What are some funny tearjerkers?
November 11, 2007 2:43 PM   Subscribe

Movie recommendation time: what are some funny tearjerkers?

Bittersweet comedies are fine, too, but I'm mostly interested in actively funny movies which also go for the tear ducts.
posted by Sticherbeast to Media & Arts (62 answers total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
Steel Magnolias!
posted by padraigin at 2:50 PM on November 11, 2007


little miss sunshine!
posted by prophetsearcher at 2:51 PM on November 11, 2007


Muriel's Wedding. The movie takes a real serious jog about 3/4 of the way through.
posted by web-goddess at 2:53 PM on November 11, 2007


Terms of Endearment for the win.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:53 PM on November 11, 2007


Life is Beautiful
posted by dhammond at 3:09 PM on November 11, 2007


Harold and Maude.
posted by Tuwa at 3:09 PM on November 11, 2007 [1 favorite]


seconding "life is beautiful."
posted by thinkingwoman at 3:11 PM on November 11, 2007


Seconding Life is Beautiful.
posted by danb at 3:11 PM on November 11, 2007


Second to Harold and Maude
posted by agentofselection at 3:13 PM on November 11, 2007


My Life as a Dog & Ma vie en rose
posted by bleucube at 3:17 PM on November 11, 2007


Venus
posted by seanyboy at 3:20 PM on November 11, 2007


Harold & Maude recc also.
posted by fructose at 3:26 PM on November 11, 2007


When Harry Met Sally...the speech at the New Year's party...sniff.
posted by sweetkid at 3:27 PM on November 11, 2007


Jesus' Son was both hysterically funny and bleakly sad. Really good movie.
posted by hwickline at 3:29 PM on November 11, 2007


Everything is Illuminated
Billy Elliot

That's all I've got off hand... but I'll be watching this post.
posted by glip at 3:33 PM on November 11, 2007


Jeez, that wiki plot summary for Venus is a big spoiler! Oops.
posted by glip at 3:35 PM on November 11, 2007


Truly, Madly, Deeply
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 3:43 PM on November 11, 2007


Matt changed the spoiler link. Thanks Matt!
posted by seanyboy at 3:47 PM on November 11, 2007


Fandango
posted by nicwolff at 3:51 PM on November 11, 2007


A League of Their Own?
Big?

A little more skewed in terms of humor, but Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 3:54 PM on November 11, 2007 [1 favorite]


About Schmidt (2002) ?
posted by gaiamark at 3:56 PM on November 11, 2007


Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain both made me laugh out loud, and cry. Both also contain some great surrealist/imagist elements.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 4:06 PM on November 11, 2007 [1 favorite]


I love Steel Magnolias! Perfect suggestion, Padraigin. Don't almost all of Julia Roberts' movies fit into this category?

Sleepless in Seattle
posted by HotPatatta at 4:10 PM on November 11, 2007


The Apartment is tops, tearjerker-wise. "Shut up and deal."
posted by kirkaracha at 4:11 PM on November 11, 2007 [2 favorites]


Thelma and Louise
As Good As It Gets
Fried Green Tomatoes
Forrest Gump
Postcards from the Edge
posted by HotPatatta at 4:15 PM on November 11, 2007


Love Actually springs immediately to my mind.
posted by crinklebat at 4:16 PM on November 11, 2007


Love Actually.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 4:18 PM on November 11, 2007


Response by poster: Great answers so far, keep 'em coming.

I'd like to throw down a few titles myself, some fitting the criteria better than others:

Toto the Hero
The Royal Tennenbaums
Crumb
Ghost World
The Iron Giant
The Weather Man
Night On Earth
Stardust


I'd also like to nth the recommendations for A League Of Their Own, Jesus' Son, and the borderline archetypical Life Is Beautiful.
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:20 PM on November 11, 2007


Everything Is Illuminated was the first film to come to mind as well (although the book might pull it off even more well). Also - Withnail & I (okay, so there's very little tearjerking until the end, so it might be more of a tearjerking comedy), the Royal Tenenbaums, Lost in Translation, Annie Hall?
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 4:20 PM on November 11, 2007


Man on the Moon
posted by waxboy at 4:23 PM on November 11, 2007


The Family Stone
posted by gursky at 4:23 PM on November 11, 2007


I'd second:
- Truly Madly Deeply
- Everything Is Illuminated..
and add
- Fisher King
- In America
posted by thinds66 at 4:33 PM on November 11, 2007


Recent Diane Keaton movies:
Because I Said So
Something's Gotta Give
The Other Sister (also fits into category below)

Movies starring wisecracking little people or the mentally handicapped:
The Other Sister
Simon Birch
Benny and Joon
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
posted by HotPatatta at 4:34 PM on November 11, 2007


More keep coming to mind.

