Heck, there are a lot of commercials that bring tears to my eyes, so crying in a movie isn't a stretch for me. I've never seen Marley & Me or Terms of Endearment. I have seen (and cried while watching) Beaches and Dead Poets Society.

One of my favorites is Same Time Next Year. Have you seen that one?

Books make me cry, too. Last night I read A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks. Great book. Made me cry.

i prefer that my entertainment does not make me cry. Have seen some of the great tear-jerkers, but it not a genre I seek. For me, there are plenty real-life dramas that bring tears.

I saw dead poets society 6 time but cried 7 times because I knew it so well I cried on the way to the theater on the 6th time.

No, I haven't watched those last 2 you mentioned. I hate going into the ugly cry. Where it starts as a big lump in your throat.

Evidently, I have my limits. I have seen all those you listed, and cried while watching them them. I cried in Mamma Mia when Slipping Through my Fingers came on. I still cry when I hear the song. However, I flat refused to see The Fault in Our Stars. I still haven't. I cannot imagine ever seeing it. When my mom asked me to go with her I said nope! And she wondered why she had seen it once she had. I can imagine how it ends.

P.S. There's an update to the Prager's story if you want to see the real life couple. Real life drama indeed. They seem like a wonderful couple and I'm glad they found each other.

Ditto Hounds_x_two.

Hallelujah, I’m "not" entertained by crying
either, but I love a good movie. I’m
always the innocent one that watches the movie and doesn’t know it’s going to
be a tearjerker.

Although, I did not cry during the Notebook or Titanic. I know some people were devastated. At least I knew the Titanic sank before I saw
the movie so that wasn’t surprising.

But I hate when you fall in love with the lead character and
they drop dead in the end. Uggggg.

Also, I won't watch the 911 movie either, because I know the
ending, plus lost friends in that building as one of our Aetna offices crumbled
and we lost a staff of 40. No thanks.

I do like tear jerker movies. My favorite is Joy Luck Club.

I did make my son watch 911 (102 minutes....) one time when he was older (he was two at the time it happened. I came home and the now ex had the tv on with him all day. He kept talking about the airplane crashing. Two year olds don't need to watch planes crashing). I wanted him to get the magnitude of what we all went through and how little we knew and how we all received our information. It comes close enough to it all, that it is like reliving it all over again. I understand why you won't watch it. I won't either. Or make him watch it ever again.

(((hugs to us all, to the victims, and their family/friends)))

liked tear-jerkers when I was younger. Now that I am old, I think I have had enough sadness in my life to cry over. I do not call "sadness" entertainment. I only watch upbeat movies and I do not listen to mopey music. I ditto the comment on 911 films. I refused to relive that horrible nightmare on TV.

I like them, but have to be in the mood to watch them. Two that I have watched several times (and still love) are Back Street and Madame X (oldies, but goodies).

No, I don't really like to cry. The worst one for me is "Where the Red Fern Grows." I'll never watch that again. Oh, " Hatchi" is another tear jerker. Both are dog movies.

Also the clay scene in "Ghost" brings tears to my eyes.

I agree, Elizabeth--mopey music can bring me close to tears too.

No! There is a new movie out called "The Light between the Ocean" (something like that) I want to see-but I won't, because I hear it is very sad. Although, I have seen a few, but won't watch them again, or I fast forward through the sad parts.

Rob, I was at the Aetna office in Columbus Ohio in a staff meeting when both planes hit the towers. Everyone was in shock. Then when the South tower collapsed first we were all sent home for the day as our little Aetna office was in the South tower. I remember driving home in absolute shock & glued to the TV for the whole day & night. And listening to when they read all the 2,763 people that died in the tower I cried. (I know the total number of losses is 2,996 when counting the whole terror attack). Very sad.

I don't seek out tearjerkers, but sometimes I'm blindsided. I was pregnant with my first child when I saw Terms of Endearment. Oh, yes, I cried, to my poor husband's sympathetic bafflement. I still cry every time John Coffey starts down the Green Mile.

When I was a child my father made fun of us, and our mother, if we cried during a sad movie, which means I'm still ashamed to cry over a movie, especially in front of anyone else. I was so surprised, when visiting a friend's house, to find that her father did not chide her and her mother for crying over tearjerkers. I still remember the movie we were watching, Buster and Billie.

