heartwarming and heartbreaking film.
Marley & Me
Anyone who has ever had a dog knows how much these furry animals attach themselves to our lives. Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, is a deeply touching family film about a newly married couple and their dog, Marley.
Manchester by the Sea
Following the death of his brother, Lee Chandler returns home to look after his nephew and has to confront the difficulties that drove him away in the first place. Casey Affleck leads this heart-wrenching story, which is bound to make you well up.
Interstellar
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, this sci-fi drama is one of Nolan’s most moving films. The story follows a group of explorers who leave behind the current version of themselves on Earth to venture into uncharted avenues of space. But at the core of the film is a stirring story about a father-daughter relationship.
Dead Poets Society
Shaking up a traditional boarding school in New England, Robin Williams plays an inspirational English teacher who leaves a lasting impression on a group of boys, as do they on his life. No list of emotionally driven films is complete without Dead Poets Society.
The Peanut Butter Falcon
A lesser-known Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson film, The Peanut Butter Falcon will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy in this feel-good film that follows an unlikely friendship between a down-on-his-luck fisherman and a breakaway young man with Down Syndrome who has dreams of being a wrestler.
Marriage Story
This Noah Baumbach film racked up the awards and acclaim upon its release, and deservingly so. Starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, the film follows a draining and discovery-laden divorce that takes place across coasts. Tears pour in a profound exploration of the complexity of love.
Soul
Animated films never fail at making fully grown adults cry. Soul is no different, taking you through Joe Gardner’s quest to discover what makes life worth living. Voiced by Jamie Foxx, Pixar has you bobbing to the jazzy scores and sobbing to the film’s earnestness.
Call Me by Your Name
There is a monologue by Michael Stuhlbarg towards the end of this film that leaves you completely shattered in its truth. A coming-of-age romance tale that takes you gently but authentically through first love and all that comes with that. It stars Timothée Chalamet and is directed by Luca Guadagnino.
Till
The true story of the tragic lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till and his mother’s subsequent and relentless pursuit of justice that follows will leave you clenching your fists and fighting off tears. Danielle Deadwyler drives this incredibly moving story in a performance that has had a lasting impression on her and audiences alike, and she was perhaps unlucky to miss out on an Oscar nomination.
C’mon C’mon
Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman play Johnny and Jesse in this uncle-nephew tale that sees the two bond on a cross-country trip. It’s simple and uncomplicated storytelling, yet so tenderly and beautifully told by Mike Mills.
Aftersun
Charlotte Wells delivers a directorial debut to remember in a deeply personal film starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio. It is pensive and subliminal storytelling in many ways yet vastly layered, with much of what moves you in this film lying in the subtext.
Moonlight
Barry Jenkins co-wrote this profound black queer story with Tarell Alvin McCraney, based on the semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The three-chapter story of Chiron is a defining film in its genre and is deeply felt by viewers.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Steven Spielberg’s touching story of a stranded alien on earth befriending a young boy is beloved for its magical and moving journey about friendship. The idea for the film comes from an imaginary friend that Spielberg had growing up. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, it’s iconic for a reason.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
This holocaust film, directed by Mark Herman, explores the travesty of that time through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy in a heart-rending and excruciating tale. While the movie and the novel by John Boyne have stirred controversy for misinformed ideas it may perpetuate, it is an intensely despairing story.
Coach Carter
Basketball coach Ken Carter aims to steer his team of misguided young individuals in a true-story tearjerker starring Samuel L. Jackson. In 1999, Coach Carter made headlines for benching his team, which was on a winning streak, because their academic results weren’t good enough.
Our Friend
Another film on the list that stars Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck, Our Friend sees Matthew (Affleck) welcome his best friend (Jason Segel) to come to live with him and his terminally ill wife (Johnson) in support of their last few months together. It is difficult not to shed a tear at the end of this one.