Funny Girl
Bridget Jones's Diary
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Kissing Jessica Stein
Bambi, Lion King, most Disney animated films
posted by HotPatatta at 4:38 PM on November 11, 2007


Return to Me
In Her Shoes
Mrs. Doubtfire

I'm going to leave this thread and give someone else a chance to respond.
posted by HotPatatta at 4:41 PM on November 11, 2007


Def Muriel's Wedding as mentioned above. After half a dozen viewings I still bust a gut when I hear: "You're terrible Muriel" or "Deidre!... Deidre Chambers!!" And then there's the bean-bag chair scene...And then later some waterworks.

Also Breakfast at Tiffany's
posted by zenpop at 4:47 PM on November 11, 2007


Junebug is a good tragicomedy. I don't know if it's a quite a tear-jerker, but it does have its genuinely sad moments.
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:48 PM on November 11, 2007


The Family Man
Hanging Up
Friends with Money
My Girl
posted by HotPatatta at 4:56 PM on November 11, 2007


The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.
You've probably never heard of it. It got a pitifully small release. Stars Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson. It's the true story of a family with 10 kids, and the mom wins tons of much-needed prizes in jingle contests. Funny, and touching, and you will need a tissue. Delightfully filmed, too, with a second Julianne Moore showing up from time to time to talk into the camera.

I picked it up on a whim at the Wal-Mart $3.98 shelf.

Also (and some may fall into the "bittersweet" category, although I'm trying to avoid it):

She's Having a Baby
The Weather Man
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (Just in time for Thanksgiving!)
The First Wives Club
Riding in Cars with Boys
Big Fish
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Elizabethtown
Barbershop
Raising Arizona
American Splendor
Barefoot in the Park
The Truman Show
posted by The Deej at 5:24 PM on November 11, 2007


Unstrung Heroes.
posted by amro at 5:34 PM on November 11, 2007


Monsoon Wedding!
posted by mkb at 6:10 PM on November 11, 2007


Believe it or not, Lilo and Stitch.
posted by SampleSize at 6:19 PM on November 11, 2007


Pride and Prejudice, the new one.
posted by piper4 at 6:56 PM on November 11, 2007


Seconding The Fisher King, and also Rory O'Shea Was Here.
posted by Soliloquy at 7:10 PM on November 11, 2007


Batteries Not Included
posted by bizwank at 7:20 PM on November 11, 2007


City Lights
The Apartment
posted by grumblebee at 7:22 PM on November 11, 2007


About a Boy?
posted by Coventry at 7:44 PM on November 11, 2007


Smoke Signals.
posted by rtha at 8:05 PM on November 11, 2007


Four Weddings and a Funeral, for sure.

You definitely need to watch Millions, it's funny, touching, and bittersweet all at once.

Other possible choices:
- Shaun of the Dead
- Mermaids
- Stand by Me
- Old School
- Life Aquatic
- American Beauty
- Big
posted by SassHat at 8:13 PM on November 11, 2007


If you don't mind PG, Freaky Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis & Lindsay Lohan. (The original Disney version is not good at all.)
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:28 PM on November 11, 2007


East is East, about a Muslim family in 70's England - and the kids eat bacon on the sly! A hilarious romp and a heartstring-puller.
posted by Xere at 8:52 PM on November 11, 2007


Marvin's Room. Starring Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Pacino, and Gwen Verdon. Totally hilarious, totally weepy.
posted by hermitosis at 9:02 PM on November 11, 2007 [1 favorite]


A great little movie with Omar Sharif: Monsieur Ibrahim
posted by artdrectr at 9:12 PM on November 11, 2007


Thirding The Apartment. It's not a kneeslapper, but it has a consistently charming, quiet humor to it. And it can be pretty darn melancholy at times.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:23 PM on November 11, 2007


Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen)
posted by Rain Man at 9:34 PM on November 11, 2007


ET! Ok, I'm sure everyone's seen it, but if you haven't seen it in a while, rewatch it!
posted by peep at 9:52 PM on November 11, 2007


Tillsammans
Millions
Iron Giant
Elling
Kitchen Stories
posted by mr. remy at 10:09 PM on November 11, 2007


Big Fish
posted by null terminated at 11:37 PM on November 11, 2007




Garden State
posted by quentiniii at 5:00 AM on November 12, 2007


Secondhand Lions
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:22 AM on November 12, 2007


Annie Hall
Donnie Darko
Edward Scissorhands
Manhattan
posted by missjamielynn at 6:36 AM on November 20, 2007


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