Less than manly movie moments, or tear-jerkers as they are otherwise known. Movies that make men cry, for whatever reason.
Men don’t like to admit it, but sometimes we do shed a few tears when times get rough, like when you bang your finger with a hammer, or stub that toe on the frakking chair leg over and over again. During those times, the crying tends to be accompanied by major cursing, the occasional throwing of objects and maybe the kicking of dogs.
However, there are other times we cry. These are the ones we usually don’t admit to. Puppies, new gadgets, Oprah, Blu-Ray winning.
The biggest one however is movies. Men don’t cry at movies, or so they say, but it’s not true. At least, not for me. And if you say it is true for you, yer lying.
I married into a huge family of criers. My wife cries, her parents cry and her sister cries. Before we were married, I remember sitting in a movie called My Life watching all of them with tears streaming down their faces while I wondered what was going on. That’s the moment I first remember crying in an adult movie, thanks to them.
Things have changed drastically these almost 10 years of being married into that family. My tears come a bit more freely than they used to and they’ve also revealed memories of crying that I’d blocked out.
And for the most part, when men talk about crying, it’s usually just eyes welling up with tears. We’re not talking about free-flowing, nose-blowing crying here.
The occasional escaped trickle at most.
I was over at Flick Lists awhile back when he posted that his 79th favorite film of all-time was Rudy. It got me thinking about how weepy everyone gets at the end of that movie and I wondered what movies I’ve cried at during my life.
So I tried to make a list, with my wife pointing out times she knew I was and I pretended not to be. This is what I ended up with. It’s sorted in reverse order from the latest to the first one I could remember having any moment of slight teary eyes during.
I hope you enjoy it, even if some of you wont admit it.
Guys I mean.
(Moments of crying ranked on a scale of 1-5)
Top 21 Tear-Jerkers or Less Than Manly Movie Moments
21) Juno
You may ask how you could cry in this movie, because it was so dang funny, but the end got me pretty good. My wife and I have had our own troubles having children, so the scene at the end with Jennifer Garner hit us in the right spot. Great movie, thanks for the tears.
Tear Flow Factor - 2
20) Pursuit of Happyness
Yeah, so two parts of this movie brought tears to my eyes. When Will Smith and his son are sleeping in a subway restroom because they have no place to go. Awful, awful, awful.
And the end, when he eventually lands the job you know he’s getting. His face is so good in that scene, you know Smith is a great actor.
Tear Flow Factor: 4
19) United 93
It’s pretty interesting, but I didn’t shed a tear until the very end of this film. If you haven’t seen it yet, the movie is about United 93, the hijacked plane on 9/11 that never made it to its destination because of the men on board who became instant American heroes. They tried to take over the plane from the hijackers, which resulted in the crash.
The build-up was great, but it wasn’t until they showed the cockpit and the men looking out as the plane hit the ground that you felt your insides swell up trying to hold it back. The sight of what they did was awe-inspiring.
Tear Flow Factor - 2.5
18) The Notebook
Are you frakking kidding me? This movie was MADE to make people cry, that’s the only reason I can think why it was made. Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner…the old lady…ugh, this one hit major home for me. I had a grandfather pass away last year from Alzheimers and I know a bit about the toll it took on my grandma and aunt who took care of him. Brutal stuff.
Tear Flow Factor - 5
17) Lost in Translation
Some of you may scratch your head on this one, but with the way the movie hit me and totally brought me into the situation they were in, I got a bit choked up at the end when they had to part ways.
Tear Flow Factor - 1.5
16) Shawshank Redemption
There was a lot in this movie, it was deep, heavy and uplifting. There were two key moments in this one for me, the first being when the old man died on the outside because he couldn’t deal with it after being in prison something like 60 years. Geez…
And then the end…”I hope I find my friend…I hope…”
So good…and moving.
Tear Flow Factor - 2.5
15) Saving Private Ryan
Ugh, I’ve only seen this film once and I’ll bet that’s all I will ever be able to do. It really stuck with me for days after. My wife didn’t have the same reaction and I told her it might be something you get as a guy, when you can immediately form bonds with other men in times when you have to work together, be it like a team sport or even warfare like Private Ryan.
