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Which Movies Make Grown Men Cry?
FiveThirtyEight.com ^ | January 12, 2015 | Walt Hickey

Posted on 01/15/2015 12:39:40 PM PST by DogByte6RER

movie reels photo: movie reels ist2_4541031-film-coming-out-of-its-reel.jpg

Which Movies Make Grown Men Cry?

After an evening at Grassroots Tavern, some friends and I got into a heated argument about “Love Actually,” which I contend is a good movie. This eventually became a slightly less heated argument about which movies make people cry. The consensus was that everyone has at least one movie that gets them. The lone dissenter was my friend Alex Kaufman, who claimed he had never cried during a movie. After we listed approximately half the films on IMDb, he eventually recanted, saying that “Saving Private Ryan” had, at points, briefly broken his steely resolve. This leads us to this week’s question:

What movies make people cry the most?

I asked SurveyMonkey Audience, which conducts polls for us from time to time, to ask people what films — if any — had ever made them cry, or at least made them choke up a bit. Respondents could volunteer up to five films.

About 92 percent of the 665 respondents said a movie had made them cry. The dry-eyed 8 percent were asked whether a movie had ever at least gotten them misty-eyed or choked up. A little more than half of them conceded that yes, they had been close to crying before. Call this the “Alex Kaufman Group.”

Still, this leaves us with 4 percent of respondents — about 1 in 25 — who have never been moved even close to tears by any film. Such stoic souls are rare, but they do exist.

Here are the biggest tear-jerker films, with the number of times they were mentioned. In total, 596 films were mentioned 2,615 times.

But men and women don’t tear up at the same films. Looking at films with more than five mentions, there are several that stick out.

“Field of Dreams,” “Rudy,” “Brian’s Song” and “We Were Soldiers” were the most likely to be listed by men rather than women. On the other end of the spectrum, “Beaches,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Steel Magnolias” and “A Walk To Remember” skewed heavily female.

I also asked about the relative tear-jerker-ness of different genres. It’s somewhat interesting to zero in on the 523 respondents for whom we have gender data.

Finally, I inquired about television shows and novels to see whether those were any more likely to cry.

Only 29 percent of male respondents admitted they had ever been brought to tears by a novel, which probably means our civilization is in desperate need for more books about World War II. What’s more, 61 percent of dudes said they have never been brought to tears by a television show or miniseries.

A final note of a personal nature: To the single respondent who listed “Jurassic Park” as a film that has brought them to tears, I need you to contact me as soon as possible. I’m pretty sure you’re my soulmate.

Jurassic Park T Rex photo original_zpsa57613bc.gif


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous; Society; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: atthemovies; film; hollywood; menarefrommars; movies; tearjerker; top10; womenarefromvenus
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To: caww
While typing Schindler's List he kept demanding..."More" more"..


61 posted on 01/15/2015 1:37:46 PM PST by caww
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To: raybbr

Yup, that one did it for me


62 posted on 01/15/2015 1:38:29 PM PST by AbnSarge
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To: Alex Murphy; dfwgator
>> Starship Troopers 2.
>
> My God man, have you no soul?

I made my little brother, active duty Army doing ATC watch it with me… does that answer your question?
(Note: It's a little brother so, as a big brother, I'm obligated to find ways to torment him… like when confirming a sequence of numbers throwing in an eight-er.)

63 posted on 01/15/2015 1:40:48 PM PST by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: DogByte6RER

A relative who is not even religious cried at “The Passion of Christ.” His wife said it is the only movie that made him cry.


64 posted on 01/15/2015 1:42:24 PM PST by Jane Austen (Boycott Mexico)
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To: Charles Martel

Below is a good link. It is in a movie related to baseball and to me is one of the best scenes in film.

It shows how foundational the love of a good woman can be to a man, even when unseen or distant. Watch it an give me your opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0lof7tFKtE


65 posted on 01/15/2015 1:45:23 PM PST by KC Burke (I know my screen name says KC but I'm in AZ now!)
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To: mware

I don’t think I have ever cried from watching a movie but a few have made my eyes a little misty.

Interestingly, you mentioned the only one I can recall off hand. Wee Willie Winky, where Shirley Temple is singling “Auld lang Syne” at Sgt, McDuff’s funeral.


66 posted on 01/15/2015 1:52:04 PM PST by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I What am persuaded.)
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To: DogByte6RER

Walt Disney’s “Dumbo” where he says goodbye to his mother who is chained up for trying to protect him from the nasty clowns. Hated clowns ever since


67 posted on 01/15/2015 2:05:35 PM PST by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: Cowman
The last free man in America vs the big blue meanies on wheels.

