63 Movies Guaranteed to Make You Cry Every Time

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Every movie genre offers some form of catharsis, whether it’s nonstop laughs or heart-stopping scares, but there’s just something special about a film that can give you a good cry. There’s no shortage of tearjerkers out there, from love stories, war stories, LGBTQ stories, coming-of-age stories, biopics, family stories, to the always heartbreaking classics that celebrate the fleeting and beautiful nature of life. So if you need a film that will have you sobbing into your popcorn bowl, this is the list to browse through, and there really is something to pluck on everyone’s heartstrings.

Scroll below for 63 of the best and saddest movies to watch the next time you really need to get in your feelings. You’ll feel so much better after the credits roll.

Past Lives (2023)

When Nora was a child, her family emigrated from South Korea to the U.S., setting her on a different trajectory than she was raised to expect. During the move, left behind her childhood friend Hae Sung, a boy who grew into the kind of man that she could have fallen in love with. Decades later, Hae Sung finds Nora in New York City where she's living a life with someone already, but their connection makes them both question what could have been without destiny interceding. It’s both a romance and a heartbreak, all in one movie. —Aimée Lutkin

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Atonement (2007)

Based on a book of the same named by English novelist Ian McEwan, the film opens as a romance between Cecilia Tallis, played by Keira Knightley, and Robbie Turner, portrayed by James McAvoy. The young pair dance around one another, struggling to admit their feelings. The night things finally come to a head, they’re split apart by a dramatic act of violence coupled with a confused lie from Cecilia's little sister. Soon, they’re moved even farther apart by the beginning of World War II. This gorgeously shot film is about love, class, fate, and how some mistakes can never be set right. —AL

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Grave of the Fireflies (1989)

From the famed Studio Ghibli, this animated film is so beautiful, viewers might be surprised by the devastating tale it brings to life. The story follows Seita, a teenager caring for his younger sister, Setsuko, after they’re separated from their parents during a firebombing by American forces. This World War II drama becomes a story of survival as they struggle to stay alive and together against all odds. Ultimately, the pair represent the horrors of war and in particular the victimization of children caught up in circumstances beyond their control. —AL

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Forrest Gump (1994)

Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) is different from other people, but his mother (Sally Field) has never made him feel that way. He fights in the Vietnam War, captains a shrimp boat, and runs across America, but the only thing he really cares about is the affection of his childhood sweetheart, Jenny (Robin Wright). —Hilary Weaver

Blue Valentine (2010)

Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) appear to have the perfect marriage—from the outside looking in. But upon closer inspection, it seems this couple is coming up against obstacles that might end their storybook romance. —HW

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

In 1983, 17-year-old Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) spends the summer with his family in Italy. Soon, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a doctoral student who’s interning for Elio’s father, shows up and changes Elio’s world. The two unexpectedly fall in love and leave us all in tears—and with the best existential fireplace scene ever featured on film. —HW

The Hours (2002)

Get ready to write a queer theory paper on this one. The Hours is the story of three women searching for more meaningful lives while facing demons of their own. One of these women is Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), whose book Mrs. Dalloway inspires the two other women, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) and Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep) as they are experience circumstances that parallel Woolf’s famous work.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

Marianne is an artists who has been commissioned to paint a wedding portrait of a willful young woman. After days of socially distant walks and subtle flirting, they fall for each other. But just a warning: This is 1770, and PFLAG isn’t exactly a thing yet. —HW

My Sister's Keeper (2009)

Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin) is a bone marrow donor for her older sister, who is gravely ill. Anna sues her parents for emancipation, and her entire family might fall apart as a result. Cameron Diaz might not have been able to cry in The Holiday, but this film, in which she stars, gives her plenty of reason. —HW

P.S. I Love You (2007)

As a teenager studying abroad in Europe Holly (Hilary Swank) meets charming Irishman Gerry Kennedy (Gerard Butler). They get married and have a passionate romance until Gerry dies young. Holly is devastated, but it turns out Gerry left her a few letters before he died, and their adventure together isn’t quite over. Bonus: Butler (who’s from Scotland) really pulls off the charismatic Irish type. —HW

The Spectacular Now (2013)

Sutter (Miles Teller) and Aimee (Shailene Woodley) meet after Aimee finds Sutter passed out on her front lawn after a drunken night. They come from different worlds, but they teach each other something neither of them knew about life. Yes, it's a familiar story, but if you’re looking for a good cry, this movie will supply it. —HW

