Morning debate time, PopWatchers — and may the winner be left in tears! I’m talking, of course, about this horribly misguided list of male weepies that Today put together and posted on MSNBC.com. According to the author, these are the seven films that most reliably make men tear up: Dead Poets Society, Gladiator, Legends of the Fall, The Notebook, Rudy, Saving Private Ryan, and Titanic.
Man, oh, man, I’m gonna cry. Where do I begin? Okay, Saving Private Ryan and Rudy — sure, I’ll buy those. My most embarrassing moviegoing moment ever was when I was left a blubbering mess in my mommy’s arms (at, ahem, age 22) after Tom Hanks died in Steven Spielberg’s WWII epic. And I can’t even think about little, five-foot-nothin’, a hundred-and-nothin’ Sean Astin (pictured) and Jerry Goldsmith’s swelling music in Rudy without getting all verklempt. But come on: The Notebook? That’s not a guy flick. During Brad Pitt’s fatal wrestling match with a bear in Legends, aren’t you rooting for the bear? And Titanic? Sure, I cry… every time I hear that damn Celine Dion song!
Where are Field of Dreams, Rocky, Schindler’s List, The Deer Hunter, Jerry Maguire, The Champ, Glory, It’s a Wonderful Life, Longtime Companion, or — I mean, DUH! — BRIAN’S SONG? (Note how many of these movies have to do with sports.) What else is missing, my dear homeboys in Kleenex?
Field of Dreams not on the list!?! I can’t even talk about that movie without tearing up. I can’t even watch it anymore since my Dad passed away. I need a tissue.
Big Fish. The ending gets me every single time. Perfect ending.
Blade Runner. WHen Rutger Hauer gives the “tears in the rain” monologue I always tear up.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King……..(well the ending of course)
The Green Mile. I was watching this movie with a friend of mine, this slightly uber tough guy and I happen to look over and tears are running down his face.
The only thing that brought tears to my husband’s eyes during “The Titanic” was when the old lady threw the necklace in the ocean. Not because of any sentiment, but because he thought it was so stupid!
The one movie i cried the most during was the Champ. I was 7 or 8 when it came out and i just couldn’t stop sobbing and crying when i watched it. I’ve seen it several times and each time i was almost hysterical. I remember crying at Bonnie&Clyde when they got shot and my father saying ”they were criminals. they got what they deserved. u shouldn’t be crying for them”. As an adult the movie that made me cry was the Bridges of Madison County with it’s heartbreaking finale. I don’t call myself a romantic, but that scene with Meryl in the truck hesitating to open the door to get off at the red lights gets me every time.
”Dad….you wanna have a catch?” Nothing compares to that scene. It sums the only real thing a boy want to do with his father….NBC completely missed the ball on this one.
Oh jeez Field of Dreams. Was a total wreck after that movie. Like, all over the hem of my shirt and both sleeves, sobbing. I guess we all have our dad issues.
War movies — I teared up more than a little bit at the end of “Flags of Our Fathers”. And it’s not a movie, but that end sequence in “Band of Brothers” — oy. war + baseball. one-two punch. somebody hold me?
How about Good Will Hunting? The Big Moment is when Robin Williams shows Matt Damon he’s got the pictures from when the boy has been beat up, and we hear about his abusive father. Then he looks at him, and keeps saying, “Will, this was not your fault?” until Will at last lets all his barriers down. ANYONE not cry during that??? You’d have to be made of stone.
And total agreement on Field of Dreams, which I’d put first.
I know a guy that cries everytime at the ending of “A Walk to Remember”….
But generally yeah, sports movies and father-son stories are the big man tearjerkers.
No true man can watch Field of Dreams without shedding a few tears. And I would add Pride of the Yankees to the list. The speech at the end is worth a lot of tears.
All of my guy friends got a little overly emotional during, ‘Good Will Hunting.’
World Trade Center was a bit emotional….
Old Yeller, anyone?