Looking for movies that will send me into hysterics!

August 9, 2008 2:43 PM

I am looking for some new movies to add to my sob collection. :)

I'm the kind of girl who loves a good solid sob and I LOOOVE cheesy romance movies. I find it incredibly cathartic and really relaxing, if that makes any sense. So basically I'm in the market for a good sob today. Preferably a sob because it is so happy. (For an example, THIS made me lose it completely). I also love the "I hate you! I hate you too! Holy crap we're kissing!" stories.

Requirement: I'd prefer if they were made in the past 30 years or so, even better if they are available through alternative means, namely online. :)


Ones I already watch a lot/own:
First Knight
Sabrina
Only You
When Harry Met Sally
The Colour Purple (not romance, but MAN do I cry! Love it!)
Moulin Rouge
Pride and Prejudice
The Notebook
The Truth about Cats and Dogs (Not so much with the crying, but still awesome)

posted by gwenlister to media & arts (67 comments total)

Beaches isn't quite a romance, but helloooo sobbing.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 2:56 PM on August 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Look up Korean tv shows/ rom coms. Veoh had a very nice collection for a while (the copyright gremlins may have got them) and a lot of the plots are syrup, ranging from giggle inducing mix ups to sniffling into your popcorn style sad. The show 'Sassy Girl' was available on Google Video last I checked.

On the western front try:
About a Boy
Sense and Sensibility
Love Actually
posted by Phalene at 3:05 PM on August 9, 2008

Chinese dramas:

To Live
Eat Drink Man Woman
posted by rabbitsnake at 3:07 PM on August 9, 2008

Nuovo cinema Paradiso
Saddest movie I've ever seen, and one of the best movies I've ever seen...
posted by Confess, Fletch at 3:12 PM on August 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

I hate to admit this to anyone, let alone everybody on the internet...but The Wedding Singer always makes me sob uncontrollably at the end.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 3:14 PM on August 9, 2008

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind - not cheesy but sob worthy for sure

fairly cheesy romantic movies:
hope floats
playing by heart (this one has a superstar cast)
she's the one (and while we're on jennifer aniston - object of my affection and picture perfect)

nonromantic movies that seem like they'd be slapstick funny but end up in cryfests:
big daddy
liar, liar
posted by nadawi at 3:15 PM on August 9, 2008

Hmmm...they're not your typical sob stories, but the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset movies are pretty damn romantic. Even if, like me, you're no fan of Ethan Hawke.

Number of sniffles may depend on your acquaintance with romantic regrets about a missed opportunity.

Must be watched in order.
posted by Beardman at 3:16 PM on August 9, 2008

Mona Lisa Smile
posted by CwgrlUp at 3:17 PM on August 9, 2008

My Left Eye Sees Ghosts--billed every where as Asian horror, but it's not. It's the sweetest love story I've seen in years--includes puppies for extra heartwarming.
posted by crush-onastick at 3:22 PM on August 9, 2008

Be Kind Rewind

Not a romance, but it just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. I welled up in the end - a total feel good movie.
posted by minus zero at 3:35 PM on August 9, 2008

Hana-Bi

Before Sunrise

Before Sunset

August Rush

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro)

A.I.

Atonement

Zui hao de shi guang (Three Times)

Returner
posted by clanger at 3:54 PM on August 9, 2008

Big Fish
posted by Arch_Stanton at 4:00 PM on August 9, 2008

Withnail and I
posted by Matt Oneiros at 4:02 PM on August 9, 2008

Steel Magnolias.
posted by thesiameseffect at 4:03 PM on August 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

(Depending on what version of Pride and Prejudice you enjoy) Becoming Jane.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 4:08 PM on August 9, 2008

Like Water For Chocolate
Sirens
Orlando (a weird choice perhaps, but it always gets to me)
Jean De Fleurette/Manon Des Sources
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
La Reign Margot

sorry a lot of these are a bit old, so you may have seen them before, but they are all romantic, tragic, and fully capable of bringing on the tears!
posted by supermedusa at 4:09 PM on August 9, 2008

What Dreams May Come. Robin Williams and all.
posted by Pleadthefifth at 4:16 PM on August 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Neither is a true romance but Bridge to Terabithia and We Are Marshall....no way anyone with a smidge of heart can watch either one without bawling at least 3-4 times.
posted by iconomy at 4:25 PM on August 9, 2008

Terms of Endearment.


wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:25 PM on August 9, 2008

Seconding Steel Magnolias. It's not much on the romantic side, but DAMN does it make me cry.
posted by chiababe at 4:29 PM on August 9, 2008

You wanna cry? Watch these Lars von Trier movies:

"Breaking The Waves" -- Emily Watson in her film debut is spectacular, I sortof fall in love with her, her naivete and love for and devotion to Jan, each time I watch the movie, which is of course nuts but she is one hell of an actress who absolutely takes this role as far as it could be taken.