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Chris Gardner (Will Smith) and his young son (Jaden Smith) have been evicted from their apartment with nowhere to go. Chris takes on an unpaid internship and does everything he can to ensure that his little family has a better life. —HW

Good Will Hunting (1998)

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has an impressively high IQ but work as a janitor at MIT. After school hours, Will solves an impossible math equation and his talent is discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård). But after Will gets arrested, he promises to get help from therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). —HW

One True Thing (1998)

This movie was adapted from a novel by Anna Quindlen and tells the story of Kate, a housewife whose own family undervalues her. When she gets a cancer diagnosis, her daughter Ellen (Renée Zellweger) comes home to take care of her mother while her father (William Hurt) continues his career as a respected writer and professor. Kate protests, but Ellen stays, and the time they spend together helps Ellen see her mother in a completely new light. —HW

Inside Out (2015)

Nothing quite brings on the feelings like an animated film about them. Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) has a lot of emotions, and this movie examines all of them through cartoon cartoon personifications voiced by Amy Poehler, The Office’s Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, and more. Also: Bing Bong. (If you know, you know.) —HW

Toy Story 3 (2010)

This movie franchise has gotten deep! Woody and Buzz's owner Andy is all grown up in Toy Story 3, which leaves the toys trying to figure out their purpose. Kids will laugh; adults will weep. —Adam Schubak

Beaches (1988)

This story of two childhood best friends who maintain their friendship throughout adulthood is so powerful thanks to the performances by Barbara Hershey and Bette Midler. The soundtrack will make you tear up just as much as the movie does. —AS

The Notebook (2004)

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams got most of the attention in this Nicholas Sparks drama, but it was Gena Rowlands and James Garner who really brought home the emotional impact of this love story. —AS

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal star as cowboys who fall in love while working together as sheep herders. The fact that the world lost Ledger far too soon adds an extra layer of sadness to this Oscar winner. —AS

Mr. Holland's Opus (1996)

Here's one for all the teachers out there. This gem follows the career of a music teacher (Richard Dreyfuss) and the young lives he impacts along the way. It'll make you want to go back and thank the educators who made a difference in your life. —AS

The Joy Luck Club (1993)

This drama about Chinese-American daughters and their mothers was based on Amy Tan's bestselling novel of the same name. You'll be grabbing your phone to call your own mom as soon as the end credits start to roll. —AS

Stepmom (1998)

Co-parenting with an ex isn't always easy...especially when there's a third person in the equation. We won't spoil this tearjerker if you haven't seen it, but the twist will break your heart. —AS

Titanic (1997)

The real-life story of this shipwreck is tragic enough without the fictional love connection between Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet). The rich girl/poor boy romance still draws you in, over 20 years after its release. "You jump, I jump...remember?" —AS

The Lion King (1994)

There are plenty of scenes in this movie that will make you laugh—and then there's Mufasa. Just writing that name chokes me up a little. —AS

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

If you aren't reduced to a blubbering mess by the end of this drama about two teens (Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort) who fall in love while fighting cancer, you probably weren't paying enough attention. Their sweet, tentative connection is sure to bring on the waterworks. —AS

The Hate U Give (2018)

Police brutality and racial injustice: This drama will make you simultaneously angry and sad. Amandla Stenberg plays a girl from a predominantly black neighborhood who attends a mostly white private school and questions her identity after witnessing her friend's murder at the hands of cops. —AS

What Maisie Knew (2013)

This intense drama from flew largely under the radar. It stars Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan as a married couple at odds with one another, and their six-year-old daughter is caught in the middle. Watching this little girl used as a pawn by her feuding parents is gut-wrenching. —AS

Lion (2016)

A young Indian boy gets separated from his family, borne away on a train that takes him thousands of miles from home. He is taken in and raised by a loving family, but as a grown-up (played by Dev Patel), he yearns to find the family he lost. —AS

Coco (2017)

Trust Disney/Pixar to make an animated kids movie about death that entertains children while reducing adults to sobbing messes. Coco focuses on themes of family and preserving the memory of those who came before you. It's also visually stunning, taking you through the world of the dead as well as the living. —AS

Marley & Me (20018)

Marley, a mischievous little pup, grows up in front of our eyes over the course of this two-hour film. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are in it, too, but the rascally Labrador Retriever is the star. —AS

Steel Magnolias (1989)