My father was probably repeating the behaviors of some of his nutty-but-not-nice
paternal relatives, so I've forgiven him (but he and my mother are
divorced).

ETA, I, too, cry over real life tragedies I see on the news--the Towers collapsing, hurricane Katrina, et al. I cried when the Challenger exploded, as I was watching the lift-off while nursing my daughter.

Pawprint - What was the name of the movie?

I use to watch more tear jerker movies when I was younger. Animal ones like Marley & Me really got to me. Now I try to avoid them. I have enough depressing stuff gong on in my life.

I'm not overly fond of sadness for entertainment ...same for sex scenes just for seeing them. However, there are stories that touch our hearts in special ways that enhance our humanity...our oneness with our human race.....the same for sexual scenes that are necessary to the story. Sad animal (dog, horse) stories are toughest and I avoid them. I like happy endings concerning children as well as adults. I think that there is a fine line between "gratuitous" sadness as well as sex....and some directors are better than others in walking it.

To the original question - no. Such movies seem to me to be deliberately manipulative insofar as the audience goes. Some people like that, some don't. I think they're aimed mostly at female viewers who tend to more readily have an emotional reaction to a story than do men.

I cry at the poor pitiful animals locked in cages on that commercial. I can't watch it, I can't watch anything animal related that is not happy and I might cry happy tears on those. Right now I have enough to cry over so definitely not seeking out tear jerkers. If I know a movie is very good and highly recommended I would watch it even if I may cry. I surely would not eliminate a highly recommend film because I may cry.

I'll never forget watching a movie called One Way Passage on TV back in the fifties. I was home caring for my newborn and got so wrapped up in this story of a murderer being returned to prison for execution and a society lady with a terminal heart condition that I just sat there at the end with tears running down my face. And it had a killer song playing in the background. Would love to see it again as I recall a wonderful supporting cast . It was made in the 30s and was filled with the snappy patter of the day. Took place on an ocean liner.

I don't like some tear jerkers, because I feel my emotions are being manipulated.

Beaches is one of my favorite movies, though. Loved the idea of friendship lasting through time.

Despite the fact that happy things always make me smile or laugh, the opposite isn't always true. For some reason tears won't necessarily flow in accordance with how saddened I feel.

This can be frustrating as I believe crying can be our body's way of releasing tension and sorrow, in order to stabilize and reset ourselves. So sometimes I do really appreciate a good tearjerker if I haven't had a cry in a while. Some of the movies I recall that made me cry are: Brian's Song, My Girl, Stepmom, Kramer vs. Kramer, Braveheart, Longtime Companion, The Perfect Storm and Sophie's Choice.

I like them (in the privacy of my own home). But I cry easily, I think it's cathartic. Speaking of Where the Red fern grows, my daughter (27 years old) used to watch that VCR tape over and over, and when she got to that one part she would sob and cry and carry on-EVERY time she watched it. It was cute, in a sad way. I remember taking my kids to see My Dog Skip, not realizing that Skip dies in the end after his boy is all grown up. Seeing poor Skip too old to jump on the bed, and knowing my kids would leave me someday, made me sob uncontrollably in the theatre. Embarrassing.

Yes I like them. The one that gets me every time is: "Always remember I love you"
Movie

I tend toward the stoic during events, but much later I tend to have an overly emotional release triggered by a sad movie or book. I agree, Pickyshopper, that the release is healthy. However, I don't have a favorite tear-jerker movie, but Steel Magnolias always makes me cry.

Not really. It gives me a headache, trying not to cry.

My mother and I went to a Lassie movie together back in the late 70's probably and we blubbered like babies, we were fighting over the popcorn napkins, LOL. Just hearing the opening soundtrack can set me off. (The Magic of Lassie with Jimmy Stewart.)

Marley and Me set me off literally sobbing while I sat beside strangers. I should have known better. When I was four my mother was asked to take me outside during a Lassie movie because I was crying too loud. Don't even mention Bambi...I was hysterical. Started me early as an animal activist.

I read the book Marley & Me and the last 3 chapters were soaked with tears. I have the movie on DVD but the ending always gets me because I had to do the exact same thing 2 years ago.

