Tearjerkers for jerks
The Sporting News (via The Corner) has a list of twenty-five movies that make men cry, and it's quite good, but I have a few issues with it that I'd like to address here.
25. Gladiator
A solid start.
24. Miracle
A great moment and an emotional movie.
23. Of Mice and Men
Never seen it. But if it's even close to the novel, it's worthy of this list.
22. The Champ
21. My Life
Cheesy. But effective.
20. It’s A Wonderful Life
Well duh.
19. Schindler’s List
Great movie. Spielberg's magnum opus. Unbelievable performances, and the last scene of the surviving members of The List is overwhelmingly powerful.
But don't ever ask me to watch it again. I just can't handle it.
18. Frequency
17. Dead Poet’s Society
16. Forrest Gump
Ugh, no. A three-hour in-joke for baby boomers brings tears to my eyes for completely different reasons. Let's go with Casablanca here. Bogey's speech about going places that Ingrid Bergman can't go is the gold standard for self-sacrifice in men.
15. The Natural
Ok, tell me you're NOT thinking of Kirk Gibson right now.
You are, aren't you?
14. Shawshank Redemption
Good movie, but it's spoiled for me because once again, the bad guy is a religious hypocrite. Let's go with a movie that shows the bad and the good of a faith in God, The Apostle. Robert Duvall's heart-wrenching crisis of faith rings true with all of us who know that the ways of the Lord are often dark, but never pleasant.
13. Big Fish
12. Seabiscuit
Never seen it. I'll take his word for it.
11. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Good, nay, great movie. One that makes me cry? No. Taking the advice of a commenter in the linked post, I'll swap it out for Band of Brothers (ok, technically, it's not a movie but a TV mini-series).
"We're paratroopers, sir. We're supposed to be surrounded."
That's a MAN talkin'.
10. The Passion of the Christ
Great movie. I cried like a three-year-old girl when I saw it. However, not one I want to watch again (see Schindler's List, above).
9. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Ummn, no. I had a rather different reaction when E.T. came back to life ("Damn! Another hour to go!"). Instead, let's go with The Right Stuff:
That's more than a man, Ridley, that's Chuck Yeager.
8. The Green Mile
Never seen it, as I am psychologically adverse to Stephen King morality tales. Instead, I'll reveal my soft, tender underbelly by adding "Driving Miss Daisy" to the list. My Grandma was going thru the last stages of her life when this movie came out, and watching Morgan Freeman's continual and unreserved affection for Jessica Tandy just hits me right in the gut.
Every. Single. Time.
7. Saving Private Ryan
Oh. Heck. yes.
6. Pride of the Yankees
5. Rudy
4. Braveheart
As with Gladiator, it's the heartfelt longing for your soulmate that permeating both movies that really gets to me.
3. Brian’s Song
Okay, if Rudy was the male The Notebook, then this movie is definitely the male Terms of Endearment.
It's only funny 'cause...
2. Old Yeller
Yep. And I'm a cat person, too.
1. Field of Dreams
Not for James Earl Jones's speech, (though that is very good), or the father-son bonding at the end, but rather for Burt Lancaster's selfless act of saving the life of a little girl. Sometimes, we give up the dreams we want for better dreams that lie ahead.
I've never cried at any of these (too much emotionally repressed Finn and Kraut in my blood, I s'pose). I definitely got a lump in my throat at the ends of "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List", but no tears that I remember.
The only movie I can remember crying at was "Where the Red Fern Grows" when I was eight years old. (TWO dogs died in that one -- take that "Old Yeller"!)
Maybe I ought to see a shrink or something.
Reply to this
Gotcha beat on "Where the Red Fern Grows," Jon. When I was in the third grade, Mrs. Carlson read it to us over the course of the school year - and it was cool because the lead kid in the movie was a first cousin to a kid in our class. When the dogs died, I tried SO hard to not let Dana (the cutest girl in the class) see me cry - but I think she still did. There's one other really obvious guy tearjerker (and it couldn't be more contrived despite the fact that it extracted tears from me) and that's "Dad" with Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson. Manufactured sap, but it still got me.
Reply to this
I REALLY hate to admit it, but the Sound of Music does it for me. Every time.
Reply to this
I love this idea for a comment thread, like the "ultimate rock band" one a while back. I know there are movies that made me cry, but I can't think of any right away. I'll have to think about that. However, two thoughts come to mind.
When I was a kid, I used to cry every year when we'd watch The Wizard of Oz until the sixth grade. I just couldn't believe it when Dorothy left all of her cool new friends and wonderful kingdom to go back to drab old black & white Kansas. It just killed me! When the sad part was coming up, I would go lay in front of the TV so that, hopefully, no one would notice if (when) I cried. In fact in fourth or fifth grade, they let us watch it at school one day for some reason. I actually pinched myself and bit my tongue in order not to cry, to no avail. I was so embarassed! It was still my favorite movie though.
One thing that made me cry, unexpectedly, as an adult was the video for the song "Hurt" by Johnny Cash. It could still probably make me cry if I let it. It is an awesome production with incredible emotional impact, especially considering the short length of time it lasts. One part of me can enjoy it and appreciate its artistic qualities, but it also fills me with despair and I find the idea of watching it a bit dreadful and repellent.
Reply to this
All I remember about Oz is the flying monkeys giving me nightmares. And I agree on that Hurt video. It is SO incredible -- I just read his autobiography too. Here's a link to the video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
Reply to this
1. Field of Dreams
Exactly. I thought I was the only one.
Reply to this
What about at the end of "When Harry Met Sally" when Billy Crystal confessed his love to Meg Ryan? I cried like a little girl
Reply to this
Check out mah blog. I feel like we're kindred spirits.
www.stuffwhitedbagslike.wordpress.com
Reply to this
While I didn't come close to crying in it, I confess that The Green Mile is one of my favorites. It didn't review all that well, and was thought to be too long, but I thought it was well done.
What really made it for me was a spoiler that I wasn't aware of until after I'd seen it. If you're interested, I just put up a post with the spoiler at my place.
Reply to this
Good list! I went to watch Braveheart with my brother and I was so proud of him when he cried towards the end of the movie.
Watch latest movies in HD @ http://www.yayvideo.net
Reply to this
After watching Passion of the Christ, I swear never to do sinful things again. can't hold on to my promise though.
Reply to this