This classic about a group of southern women at a beauty salon boasts top-notch talent including Sally Field, Julia Roberts, and Dolly Parton. It's the kind of movie you have to watch whenever it's on, regardless of how many times it's coaxed tears from your eyes. —AS

My Girl (1991)

Any kid who went to see this movie because "the boy from Home Alone"(Macaulay Culkin) was in it got a huge surprise. As traumatizing as its big twist may have been, this coming-of-age tale about 11-year-old Veda (its sequel works too) is basically comfort food in movie form. —AS

Other People (2016)

People know Molly Shannon best for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Don't let that fool you—she gives an award-winning performance as a matriarch battling cancer in this under-appreciated indie gem. —AS

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The Way We Were (1973)

The floodgates should open up just hearing Barbra Streisand singing the movie's theme song, but there's a whole sad love story that comes with it. The singer/actress and Robert Redford play two total opposites who attempt to make a relationship work despite their differences. —AS

The Color Purple (1985)

Based on Alice Walker's award-winning novel and directed by Steven Spielberg, this unforgettable movie follows Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a young African-American woman in the south trying to overcome years of abuse. Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Danny Glover deliver classic, affecting performances. —AS

A Star Is Born (2018)

Not every artist can make the jump from music to acting, but this is Lady Gaga we're talking about. Gaga wrecks us as her character Ally achieves the fame she's been fighting for—but at a cost. Her chemistry with Bradley Cooper is undeniable and that's exactly why audiences and the awards circuit loved it. —AS

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

If you didn't catch this one during awards season, rectify that now. The drama, based on the 1974 novel by James Baldwin, follows a black couple in Harlem during the 1970s, showing the injustices they face while simply trying to build a life together and chase the American dream. Regina King took home a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance. —AS

Selena (1997)

The far-too-short life and career of Selena Quintanilla will always hurt to think about. Jennifer Lopez brings the Queen of Tejano music's achievements to light in this biopic, which helped carry on Selena's legacy and remind us what a talent we lost when she died in 1995. —AS

Angel of Nanjing (2015)

This real-life story has huge stakes on an intimate scale. The documentary's filmmakers followed Chen Si, a man who has devoted his life to preventing people from taking their own lives on the Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing, China. —AS

Sophie's Choice (1982)

Meryl Streep won an Oscar for her role as Sophie, a concentration camp survivor trying to rebuild her life with a Jewish American man (Kevin Kline) who is fixated on the holocaust. Like many other films on this list, it's not easy to sit through—its emotional heft is undeniable. —AS

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Before director Ryan Coogler became a Hollywood mainstay known for films like Creed and Black Panther, he was the mind behind Sundance winner Fruitvale Station. This 2013 film follows the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a young man who was gunned down in 2009 by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle at the Fruitvale train station in Oakland, California. —Melanie Curry

Waves (2019)

This A24 tearjerker follows a family of four who suffer from a great tragedy. With actor Sterling K. Brown and our favorite Euphoria star Alexa Demie in the cast, the film was surely going to be a hit. But what makes Waves so beautiful isn’t only the performances (though they deserve their own props too), but rather the cinematography, which brings out the bold and bright colors of every shot. —MC

Two Distant Strangers (2020)

An Oscar winner, this short film follows a Groundhog Day trope where a young Black man named Carter James (Joey Badass) is shot and killed by NYPD police officer, Merk (Andrew Howard) in a time loop. Though police brutality stories have been told consistently, what makes Two Distant Strangers different (and, honestly, much more powerful) is the emotional scars behind both figures: the man who’s being killed and man who's killing. —MC

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Remember the Titans (2000)

Who hasn’t heard of this 2000 classic? Not only is this sports drama considered one of the greatest football films of all time, but it’s also a widely acclaimed performance for cinematic icon Denzel Washington. Based on a true story, Remember the Titans follows football coach Herman Boone and his work of integrating a Virginia high school in the early '70s. There’s also a great soundtrack composed of songs from award-winning artists like The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Bob Dylan. —MC

Onward (2020)

When we think of sad animated films, rarely does Onward come to mind, possibly because The Lion King and Big Hero 6 are the epitome of sad feels for animated lovers. But while Onward can’t match up to its predecessors, it’s still a pretty darn good film about grief and childhood bereavement. —MC

Precious (2009)

There are few films you can watch once only and Precious is one of them. Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, it follows a young teenager (played by Gabourey Sidibe) who struggles to find hope and faith while living in an abusive household in Harlem, New York. —MC