Classic line of the movie right there.

Ok, I am sold. That is what I am watching tonight :) Seeing I-70 under construction before Grand Junction, CO brings back some memories.

68 posted on 01/15/2015 2:07:08 PM PST by MAKOTHEDOG
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To: DogByte6RER
I weep near the end of 1958's A Night To Remember. The scene when the band members regroup after parting to continue playing as the ship goes down, rather than trying to find themselves a lifeboat.

The other scene that gets the water flowing is of the lost little boy calling out "mummy, mummy," and the old man, a waiter from 1st Class I think, finds him and takes his hand to "find his mummy." Sadly, both are fated to be among the last people to go down with the ship. "Don't tread on this boy! Don't tread on this boy!" Gets me even now.

69 posted on 01/15/2015 2:07:12 PM PST by Oratam
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To: caww

“Schindler’s List” ending did me in.

For me, it was the text at the VERY end.

He was named Righteous Among the Nations by the Israeli government in 1963.

To be named A Righteous Man by the Israeli government is a distinction that, for me, outranks the Congressional Medal of Honor...


70 posted on 01/15/2015 2:10:12 PM PST by Paisan
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To: Paisan
Well the entire movie had many tear jerking moments ....it's one of my favorite movies....the acting is fabulous and the story line well presented. YEs, Schindler was honored for what he did...rightfully so. The more you look at what happened then, before and after, and the German leadership, the more you see why things happened as they did. But nothing can justify the mas killings. Which BTW...We have in our country our own industrial genocide operating every day-24/7-of which Hitlers effort was the template...Abortion Law/Ethanasia. though it's been renamed.."Death with Dignity". 
71 posted on 01/15/2015 2:19:45 PM PST by caww
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To: DogByte6RER

I don’t know that any movie ever made me cry but a line in a song that happened to be playing during a movie got me close “...my son will wear the Green Beret...and silver wings...upon his chest...


72 posted on 01/15/2015 2:22:18 PM PST by TalBlack (Evil doesn't have a day job.)
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To: DogByte6RER

I can’t believe no one listed this one: “Bryan’s Song” with James Caan and Billy Dee Williams.

I kind of tear up at the ending of “The Greatest Game Ever Played”.


73 posted on 01/15/2015 2:25:02 PM PST by Fledermaus (RINO FReepers are delusional and come January 2015 will take it up the *** again when the GOPe caves)
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To: caww

Worst movie for me was “I am Sam” a story about a mentally disabled man fighting for custody of his child.I was involved in a bitter custody fight of my own and it hit way too close to home.

2nd worse.”What dreams may come” with robin williams as a man in heaven trying to save his wife from hell.The scenes with his children and dog are tortuous.

3rd choice.”Patch Adams” also starring Robin Williams.Both of these movies showed me that he was a real actor.


74 posted on 01/15/2015 2:33:23 PM PST by Craftmore
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To: DogByte6RER
We're Americans, with a capital 'A', huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts! Here's proof: his nose is cold! But there's no animal that's more faithful, that's more loyal, more loveable than the mutt. Who saw "Old Yeller?" Who cried when Old Yeller got shot at the end?

[Sarcastically] Nobody cried when Old Yeller got shot? I'm sure. [hands are reluctantly raised]

I cried my eyes out. So we're all dogfaces, we're all very, very different,…………………………………….

75 posted on 01/15/2015 2:35:25 PM PST by Stand Watch Listen (When the going gets tough...the Low Information President Obola (LIPO) goes golfing)
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To: jmacusa

Bogie! quite a bit before my time but my son took a liking to his movies and the big band era. He should have really been born before his time!


76 posted on 01/15/2015 2:42:48 PM PST by caww
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To: Stand Watch Listen

77 posted on 01/15/2015 2:43:34 PM PST by Interesting Times (WinterSoldier.com. SwiftVets.com. ToSetTheRecordStraight.com.)
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To: DogByte6RER

For me its Blackhawk Down.


78 posted on 01/15/2015 2:48:08 PM PST by 2CAVTrooper (Je suis Charlie!)
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To: DogByte6RER

Taking Chance got to me.....


79 posted on 01/15/2015 2:50:10 PM PST by billphx
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To: DogByte6RER

The Exorcist


80 posted on 01/15/2015 2:59:55 PM PST by VMI70
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