Let There Be Movies

It’s been said that men can make women cry at the drop of a hat, but if a woman makes a man cry then she really means something to him. So what does it mean if a movie can make a man cry? It seems there are just a handful of movies that are “acceptable” for guys to cry at. Just do a quick google search and you’ll find the same 10-15 films popping up on most lists. I can assure you we pretty much blow those lists out of the water here, as you may not have even heard of a couple of these.

Now, as a guy, you have to be real careful who you tell that a movie made you cry. Can’t go ruining your tough-guy reputation to someone who will tell the whole neighborhood. That’s why we’re totally comfortable sharing our tear-jerker films with our trustworthy readers… you guys won’t tell anyone, right? Well good, because here are some of the movies that get the tears rolling down our cheeks. [Warning: some clips contain spoilers]

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Gene – Big Fish

As I explain in my review of this movie, this one actually caught me off guard. I’m following along with the movie just fine, it’s coming to the climax at the end of the film and all the sudden, waterworks! What the… why am I crying? This is a fairly touching father-son story that is mostly light-hearted throughout the movie, so that’s my excuse . Depending on your relationship with your dad growing up you may well experience the same emotions I did. In the film, Edward Bloom is a man with fantastic life stories. Stories of adventure, love, war… but few stories involving his son Will. In fact it seems Edward isn’t around too much as Will is growing up. The stories are so incredible that they become unbelievable to Will and tension grows between the two until they have nothing to do with each other. The final scene is a touching one. Had it not been for the terrific job of Billy Crudup narrating it as if he was telling his own unbelievable story, and finally relating to his dad, I probably could’ve fought off the tears. Darn it, Billy!

Honorable Mentions: Toy Story 3, Seven Pounds, Million Dollar Baby (barely), Land Before Time (stop laughing!)

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Logan – Fireproof

Contrary to popular belief, not only can guys cry in movies, but guys can cry in movies about love. Fireproof is a raw, emotional story about a married couple intent on having a divorce, until the husband, Caleb, undertakes a challenge, albeit reluctantly, to treat is wife in a godly manner for 30 days. It starts pretty simple, like not saying anything negative, and builds every day. It’s a beautiful story, and the audience watches Caleb change from a selfish, angry sinner to a patient, loving, forgiven Christian. In the scene in particular that tends to make me cry, Caleb has prepared a nice candlelit dinner for his wife. When she gets home, however, she tells him in no uncertain terms that she does not love him. It’s heartbreaking, especially since at that point in the film, Caleb is getting past his selfishness and starting to care for his wife again, inch by inch. By the end of the film, however, the conflict is resolved and it brings instead flowing tears of joy. It’s awesome, and you should watch it. If you already have, you should watch it again. The scene I was looking for wasn’t on YouTube, but this is a close second.

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Tres – The Passion of The Christ

When posed with the topic of “tear-jerkers” I winced at the thought. I am not a macho man type person by any means; I, since a young child, simply do not cry. I have cried at the loss of loved ones and when delivering a touching message during a wedding ceremony, but in general I don’t cry. I truly think It’s a genetic thing passed down through my mother and her side of the family. I get emotions: “the feels” as my oldest daughter calls it. Usually it brings about a pounding headache, but doesn’t produce tears. With that said I took about 2 hours going through my Netflix ranked movies thinking about the movies and one popped out where the tears truly rolled; The Passion of Christ with Jim Caviezel. I had read reviews of what to expect when it came to the suffering that of Jesus and how it was presented on film, but the realistic betrayal that they showed brought the suffering that my Lord and Savior went through for me to a whole new personal level. It put a pit in my gut and I knew at a greater depth more how unworthy I was and how greater the Grace of God and the Love of Jesus was. I couldn’t keep the tears from streaming down my cheeks. It’s an agonizing thing to watch. It’s heartbreaking to know that there are people out there that don’t care about or believe in his sacrifice and he suffered through this for them anyway. But what broke through to me was that he went through all of that for me; a sinner, and the tears rolled.

Honorable mentions: Other movies that have gotten me teary eyed, though may not be normal ones that others would think about: The Other Sister, Stepmom, Forrest Gump, and Good Will Hunting.

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Elliott –Bridge to Terabithia

The first time I watched Bridge to Terabithia was when I was away on a work trip. I was gone for about 6 weeks which was the longest I had ever been away from my wife, who at the time was my fiance and I was feeling a bit home sick. The scene where Jess finds out that Leslie has died was completely shocking to me and brought actual tears to my eyes. Jess had been through a lot of challenges and he finally had something good in his life. This scene makes me stop and think about how much I care about the ones I love. It’s all to easy to take family and friends for granted.

Honorable Mentions: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (When Sam says goodbye to Frodo), Hunger Games (When Rue dies), The Impossible (Saddest Movie I’ve ever seen), Saving Private Ryan (The very end), Up (When Carl’s wife dies).

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Well, there you have it! Don’t leave us hanging, what are some of your tear-jerkers?