We all have a favorite sad movie that we love to watch over and over again, whether it’s “Titanic” or “The Fault In Our Stars.” These movies will make you cry, which is why they’re so enjoyable.
They also teach us how to deal with our emotions in a healthy way- by crying them out. But everyone has their own preferences, so the following list of the best emotional movies in Hollywood to cry with should help you find your new favorite sob-fest.
Best Emotional Movies in Hollywood
1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The best movies to cry with come in all shapes and sizes. For example, “Saving Private Ryan” is the exact opposite of the romantic comedies we usually associate with crying.
This film follows a group of soldiers who are tasked with rescuing a soldier from behind enemy lines in World War II. The movie is violent and terrifying, but it’s also extremely emotional. The ending will make you scream and sob at the same time from relief and devastation.
Since it’s been almost 20 years since its release, “Saving Private Ryan,” has lost a lot of its ability to make people cry- which is why it’s not in the top 5 on this list. But if you want a gut-wrenching war movie to watch while eating your feelings, this is your best bet.
Where to watch: Netflix
2. Terms of Endearment (1983)
Terms of Endearment is one of the best emotional movies in Hollywood to cry with. Terms of Endearment is an American comedy-drama film released in 1983, based on Larry McMurtry’s novel published in 1975.
It stars Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine, with Debra Winger as their daughter. The story is about a mother who deals with her son’s death while raising her rebellious daughter.
With Terms of Endearment, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and then you’ll do it all over again.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
3. Titanic (1997)
Titanic (1997) is an American epic romantic disaster film by the famous director James Cameron about the RMS Titanic, a big British passenger liner that sunk in 1912 on its maiden voyage.
The storyline is based on the sinking of the ship and comprises about three hours at sea, where most of it takes place aboard this giant ocean liner.
If you love a good, old-fashioned weepy, “Titanic” is the movie for you. James Cameron’s epic about the doomed ship has everything that makes us cry: death, loss of loved ones, and an incredibly handsome lead in Leonardo DiCaprio. And when Kate Winslet tells Jack to “draw me like one of your French girls,” well, you know it’s time to grab some tissues.
4. A Walk To Remember (2002)
A Walk to Remember (2002) is a Hollywood romantic drama film that is inspired by a book with the same name. The movie was directed and produced by Adam Shankman, with Andrew Erwin and Michael Erwin as co-producers. It was released in 2002 and grossed $41 million worldwide on a $30 million budget.
The cast of A Walk to Remember includes Shane West, Mandy Moore, and Peter Coyote. The story is about a popular teenager named Landon who falls in love with Jamie (Moore), a quiet, introverted girl whom he tries to help when she is cast as the lead in the school play.
Although Jamie resists Landon’s attraction for her, his feelings are strong, and he helps her deal with some difficult issues in her past.
5. The Fault In Our Stars (2014)
The Fault In Our Stars is a tear-jerker, but it’s the best. The movie follows a teenage girl with cancer who falls in love with a boy who is also terminally ill. It’s an iconic tear-jerker that will have you crying from beginning to end.
The protagonist, Hazel Grace Lancaster, has a sharp sense of humor and deals with her terminal diagnosis in such an honest way that it’ll make you laugh and cry at the same time.
6. The Descendants (2011)
George Clooney plays Matt King, who must take his comatose wife’s place as the head of her family when she awakens from her coma. But he deals with anger and regrets about his past when his two daughters tell him they want him to sell their grandmother’s house on Kauai.
“The Descendants” will make you cry not only because it deals with grief but also because of how beautifully it does so.
7. Forrest Gump (1994)
Forrest Gump is a drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Wendy Finerman. The film stars Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, a man who has spent his whole life in Alabama. He looks back on his childhood days, from being a young boy to an old man. In the present day, he’s a kind-hearted and affable middle-aged man who lives in the fictional town of Greenbow, Alabama, with his mother, Jenny Gump.
Gump recounts his story to a stranger for the next thirty years about how he met a girl named Jenny Curran at school, fell in love, and eventually married her. He then tells everything that happened after that until he’s an old man.
8. Love and Friendship (2016)
Love and Friendship is a 2016 film based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name. It’s an absolute must for people who love period dramas that will make you cry. The film touches upon female friendships, love, and the difficulties that arise when one is thrust into the world of high society.
The movie stars Kate Beckinsale as Lady Susan Vernon, along with Emma Greenwell as Frederica, Morfydd Clark as Alicia Johnson, Jena Malone as Mrs. Vernon, Tom Bennett as Mr. Vernon, Christian Cooke as Mr. John Middleton, Jemma Redgrave as Lady Alicia Johnson, Alice Krige as Lady Montfort, and Hugh Skinner as Dr. Thomas Whitby.
9. The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook is a classic tear-jerker about a man who falls in love with a woman that he meets at the library.
It’s set during World War II and tells the story of their romance up until about 60 years later when they’re both elderly and married to other people. Though it may not be the most amazing movie ever made, it will make you cry for sure.
10. Life is beautiful (1997)
Life is Beautiful is an Italian film directed by Roberto Benigni. The film tells the story of Guido, an Italian book store owner, his young son Giosuè, and Dora, the Jewish woman who escaped from Auschwitz with them in 1944, after being separated from her family during the Nazi invasion of Poland.
The film explores themes such as love, hope, imagination, and human dignity in an oppressive setting. It uses both comedy and tragedy to tell its story. The movie has been praised for its unique humor as well as its accurate depiction of Nazi Germany.
Where to watch: Netflix
11. The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of Chris Gardner. He was a successful salesman who lost his job, and his wife left him. So he sets off with his son to find a new life for them.
The Pursuit of Happyness is an emotional roller coaster- you’ll feel so happy one minute and so sad the next. But it’s worth it because it teaches you that no matter what life throws your way, you can still be happy if you keep fighting for it.
It also teaches that family always comes before work-to clear evidence that Chris should have prioritized his family overwork.
Where to watch: Netflix
12. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
12 years a slave is a movie about a free black man in the North who is captured and sold into slavery in the Deep South. The movie stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong’o. It’s a gut-wrenching story filled with cruelty, inhumanity, and survival.
It’s a movie that makes you appreciate the life you have and want to do something to help others in need.
Where to watch: Netflix, Apple TV
13. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption is a story about the power of hope. It’s about a man who is wrongfully accused, thrown into jail, and spends his years making one bad decision after another until he finally realizes that hope is the only thing keeping him alive.
The movie has an important lesson for anyone who has ever felt lost or hopeless.
Where to watch: Netflix
14. Up (2009)
Up is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The movie tells the story of an old man named Carl Fredricksen who ties thousands of balloons to his home and sets off on a journey to fulfill his childhood dream of finding the site of long-ago explorer Charles Muntz’s Paradise Falls.
The movie starts with Carl, a grouchy old man, telling the story of his life to a little boy. He explains how he met and married Ellie after she was injured while they were serving in World War II. When Ellie died many years later, the only thing that gave him joy was their house, which he had filled with their collected memories and mementos and continued to live in despite its run-down condition. But when one day he hears construction workers saying that his neighborhood is being demolished for no reason, he gets angry at them and decides to take matters into his own hands.
The movie is a great example of how important it is to have hope in life. It’s about how you can overcome your fears and find happiness if you just believe in yourself.
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