"Dancer In The Dark" -- Björk is probably the only person who could make this happen -- well, of course von Trier made it happen, I guess Björk made it come to life -- I think it is her only film performance but it's a performance of a lifetime. (I think that Björk herself is living performance art, continually evolving, completely unafraid, but that's not what I'm writing about, I'm writing about "Dancer In The Dark" so I'd best shut up.)

von Triers is sortof a savant, he's a neurotic mess but he gets top performances out of his actors, or maybe they want to give him their best -- no telling.

Don't read about either movie beforehand, don't be your own spoiler.
posted by dancestoblue at 4:34 PM on August 9, 2008

Fried Green Tomatoes. A laughter through tears movie.
posted by jocelmeow at 4:36 PM on August 9, 2008

I am embarrassed to admit that Stepmom made me cry, and I don't often cry at movies.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 4:53 PM on August 9, 2008

Breaking the Waves was my first thought on seeing the headline, I sobbed at that. But I don't think it's happy enough for what the op wants.
Try
Ever After
Persuasion
Enchanted (simultaneously parodies and celebrates the Disney Heroine)
4 Wedding and a Funeral (The poem at the funeral gets me every time)
posted by saffry at 4:57 PM on August 9, 2008

Seconding the movies of Lars Von Trier. I'll also add Oasis.
posted by whiskeyspider at 4:57 PM on August 9, 2008

Beaches always makes my fiancee cry. And for some reason whenever I watch The Shawshank Redemption, something always gets caught in my eye during that last scene. So there's two for you right there.
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:12 PM on August 9, 2008

Roman Holiday. Total weepie.
posted by mynameisluka at 5:15 PM on August 9, 2008

I um. Kind of bawled my way through WALL-E. But I have issues.
posted by fuzzbean at 5:45 PM on August 9, 2008

The Holiday

Little Women

Miss Potter

Their Eyes Were Watching God

I just recently watched Definitely, Maybe. It made me cry.
posted by Sassyfras at 5:46 PM on August 9, 2008

Truly, Madly, Deeply--intelligent, funny, romantic, bittersweet. Directed by Anthony Minghella, starring Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson, and therefore awesome.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:56 PM on August 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

Have you seen Chocolat? It's a fairly heartwarming, romance-y comedy, complete with Johnny Depp.

I'd also recommend Me and You and Everyone We Know. It's sort of like a quirky indie version of Love, Actually.
posted by arianell at 6:18 PM on August 9, 2008

You've Got Mail. Soooooooommmmewheeeeeeeere, over the rainbow!
posted by metastability at 6:30 PM on August 9, 2008

Based on some of your favorites, I want to second Ever After and I think you might also like:
Sliding Doors
The Wedding Planner
Sleepless in Seattle
Miss Congeniality
What Women Want

These movies aren't comedies, but could certainly make you cry:
Out of Africa
The English Patient
The House of Sand and Fog
Tristan and Isolde

And, why restrict to the last 30 years? If you'd consider these, the orginal Sabrina is a great movie, so is The Philadelphia Story and Barefoot in the Park.

Lastly, I always liked Dave.
posted by belau at 6:30 PM on August 9, 2008

City of Angels.
Accidental Tourist. Wait for it, you'll get there.
posted by FlamingBore at 6:38 PM on August 9, 2008

Brief Encounter
To Kill a Mockingbird
Sommersby
posted by Anguishedcorn at 6:42 PM on August 9, 2008

Return to Me
Moonstruck
Far and Away
posted by amyms at 6:46 PM on August 9, 2008

If you like cheesy romance, try j-dramas, Hana Yori Dango is especially good for hate-hate-hate-KISS!