I don’t remember specifics but I know this one had the tears going at a few occasions. Gut-wrenching stuff.
Tear Flow Factor - 5
14) Life if Beautiful
Another great, amazing film, one that you need to see if you haven’t. All in subtitles, I forgot about them about 30 minutes into the movie and felt like I could truly understand the language. It’s a Nazi holocaust film with Roberto Benini and it’s got some horribly sad moments.
Tear Flow Factor - 4
13) Philadelphia
Tom Hanks was amazing in this as an AIDS victim and I’ve only seen it through once, maybe twice, and so I don’t remember too many moments, but I recall it being awesome and somehow it invoked quite a few tears from me.
Tear Flow Factor - 2.5
12) Schindlers List
I don’t know if I really even need to say much about this movie that most of you don’t already know. There was much crying here…
Tear Flow Factor - 5+
11) Braveheart
I believe I cried in a few places in Braveheart, like when his wife gets killed, but mainly it’s the end when he’s up there having his guts ripped open…and then the final scene with the charge. “And they won their freedom.”
That’s always gets me. Bravo William Wallace!
Tear Flow Factor - 4
10) It’s a Wonderful Life
The whole end of this movie is so happy that you can’t help but get tears in your eyes. When his brother shows up, and then people start dumping money all over the place, and Mary Tyler Moore Donna Reed is crying…yes, I cried with you Mary.
Tear Flow Factor - 2.5
9) Glory
Was an amazing film and the sacrifice at the end with their charge that was totally doomed.
Tear Flow Factor - 3
Titanic
Freaking cry-fest here. Loved the movie of course and had the tears to prove it. Everyone dying, Rose letting Jack fall into the water, then the end when she has all the pictures up of all she did in life because of Jack, and then dying at the end…stop it, I’m about to cry just writing this.
Tear Flow Factor - 5
7) Rudy
If you can watch this movie and not cry at the end, then you must have stone for a heart. I’ve never seen the end without blubbering like a baby. In fact whenever it’s on, I usually try to avoid it because I know what will happen: A leaky faucet known as Mike.
Tear Flow Factor - 5
6) My Life
Michael Keaton plays a guy with cancer making a video for his unborn child. I wasn’t married when I saw this, but shared the story above of looking down the aisle and seeing my soon-to-be in-laws all bawling. And then I started up as well.
Good movie, completely sad and depressing.
Tear Flow Factor - 5
5) The Journey of Natty Gann
We’re now getting into the younger years of my life and I have no idea why I remember this movie as being sad. I think it has to do with the fact that there was a dog in it, actually a wolf, and she sends him back into the wild at the end. I love dogs and as a kid, that just messed me up!
Tear Flow Factor - 3
4) E.T.
I didn’t want E.T. to go back home, I wanted him to stay with me and thus I cried when he got on that ship and took off.
Don’t worry though, he’ll always be…”right….hereeee.”
Tear Flow Factor - 4
3) Old Yeller
Remember the dog/wolf crying in Natty Gann above? These next few movies start having the same theme. If you saw Old Yeller, then you cried, I don’t care who you are. People who make dogs die in movies are just cruel people.
Tear Flow Factor - 5
2) The Neverending Story
What? Why this one?
Because Atreyu’s horse Artax dies in the swamp by sinking into quicksand and as a little kid, that was just horrifying! I bawled, and my dad laughed at me.
Tear Flow Factor - 4
1) Bambi
Yeah, my earliest memory of crying in a movie was Bambi and I think it happened right off the bat when his mom dies. I don’t remember much about this movie because I don’t think I’ve seen it since. I kind of refuse to revisit those old feelings from my childhood.
Stupid animals dying always get to me.
—
So that’s my insane list of 21 moments I can remember where I was less than manly and pretty much cried like a girl.
What about you? Did you cry in any of these? Do you have any movies that aren’t on my list?
Sissy.
I’m just kidding.
Not really, though.
Yeah, I’m kidding. No I’m not.
Your list made me cry.
Stop telling our manly secrets.
Donna Reed played Mary Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life.
Dang it, I knew that…I was just filling some spots and for some reason went with that.
I think her name being Mary threw me off
Thanks Jason.
