Posted on 01/15/2015 12:39:40 PM PST by DogByte6RER
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.
Yup, that one did it for me
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
.)
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
“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...
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...
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”.
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.
[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,…………………………………….
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!
For me its Blackhawk Down.
Taking Chance got to me.....
The Exorcist
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