Hana Yori Dango
Nodame Cantabile
posted by betweenthebars at 7:24 PM on August 9, 2008

Not a romantic comedy, but good for sobbing: Il Postino (The Postman). It's also got eye candy in the form of beautiful Italian scenery.
posted by chicainthecity at 8:00 PM on August 9, 2008

It's not very romantic, or a movie, but the anime series Fruits Basket is a very pleasant-yet-sometimes-teary show. It's about an impossibly cheerful and selfless girl who helps out a mysterious cursed family with their emotional issues. (First three episodes watchable free online.)
posted by CrunchyFrog at 8:20 PM on August 9, 2008

2nd Fruits Basket--I'm watching the series now--very sweet and poignant.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon makes me cry every time. In The Mood For Love is another 3-hankie deal for me.

Couple more:

Goodbye Lenin
My Life as a Dog
Yi Yi
posted by pushing paper and bottoming chairs at 9:24 PM on August 9, 2008

seconding Truly, Madly, Deeply, Barefoot in the Park, Dave, Ever After, Roman Holiday, Enchanted, The Philadelphia Story.

The Apartment
The Matchmaker
Groundhog Day
Ella Enchanted
Chungking Express (for the 2nd of the 2 stories only)
Wonderfalls (TV series)
North and South (British TV miniseries)
The Butcher's Wife
Bringing Up Baby
Breakfast at Tiffany's
The Secret Life of Words
Singing in the Rain
Pretty Woman
Splash
The Princess Bride
It Happened One Night
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
The Sure Thing
Kingdom of Heaven
Overboard
The Thirteenth Floor
Stardust
The Last Samurai
Willow
10 Things I Hate About You
Valley Girl
The Last of the Mohicans
Dances with Wolves
Gone with the Wind
Annie Hall
Born Yesterday
Casablanca
Dear Frankie
The English Patient
Sweet Land
Charade
Charlotte Gray
Clueless
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Garden State
The Horseman on the Roof
Ladyhawke
Starman
sex, lies, and videotape
Time After Time
Diva
posted by gudrun at 9:58 PM on August 9, 2008

I don't know if this meets your criteria because it's not at all cheesy, but it is a wonderful romance with fantastic music: Once.
posted by cnc at 10:10 PM on August 9, 2008

Edward Scissorhands
Just skimming the reviews over at IMDB made me tear up....
posted by Room 641-A at 10:11 PM on August 9, 2008

Pay it forward
posted by sisflit at 10:23 PM on August 9, 2008

Seconding Truly, Madly, Deeply and also Once.
And adding The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, an oldie but definitely teary.
posted by Brody's chum at 10:28 PM on August 9, 2008

Wow, many of the movies that have been suggested are not bad movies and are superficially in your ballpark, but seem crucially different than what you were asking for. I don't want to name names. I'll just say that a sad, sentimental movie is different from an INCREDIBLY DEPRESSING movie, and I don't think the latter is what you're after.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 11:00 PM on August 9, 2008

Without really wanting to get into a big derail I'd describe the Lard Von Trier movies as just plain mean, and not likely to produce crying of the desired kind.
posted by Artw at 1:05 AM on August 10, 2008

The Bridges of Madison County is awesome. I'm a highly cynical viewer, but if I come across this film while channel surfing, I am compelled to watch it.
posted by hot soup girl at 1:29 AM on August 10, 2008

I'm not really a movie-sobber and this is not primarily a romance but Erin Brokovich gets me every damn time.

Also:
Truly Madly Deeply (yet another vote for this - superb script, acting, score and direction, probably the best sob inducing film ever made)
Like Water for Chocolate
Amélie
Little Women
Dear Frankie
Brokeback Mountain
posted by ceri richard at 4:25 AM on August 10, 2008

I am seconding and thirding some of these but here are my picks -

LadyHawke
Once
Love Actually
Sense and Sensibility
Return to me

and my guaranteed cry everytime is City of Angels

- also, I cried at Wall E.
posted by fogonlittlecatfeet at 4:38 AM on August 10, 2008

Two for the Road
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
posted by chihiro at 6:40 AM on August 10, 2008

This list is incomplete without Shakespeare In Love
posted by softlord at 6:43 AM on August 10, 2008

Not a romance in the least, but one of only two or three movies that has ever made me cry. And I cried 3 or 4 times by the end. It'll wreck you, but that's a stamp of quality.

