Movies That Made Me Cry (Oh So Slightly)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Big Fish is the work of Tim Burton, before he was abducted by aliens and replaced with an otherworldly creature who doesn't know how to make a proper film. It's about the life of Edward Bloom, whose health is fading as he enters his old age.

The Boohoo Moment: Ed is seconds away from passing, and his son at last gets into tune with his old man, telling a fantastical tale about how the curtain will fall in Ed's life. We then see Ed's funeral. For this 10 minutes or so, I become an absolute WRECK, tears rolling down my cheeks and sobbing like a little girl.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Five years after their defeat at the hands of Thanos, who wiped out half of the universe's population with a single snap, a broken Avengers team reunite when they discover a possible way to undo the damage.

The Boohoo Moment: I... honestly can't list them all. I went early, when Scott comes home after escaping from the Quantum Realm, and meets his now-grown daughter who thought he was dead. I cried heavily when everybody assembles at the end to fight Thanos and his army; the "portals" sequence is fucking mindblowing, especially with ten years of cinematic weight behind it. But, it's the death of Tony Stark which gets me every damn time. Everything about it, from his death scene, to the reactions, to Tony's recorded message, and then the funeral. And then the film ends with Cap getting his girl; more waterworks. I lost half my body's water from crying while watching this film.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Another tear-jerker manufactured by Tim Burton, who was a genuinely skilful filmmaker back in his early days. It's about an artificial boy named Edward, who's found alone in a dank mansion after his inventor died. He's taken into society by a loving family, but not everything is peachy...

The Boohoo Moment: Oh Jesus, the entire finale. From the way Edward has to accept he can never live a normal life, to the reveal that Edward is responsible for all the snow that falls over the town.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: George Bailey is depressed, on the verge of ending his life. But his guardian angel, Clarence, descends from heaven to try and give George a boost to stop him from committing suicide.

The Boohoo Moment: The final scene in the movie, when the town shows their appreciation for George and pitch in cash to help... I'm a wreck no matter how many times I watch it. Then when George reads "No man is a failure who has friends," I can no longer hold back tears. I saw this movie in a cinema once, I was extremely affected by it.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Mickey Rourke plays a wrestler, who's way past his glory days and who struggles to make ends meet. When heart problems spell an end to his wrestling career forever, he tries to live a normal life, but finds he cannot.

The Boohoo Moment: The realisation that Randy The Ram cannot find solace outside of the ring started the waterworks. And when he enters the ring at the end, I knew I was about to break down. Then his final decisions sealed it, from his chat with Cassidy to the final shot of him taking a flying leap...

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Carl is a grumpy old man after having lost his beloved wife Ellie. On the verge of being evicted from his precious house, Carl attaches hundreds of balloons, lifting his home into the sky and allowing him to fly to the place he's yearned to visit since childhood, Paradise Falls.

The Boohoo Moment: There is not just one moment that makes me cry. The extended montage of Ellie and Carl's life together absolutely destroys me; they learn they cannot have kids, and Ellie's health deteriorates. Watching her stumble and fall from failing health just as Carl planned to surprise her with a picnic... I became a blubbering wreck. Her eventual death topped it off. I did not know a cartoon could affect me so gravely. There's another beautiful scene in the third act when Carl looks over his "Adventure Book", and realises that Ellie considered their life together an adventure. She also writes "Now go and have your own adventure". Oh my God. Then at the end, when Carl's relationship with the kid is cemented and he gives him "The Ellie Badge"... I lost it again. Goddamn you, Pixar. YOU OWN MY SOUL!

The Story: This "cancer comedy" is about Adam, a young man diagnosed with a form of cancer. The film follows Adam as he tries to deal with the situation, but it takes a toll on his life.

The Boohoo Moment: Too many moments to list. I cried the hardest when Adam is about to be taken to surgery, and he's pried away from his mother who's not ready to let her son be taken to the operating suite. The sequence that follows...it destroys me.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Set in 19th century England, it's the story of John Merrick, a severely deformed man who tries to develop some dignity with the help of the kindly Dr. Frederick Treves.

The Boohoo Moment: Several moments throughout, but the most notable is the ending, when Merrick dies. It's extremely affecting.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: At last, after so many years, we return to Andy's room, where his old toys are sadly neglected now. The toys are accidentally donated to a day-care centre, but they find that the place is under the tyrannical rule of a sinister bear.

The Boohoo Moment: Andy decides to give his toys to a little girl, and finds that his good pal Woody is inside the box as well, which he did not plan. He realises he needs to grow up, and finally part himself from his best friend in the world. His epiphany, and subsequent play session with all his old toys, left me with tears rolling down my cheeks.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: The toys are still with Bonnie after the events of Toy Story 3. Alienated on her first day of school, Bonnie makes a new toy she calls "Forky", whom Woody swears to protect at all costs for Bonnie's sake. And when Bonnie's family goes on a road trip, the toys encounter something unexpected.

The Boohoo Moment: Surprise, surprise, Pixar got the waterworks out of me again. It initially looks as if Woody will farewell Bo, and I thought I was going to simply be slightly sad, buuuut then the film goes in another direction and Woody farewells his long-time friends. The gang as we know it lost its leader. That is something I just wasn't ready to see. Cue crying uncontrollably.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Scrubs ran for 8 seasons (proper seasons, that is), and is about a young medical intern, JD, who prospers at his job, learns stuff about life, makes friends, and so on.

The Boohoo Moment: This is a TV show, and it has a number of episodes that are powerful. But the most notable tear-jerking moment is the season 8 finale. I've embedded the video below for you to watch. When I saw this for the first time, I cried like a baby.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Young Miguel loves music, but it is banned in his household by order of his mother. After discovering that deceased musician Ernesto de la Cruz might be his grandfather, Miguel is drawn into an adventure in the afterlife, where he meets many of his deceased relatives, and befriends a stranger named Hector.

The Boohoo Moment: Oh geez. A couple of moments get me throughout, including the reveal that Miguel and Hector are related, but it's the whole ending that turns me into a weeping wreck. After being unresponsive for so long, Mama Coco finally springs to life and starts talking, reminiscing about her papa. It's such a beautifully realised moment that will strike a chord in certain viewers who can relate to it. And then the epilogue, when Mama Coco is reunited with her parents in the afterlife, and they are shown with the living family. I was not ready for that at the cinema.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against tough Russian opponent Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago who killed Adonis' father in the ring over 30 years prior.

The Boohoo Moment: A few little moments throughout made me feel certain emotions, but it was the ending which truly got me. The overarching theme of the ending, with fathers and sons coming together and bonding, is so powerful, but it was Rocky seeing his grandson, pointing out how much he looks like Adrian, and then being welcomed in by his son which had me sobbing uncontrollably. No matter how much I try to prepare myself for the ending, as soon as Robert invites Rocky inside, my eyes leak.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story: After the fall of the Empire, a bounty hunter traverses the outer reaches of the galaxy and breaks his personal beliefs to adopt an infant child of an unknown species. The child yearns to return to his rightful people, and the Mandalorian tries to facilitate this.

The Boohoo Moment: I know, I'm cheating again with another TV show, but it doesn't make it any less valid. We're talking specifically about Season 2. I cried with joy when Boba Fett appeared with his armour reclaimed; the subsequent fight scene is something I watch regularly. But it was the finale that really got me going. Seeing Luke Skywalker slash his way through a platoon of robotic opponents was incredibly special, and Grogu's farewell is another hugely emotional moment.