Caflower, the movie & book is called "Holding the Man". It's a gay love story that takes place in 1975 where 2 boys fall in love in highschool & continue to have a 15 year relationship until they both die of AIDS.

At Christmas, in 1991, John is admitted to the Fairfield Hospital in Melbourne. A month later, on Australia Day 1992, he dies of an AIDS-related illness, with his lover by his side, gently stroking his hair. Nearly three years later, shortly after finishing the book Holding the Man, Tim Conigrave passes away in Sydney.

Like I said, 1/2 way thru the movie when they were diagnosed, I said uhh ohh. This isn't going to end well because AIDS used to be an automatic death sentence.

Pawprint _ Thanks for letting me know the title. Like I said before, I now avoid sad movies so will skip that one. I had read the Marley book so knew how the movie would end, but it still got to me. Forgot how 'My Dog Skip' really got to me too. I went through several tissues with that one. Sometimes sad animal movies get to me more than sad human ones.

I hate to cry! I get a pounding headache and nose is stuffed up for the rest of the night. I have watched tear jerkers but try to avoid them. I will say I loved Steel Magnolias. When Sally Fields character loses it in the cemetery scene screaming "why I want to know whhhhhhhy" I have to leave the room. It's killer.

Totally agree that there's enough things in real life to make you cry. I get teared up at the drop of a hat anymore. Lol

I also avoid movies, especially at the theaters, if I know there are going to be tears. I end up with a headache and swollen eyes the next day. Probably the saddest movie I've ever gone to was Schindler's List, I cried the whole way home after the movie. Even now when I hear a song from the movie, it makes me sad.

I love a good cry now and then and I've been meaning to find "Spitfire Grill" in my DVD closet cause it will bring me to blubbering idiot status...One of the first posts I ever did here at KT waaay back in 1997 was "Your favorite tearjerker movie"...it brought me to some really great movies...I shoulda saved that list!

I don't like tearjerkers because they make me cry, I like them because generally they are very good stories. The Fault in Our Stars was one of my favorite books. The characters were beautifully written and while sad, I did not find it depressing. I found it to just be a beautiful love story. The movie very much followed the book and was so well cast. I'm looking forward to The Light Between the Oceans. I really liked the book. It was very thought provoking. When I went to see Marley and Me, I was sure I wouldn't cry because I knew exactly how it was going to end. How wrong could I be! But, once again, it was a charming story.

I generally avoid tearjerkers but like mamagoose, sometimes I am blindsided. Recently, we were watching The Namesake and ended up shedding unexpected oceans of tears.

Love this thread and many if not all of the above comments apply to me LOL. I cry easily, Publix holiday commercials get me every time. I cry through many books and therefore I don't care to see many of the subsequent film versions. I read Light Between Oceans and as beautiful as it will be, I won't see the film. I recently saw "Waitress" on Broadway and cried during her wonderful ballad "She Used To Be Mine". So now when I play the CD in the car I have to be careful because I kind of sob every time I hear that song.

OMG Liz! I have Spitfire Grill on DVD too, but it didn't make me cry. But it was a fabulous movie that is mostly unknown.

I didn't cry for Steel Magnolias as Julia Roberts character just didn't bond with me, plus I've never had or lost a child to relate to.

I did cry in Stepmom when the boy tells his Mom, "Nobody loves you like I do".

I also cried at Phantom of the Opera, but that's because I saw I live. I was 4th row center & it was the first live production I've been to, so I was astounded & overwhelmed with emotion.

I also forgot about the bad headache after the ugly cry. Ouch.

I do agree that animal movies get me everytime. And I will not watch the PITA commercial showing animal cruelty. Can't do it.

I was loading up some old ipods to listen to around the house last night...came across this song "Mama" by BJ Thomas...I probably heard that song for the first time at 12 or 13...it's made me cry ever since...now that I'm a mama and a grandmommy..it makes me cry even more...I need to play it for my daughter in law...she is the best mom and I know it will get to her!

Oh yes! The Notebook gets me every time. I also cried at the end of UP.

I too won't watch Humane Society type commercials, they make me cry.