Grave of the Fireflies. Don't let the fact that it's animation throw you off; it's an amazing film.
posted by zardoz at 6:55 AM on August 10, 2008

Love Actually! It's my go-to for this purpose. Everytime I watch it, those waterworks start up, just like you talk about. Also, Dreamgirls has a very cathartic ending.
posted by lunasol at 7:52 AM on August 10, 2008

Brief Encounter is the sobbiest of all sobfests. Also, not a romance but I have never wept at a movie as I did at Gallipoli.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:54 AM on August 10, 2008

Awesome suggestions guys! Thanks!!! I'm going to seek out a whack of these! Thanks. :)
posted by gwenlister at 8:46 AM on August 10, 2008

Based on what you wrote, I'll add (shamefacedly) Hope Floats. I bawl twice in that movie, every time I see it, and I've seen it a dozen times. And Four Weddings and A Funeral - no graceful tears for me -- big boo hoos there.
posted by peagood at 11:07 AM on August 10, 2008

Seconding Grave of the Fireflies, but it's just about masochistic. I've seen it twice and the second time was a mistake because it's too painful to watch.

Also seconding Dear Frankie.

If you liked The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates is equaly implausible and just as good.

Check out D-Addicts for lots of English-subtitled Asian soap operas.
posted by Loudmax at 11:47 AM on August 10, 2008

I really, really loved Pieces of April, an older and often overlooked Katie Holmes movie. We had to watch it for a Film Writing course I took in college, and despite the fact that I was surrounded by my peers, I couldn't keep it in-- they left the room dark while the credits rolled, so did the tears down my cheeks that I'd been holding in the whole film. Oh man, that was a good movie-- plus there was excellent music by Stephen Merritt of the Magnetic Fields.

Seconding Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

And if you want to venture and check out some LGBTQ films, which are not romantic, but they provoked some memorable crying, a couple that had me openly weeping:
-For the Bible Tells Me So; info here
-Bubbeh and Me; info here
posted by potatopeople at 12:18 PM on August 10, 2008

Not feelgood, but Brokeback Mountain is a real weepy romance.
Not really romance, but My Girl used to always have me in tears (not seen it in yonks).
Of course... shameful as it may be to admit it, Titanic is always good for this.

I also can't nth strongly enough Truly, Madly, Deeply. It is the most fantastic cry-your-eyes out movie, and Juliette Stevenson is herself an Olympic level crier in it.
posted by Iteki at 12:37 PM on August 10, 2008

The Iron Giant
posted by sachinag at 2:24 PM on August 10, 2008

2nding Breakfast at Tiffany's. No ther movie makes me cry and for some reason that one completely messes me up. I was crying just thinking about it for like two weeks.

Of course I had just gotten out of a totally twisted relationship with a very "Holly Golightly" type person; fake french and all.
posted by kzin602 at 3:25 PM on August 10, 2008

I strongly third Return to Me - the first 15 minutes will make you bawl your eyes out, and the rest of it is a great love story.

Sense and Sensibility is excellent too, especially if you like P&P, and I'd add this version of Persuasion to round out that list too. Actually, that one's better if you've read the book, but it's *great* if you've read the book.
posted by Quidam at 9:39 PM on August 10, 2008

Glad to see I'm not the only one who sobbed my way through WALL-E.
posted by Oriole Adams at 2:35 AM on August 11, 2008

This absolutely doesn't meet your remit but you MUST see Sunrise (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018455/). It's a silent film but that really isn't offputting in the least and it is the most romantic, blubblicious film ever. Please give it a chance!
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 6:08 AM on August 11, 2008

Nthing Love Actually. I cannot watch this movie enough times. Bill Nighy is hilarious, and the mega-fuzzy-happy ending is great. Love this movie, despite Hugh Grant, who is not one of my favorites.
posted by ashirys at 8:13 AM on August 11, 2008

The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Shawshank Redemption
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Field of Dreams
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (no joke)

By the way, City of Angels is SHITE. See the movie it was based on instead - Wings of Desire, which will just have you sobbing like a baby at the beauty of it.

Wall-E
Now, Voyager
Howard's End
The Visitor
Moonstruck
Cinema Paradiso (if that final, romantic, GORGEOUS scene does not have you weeping, you're dead inside)

And in a completely and utterly bizarre way - Prizzi's Honor.

STRONGLY seconding, Iron Giant because it is grossly overlooked and has one of the most moving denouments I've ever seen in film.
posted by tzikeh at 8:46 PM on August 11, 2008