Great and courageous
list Mike. I admit it, almost all of the movies I have seen on this list made me at least tear up a little bit. In particular, Saving Private Ryan. When Private Ryan asks his wife to tell him he is a good man, wow.
Saving Private Ryan is not a manly movie? For clarity, if it has explosions, its manly!!
War movies can get me. Saving Private Ryan and United 93 got me. But Glory I thought was too contrived and Braveheart’s historical inaccuracies bugged me too much.
Cap’n, that movie IS manly, but the point is….do you consider crying manly?
Steven, I may have to watch that movie again, because I don’t remember much about it really. It had a ton of great actors in it though.
I like the list, but I’d have different ratings. Private Ryan…huge tearjerker. Shawhank? Great movie, but not a tearjerker.
Scott, hence the tear flow factor…only a 2.5 on Shawshank, but a 5 on Private Ryan
Natty Gann!! Oh I loved that movie when I was younger. Not that I can really comment since I’m a girl and I cry at many many movies. One I always cry at is The Sound Of Music when the father sings Edelweiss at the end. Ugh. And The Pianist for the same reasons as Schindler’s List, beautifully human and heartbreaking. Great post Mike!
Nicky, nice call in The Pianist, that is such an underrated movie.
What… no “Sleepless in Seattle”?
I can water the lawn every time my wife and two daughters put the damn movie on! Doesn’t phase me a b-b-b-bit though.
Return To Me? I can’t remember if it was cry worthy. My wife made me watch it so many times it lost all meaning…
Old Yeller and Schindler’s List definitely.
Seriously - if you don’t cry during Old Yeller then you probably are not alive.
How about Where the Red Fern Grows”? That was a tear-jerker too.
I don’t know about the Pianist, but The Piano should get you watering up as well.
I cried during The Libertine, but that was only because it sucked so bad and I missed my money…
Sleepless in Seattle…I think that’s a Tear Flow Factor of maybe 1.
Return to Me, a good one I missed…that was some serious flowage going on.
Never seen the Piano Ape, might need to.
Not a great movie - but a good story - just keep the Kleenex handy.
Ive never seen the Piano Ape either, is that the sequel to Piano?
No - that would have been the Harp…
At the risk of alienating myself, when I was a kid I cried during a movie NOBODY cries during. It was just after graduating from high school (a busy week since my girlfriend had dumped me by that point as well). I was getting ready to go to film school, and I went and saw a little film called Jurassic Park.
That opening shot of the brontosaur was nothing less than spectacular, because in my head, I’m telling myself, “You can do THIS in the movies? Oh my freaking God.” That was a pivotal moment in my choice of life path, and yes, I teared up a lot during that scene.
That’s cool Michael….I’ve been known to tear up at cool things, not just sad scenes in movies.
From IMDB:
Jimmy Dugan: Evelyn, could you come here for a second? Which team do you play for?
Evelyn Gardner: Well, I’m a Peach.
Jimmy Dugan: Well I was just wonderin’ why you would throw home when we got a two-run lead. You let the tying run get on second base and we lost the lead because of you. Start using your head. That’s the lump that’s three feet above your ass.
[Evelyn starts to cry]
Jimmy Dugan: Are you crying? Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING? There’s no crying! THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!
Doris Murphy: Why don’t you give her a break, Jimmy…
Jimmy Dugan: Oh, you zip it, Doris! Rogers Hornsby was my manager, and he called me a talking pile of pigshit. And that was when my parents drove all the way down from Michigan to see me play the game. And did I cry?
Evelyn Gardner: No, no, no.
Jimmy Dugan: NO. NO. And do you know why?
Evelyn Gardner: No…
Jimmy Dugan: Because there’s no crying in baseball. THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL! No crying!
Awesome, Ape
I still love League of their Own, although Tom Hanks makes it great.
i am crying right now i loved the notebook i cried like a baby though most of the movie. rudy good to know another guy to blubbers. so you are not alone i love a cry over movies
[...] but I also don’t think guys hate them as much as they say they do. Just like how we don’t admit we cry at movies, we also have probably seen a musical we secretly loved. Or at least, no one saw us tapping our [...]