BUT PETA is evil. They don't believe any animal should be kept for human satisfaction, or restrained, they should all be set free. Sooooo when they 'rescue' or 'save' an animal they kill it. Honest to God. Can you imagine?? They also blow things way out of proportion and fabricate things that didn't happen.

I cannot watch these movies as I cry easily and see enough sadness of life, in general.

I try to avoid them as I don't like to see the puffy eyes the next day but once in a while I get caught up in one! Last night I heard a survivor of 911 tell her story of that day. She was in her office on the seventeenth floor of tower one. So hard to imagine going through something like that. It gave me chills to listen to her She lives in Michigan now and goes back to visit friends but says she can't go to the memorial yet. She worked for Blue Cross at that time.

I don't mind a tear jerker if it has a good story line or a message. A couple of my favorites:

1. "The Yearling" A story of young boy who adopts and nurses a young deer. The deer becomes destructive to the family's meager crops. There is strong counter-play between the boy, the deer, his parents, and the need for family survival.

2. "Cold Mountain" Its near the end of the Civil War and a Confederate soldier realizes he's on the side of a loosing cause and struggles to return home to a former lover, even though it means he will be classed as a deserter. He has a run-in with a group of "Home Guard" who have turned renegades and desires certain women and to own Cold Mountain.

The movie is filled with rough language, savage scenes, display of the worst of human nature, and sadness. Its not for the faint of heart. I did not find it as entertainment, but more of an accurate portrayal of Civil War conditions. I recommend it as educational and to better understand the human condition during that war.

Jasdip, I LOVE the movie Up. I do cry when he opens the book and it says thanks for the adventure, go have a new one.

Jem, I LOVED Cold Mountain. I didn't cry, but I've seen it 100 times. I will admit I loved the connection between Jude Law & Nichole Kidman.

Pawprint, and when I hear "Remember When" by Alan Jackson, I think of UP and sniffle all over again.

I guess I'm not a "crier", and I honestly don't understand the term 'need a good cry'. That's not to say I am heartless, I am often easily overcome by emotions, but tears don't always fall. But I had to really give this question some thought before I felt I could answer.

I do like movies that tweak the heart strings, so to speak. And I don't think all 'tear-jerker' movies are sad. A beautiful love story, for example, can bring on the tears in some, but it may not be sad. I am, in fact, more apt to shed tears of joy than of sadness.

For the most part, I much prefer reading a book to watching the same story in movie form. If I happen to see the movie first, and enjoy it, I may read the book, but I definitely do NOT want to watch a movie of a book I've read. So I will never watch "Marley and Me". That book was just too heart breaking!

The Christmas commercials with the Budweiser Clydesdales get me every time, I look forward to them every year.

So I guess my answer to the question is basically 'yes, I do', but I don't feel that a movie has to be sad to be a 'tear jerker'.

Rusty

Sometimes when I'm feeling every bit of stress in the world, I need something to let me get it out -- in tears. TV ads by Maxwell House (or Folgers or one of those coffee companies) can do it -- the kids coming home when the parents thought they wouldn't; Hallmark commercials, too. Which is OK when I'm sitting in front of my own TV. But I also teared up a few times when I watched -- don't laugh, now! -- The Secret Life of Pets. There's a scene when one of the dogs takes a pal back to the house he lived in, and that just killed me. Didn't help that I went to see the movie when it was a no-school day in the county, and I'm sure the kiddies sitting near me heard me sniffle a bit!

I like the movies if there is a good reason for it. My example would be one of the scenes in "Love Comes Softly" where the little girl is talking about her dead mom.

But I'm not a fan of purposefully tearjerker movies, such as every movie about a man and woman and (usually) the woman is sick and will die and changes the way that the man looks at life.

Tearjerker ? Oh no. cried too much watching those stupid things. Ordinary People did me in as a teen. My mother made fun of me but it hit me hard. ( dealing with teenaged angst and all) Also, Saving Private Ryan. I feltemotionally battered by the graphic violence. God bless those men that stood up and charged forward stepping over the dead soldier in front of them. Give me a movie with action, explosions etc, even vampires and such. movies like 9mm that illustrate the horrors than man is capable of disturbs me. And since becoming a parent, even more so. I want to escape the ugliness of the world.