The Secret Life Of Bees (2008)

Sometimes coming-of-age stories make the best sad movies. This 2008 film takes place in the Jim Crow south where 14-year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) escapes her abusive father to search for the past of her deceased mother. On her journey, she discovers a beekeeper and her two sisters who may just have the answers she’s looking for. —MC

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine shows a dysfunctional family of six, all of whom have their own personal addictions and mental health struggles, travel cross-country for a beauty pageant. Equal parts sad and comedic, the film says it’s alright to be a freaking mess because, sometimes, we all are. —MC

The Way, Way Back (2013)

Fans of Little Miss Sunshine will love this coming-of-age story. Liam James stars as 14-year-old Duncan who involuntarily goes on a trip with his mother (Toni Collette), his mother’s boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent’s daughter Steph (Zoe Levin). On the surface, The Way, Way Back operates as a family drama, but in between James' exceptional performance as a moody pre-teen and the '80s water park setting is the hidden meaning of summer: a time where we escape adulthood and head back to the innocence of childhood. —MC

Charlie St. Cloud (2010)

Zac Efron shines in this supernatural tearjerker, which follows the titular young man who loses his brother in a car accident five years prior. Crippled by grief, Charlie visits his brother’s ghost every sunset and refuses to move on with his life. But once he falls in love with Tess Carroll, a sailor who plans to travel around the world, he has to choose between letting his brother go or his new girlfriend. —MC

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

If you enjoy crying solidly for a full hour, then Hachi is the film for you. Based upon the devastating true story of a man and his extremely dedicated dog, Akita Hachi patiently waits for his owner (played by Richard Gere) everyday, a pilgrimage that continues long after a tragic accident takes place. —Amy Mackelden

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Baz Luhrmann's epic adaptation of the Shakespeare classic is not one for the faint of heart. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are wonderful together in this movie, which makes the inevitable denouement all the more heartbreaking.—AM

Les Miserables (2012)

This big screen adaptation of smash-hit musical Les Miserables is an emotional rollercoaster with an incredible soundtrack. If you're not in tears at Anne Hathaway's brilliant performance as Fantine, are you even human?—AM

The Best of Me: Tears of Joy Edition (2014)

The fact that there's a “tears of joy” edition of this movie speaks volumes. Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden play high school sweethearts who are reunited by the death of a mutual friend. Order a bulk case of tissues immediately! —AM

One Day (2011)

Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess star in romantic drama One Day, which is guaranteed to make you weep. Dexter and Emma have a one night stand after their college graduation. What follows are snapshots of the pair on the same day every year after. Sometimes they're together, sometimes they're not, and sometimes you're crying.—AM

Never Let Me Go (2010)

In an exceedingly dark and dystopian future, human beings are grown in a lab and used as organ donors. Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley star as three such experiments caught in a twisted love triangle.—AM

Moonlight (2016)

Barry Jenkins' Oscar-winning epic centers on a queer Black man at three different stages of his life. Moonlight is an intense exploration of one person's lifelong struggle with their sexuality, following a difficult childhood. Harrowing and beautiful.—AM

Once (2007)

This Oscar-winning film became so popular it was turned into a Broadway musical, but don't let that fool you. A street musician and a young woman find unexpected chemistry when they perform together, but the course of true love never did run smooth.—AM

Take This Waltz (2012)

Michelle Williams is glorious in this romantic drama about a happily married woman who meets a mysterious artist. Take This Waltz will make you question if following your heart is really always the best option. Absolutely gut-wrenching at times.—AM

The Green Mile (1999)

Prison guards working on Death Row are forever changed by a Black man accused of horrendous crimes who seemingly has unexpected supernatural powers. Tom Hanks' ability to make us cry is legendary, TBH.—AM

Wings Of The Dove (1997)

Based on the Henry James novel, The Wings of the Dove follows a young British woman (Helena Bonham Carter) who befriends a rich American heiress as part of a cunning plan. Unsurprisingly, love and money don't mix, and tears are inevitable.—AM

Brief Encounter (1945)

This classic romantic drama follows a lonely housewife and a married doctor who meet by chance at a railway station. Their doomed love affair is completely compelling, and equally tragic.—AM

Celeste And Jesse Forever (2012)

Celeste and Jesse are getting a divorce. Celeste just wants to be friends, but Jesse wants to give their relationship another try. What ensues is a heartbreaking back-and-forth that will gnaw at your gut until your eyes are all cried out.—AM

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