Top 10 Movies That Unexpectedly Made You Ugly Cry
#10: “Legends of the Fall” (1994)
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“Legends of the Fall” is an epic western that starts out establishing the bond between brothers Tristan, Samuel, and Alfred. This dynamic is interrupted permanently when all three fall for a woman named Susannah. The constant heartbreak between the characters is complicated further with the backdrop of the Great War that claims Samuel’s life. In the aftermath of that tragedy, Alfred and Tristan’s fight over Susannah ends up destroying any chances of people walking away happy. As we follow their journeys from start to finish, we’re reminded of how close the family once were and how far they’ve fallen since. What seemed like another action-packed western surprisingly took us on a very sad journey.
#9: “I Am Legend” (2007)
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It’s always difficult to watch an animal perish onscreen. But it’s even more painful when they’re the only friend the protagonist has. In “I Am Legend,” protagonist Robert Neville is seemingly the only human survivor in Manhattan in a city full of mutated people. He gets through the lows of his isolation with his loyal dog Sam. So, the audience knew they were in for a real tearjerker when Robert’s loyal dog Sam is infected. With no other options, the seemingly last human survivor is forced to put Sam down. This act shatters Robert’s heart into pieces. We definitely weren’t anticipating a movie advertised as an action-centric zombie-like story to get so emotional. Yet, Sam and Robert’s story still hurts us today.
#8: “Dead Poets Society” (1989)
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In “Dead Poets Society,” Robin William’s character John Keating inspires the students of Welton Academy to pursue their own desires. The members of the unsanctioned group take to Keating’s guidance and begin to defy their domineering teachers and parents. However, this tale has far from an uplifting ending. Keating is ultimately blamed for the death of a student who takes his own life because of his controlling father. This injustice comes out of nowhere and Keating is devastated to be fired from his job. While the remaining students give him a final tribute, but their future is bleak because the one person who believed in them is now gone. Unlike most Robin Williams movies, this one doesn’t end with a lot of laughter.
#7: “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)
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This superhero film was heavily marketed as a comedy in all the previews. So, not many audience members were expecting to get a heart-wrenching scene right out of the gate. The movie opens with a young Peter Quill’s spending time with his mother in her last moments. . Although he grows up to become the wisecracking Star-Lord, the opening scene shows that he uses humor to push down the grief of his mother’s loss. “Guardians of the Galaxy” fools viewers into a false sense of security again with a hilarious story of the group’s team-up…before one of their members makes the ultimate sacrifice. With just three words, Guardian Groot ushers in another moment for fans to cry their hearts out.
#6: “Arrival” (2016)
During this science-fiction drama, linguist Louise Banks is enlisted to communicate with aliens who arrive for an unknown purpose. We’re initially led to believe that Louise is a depressed mother who’s lost her daughter. For many viewers, this scene itself serves as an unexpectedly sad introduction because it’s such a low point to start with. However, the true emotional gut-punch arrives at the end. It turns out that all the interactions we’ve seen between Louise and her daughter are flashforwards to the future. Her encounters with aliens let her learn that she is fated to mourn the loss of her child. Sadly, Louise sets the audience herself up for an unbearable gut punch that no one was ready for.
#5: “Click” (2006)
Giving Adam Sandler a remote that can skip time sounds like a set up for a quirky film, right? Well, not exactly. Sandler’s character Michael has fun with the universal remote until he starts automatically skipping over important parts of his life. The laughs screech to a halt when he witnesses the last interaction he had with his father. Because the remote put Michael’s emotions on autopilot, he’s cold to his dad in their last meeting. Things only get more depressing when he fast forwards to the point where he’s near death. As he lies in the pouring rain surrounded by an estranged family, he asks his son not to repeat his mistakes. Fortunately, the rain hid our tears as we cried over this comedy.
#4: “Toy Story 3” (2010)
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The first two “Toy Story” movies follow the adventures of Andy’s sentient toys as they try to be there for the boy throughout his childhood. “Toy Story 3” still follows Woody and the rest while revolving around Andy moving on from the toys now that he’s grown up. While there are various moments where the audience is encouraged to laugh, the film’s ending is nearly impossible to watch without welling up. When Andy decides to hand over his toys to young Bonnie, parting with his favorite toy Sheriff Woody seems too difficult. He eventually hands the toy over while pouring his heart out over the toy’s importance to him. To make matters more sad, Woody says a goodbye to Andy that is never heard.
#3: “About Time” (2013)
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For the most part, “About Time” is a feel-good story about Tim Lake’s life. He uses his time-traveling powers in search of love and fulfillment. The film depicts Tim’s loving relationship with his father James, his eventual marriage to Mary, and having kids of his own. All’s well until James passes away. The mourning protagonist desperately wants more time with his dad. But since traveling back in time to help James would prevent his children’s births, Tim has no choice but to say goodbye for good. The father-son duo are understandably distraught and decide to relive a cherished memory from Tim’s childhood. Although they get one more moment together, the fact that they’ll never see each other again makes it incredibly bittersweet.
#2: “Cast Away” (2000)
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“Cast Away” is designed for us to feel sorry for protagonist Chuck Noland, who’s trapped on an island for four years. But its focus on survival instincts and endurance lulled us into a false sense of security. However, we should’ve known something was up when Chuck befriends a volleyball and names him Wilson. Near the climax, Chuck finds a way to escape the island. Everything is going well until Wilson starts to drift away. Since the volleyball was his only friend for so long, Chuck is devastated when they’re separated. Watching Chuck cry his heart out is devastating. Although Wilson wasn’t real, his loss cuts as deep as the loss of a relative.
#1: “Bridge to Terabithia” (2007)
The bulk of “Bridge to Terabithia” is about Jess and Leslie’s growing relationship. During the story, the school outcasts become friends who visit the fantasy world of Terabithia beyond a creek. Both characters gradually find happiness in each other’s company and their lives begin to take a positive turn as they lose themselves in the fiction. But all that comes crashing down when Jess finds out that Leslie has died while traveling to the creek alone. After learning about his friend’s demise, Jess begins to blame himself. The story essentially ends with him hoping he can move on. If you went into this fantasy film without knowing the twist, there’s no way to have known this fantasy film would spiral into grim reality.
