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Funny thing -- for me, the passing years have hardened me emotionally. (Assuming living in LA might have something to do with that.) But when I slap that Shawshank Redemption dvd into my player, good grief, talk about water-works. Each and every time.

As I get older, I find myself more likely to cry during the moments when they wanted me to cry-- for somebody who always considered himself respectfully jaded, that's pretty embarrassing.

When some small moment strikes a chord, the quality of the movie itself is almost irrelevant. I think it's just about having a broader range of experiences to which the movies can connect.

On average once every year or so.

I cried at Spider-Man 3. I'm not joking.

There are small moments that do get me, often not tearjerk moments, but just weird moments of beauty or nobility or something. One moment that comes to mind is in Princess Mononoke where the yak gets hit by an arrow but refuses to stay behind while the prince goes on. Just gets me for some reason.

My waterworks really go on for the speech scene in Whale Rider, though.

i agree completely with eric....the passage of years seems to have weakened me emotionally and brought a sensitivity/sentimentality closer to the surface than ever before....i'm alternately fascinated and appalled when i get weepy watching a movie or show.......anyone remember the first time a movie made cry? just wonderin'......

and speaking of age.....nice work with the kids on atos today, poland....

The thing that (almost) always gets me, more than sadness in movies, is kindness. People being surprisingly nice to other people always gets me teary. I suppose that could possibly say more about the lack of benignity in my own messed-up life.

"Rails & Ties", which I didn't think was a very good movie at all, still got me sobbing like a grade-schooler just because Marcia was so nice to that kid.

i never used to cry at the movies when i was younger, i was such a hard-ass, but now i cry at the drop of a pin. i think having my son did it to me, i'm far more sentimental and weepy as a mum for some reason, life seems so much more bitter-sweet after children.

most recently i cried at the end of 'bridge to teribithia' for reasons that those who saw the film would understand, my son was sad even the day afterwards. aris, 'the shawshank redemption' does it to me every time, too, when morgan freeman walks down that beach i'm blubbering.

Leahnz, completely with you on Bridge to Terabithia...one of the most sincere and heartfelt films I've seen recently. What gets me more than the SAD part is the part at the very end with his sister...that kills me.

I think my crying depends on what kind of mood I'm in. There was a period of my life where I was so emotional that I almost got misty-eyed at the end of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. But the two films that make me cry every single time are It's a Wonderful Life and The Elephant Man. "I'm not an animal, I'm a human being," holy shit, I'm gonna get teary just thinking about it now.

Scooterzz: The first movie that ever made me cry: Edward Scissorhands, when she says "hold me," and he says, "I can't."

I was so young I didn't even know why I was crying, I just was.

Grave of the Fireflies. Fuck dude, that movie pwned me.

I'm also a sucker for dead animal movies. Eight Below had me from the first frame. I had to be brave because it was a work-related screening, but damn it was tough.

Wow, Noah, those are the two big ones that get me every time too. For Elephant Man it's Hopkins' wife's reacion to Merrick's compliments when he visits their home, and also the scene with Anne Bancroft at the theatre.

In It's a Wonderful Life, I can come in 2 minutes right before the brother's toast at the end ("To my brother Harry Bailey--the richest man in town!") and I'm still a goner.

Another one is the reunion in Reds. Even though Beatty handles it as subtlely as possible, it never fails to move me.

"Field Of Dreams"

"Hey, dad, wanna catch?"

Also, the end of "Remains of the Day" with Emma on the bus reaching her hand out to Hopkins, but not able to touch.

But I'm a sucker for those moments.

first for me: 1960's 'dog of flanders'...i was the eight-year-old walking home from the saturday matinee sobbing all the way......

i tivo'd it several weeks ago but still haven't the nads to watch it......

I agree with Noah on "The Elephant Man." I can't even watch it anymore. I'll bust out in tears as the DVD is loading. It's his enduring belief that there is still goodness in humanity after what he's been through and his gratitude for any measure of kindness. The first time I saw it I was a kid and there were no waterworks, no emotional reaction at all. As an adult, each viewing is harder to watch to the point that I don't think I can handle it again.

Field of Dreams, yes, absolutely. And for a more recent one, which the Reamins of the Day one reminded me of: Before Sunset, the moment when Julie Delpy reaches out to touch Ethan Hawke when he's describing how he dreams of her, but he doesn't see and she brings her hand back. That's powerful stuff.

And Lazarus, that part gets me in It's a Wonderful Life and the moment when he's running through town and screaming. From that part until the end, I'm choking on my tears.

Brack; all 3 Spidey movies made me all sorts of misty. There's nothing wrong with getting emotional during a movie even if the movie does not always illicit that emotion from other people.

Reamins of the Day?

Do you always cry when watching anal?

Great typo.

I'm not a wimp who drops tears at AT&T commercials but there are some specific moments of films that hit me every time.

Moments that make the Doctor shed a few.

Harold & Maude - after Maude dies
The Onion Field - when the mom talks about bagpipe music at the funeral.
Fearless
Willy Wonka - when Gene tells him he's the one

sniff

Momma Grape's death at the end of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape."
And I'm a sucker for musical biopics with tragic endings ("La Bamba" and "Sweet Dreams" are particular favorites).
I also mist up at the scene in "Spider-Man 2" when Spidey thanks Mary Jane for saving him; and the cemetery scene at the end of "Jude" between Kate Winslet and Christopher Eccleston.
But the ultimate for me is the climactic scene w/Cloris Leachman and Tim Bottoms in "The Last Picture Show. That is truly primal stuff!

I know it's little more than Tom Hulce offering what I'm sure was meant to be an Oscar-bait "handicapable" performance, but I have fond memories of drunkenly shouting through tears at my television when he kidnaps/rescues the baby in DOMINIC AND EUGENE. I think my face was practically touching the screen by the end of that sequence.
I did not do much better watching him watch his brother (Ray Liotta) leave him at the end of the movie. Tough.

Good catch, Laz :)

Movieman, Jude is a good one...I can't remember the line exactly, but something along the lines of "we are too many." That crushes me.

My wife tells me I have no soul because we've been married nine years and she's never seen me cry at movies. I'm 39 by the way.
She's weepy as hell however and actually does not always cry for the weepy stuff. She cries in action flicks, everytime for Armageddon when Bruce dies, when Martin Lawrence realised his sister was in danger in Bad Boys 2, Con Air when Nic Cage met his daughter, Independence Day, and even The Kingdom

But stuff like Hope Floats, Bridge 2 terabithia, and Pursuit of Happiness got her good too. She also cried for Knocked Up when the baby was born.
for myself, the last time I recall crying was for Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, as well as ET.

But the thing that most suprises me is an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I just don't know what the fuck happens to me, its an episode where Will Smith's father comes back after having abandoned him for years. And after he breaks down Wills resistance, he leaves again with a flimsy explanation, and breaks his promise to take will with him. Will explodes on his uncle and screams to hell with his father. I didn't think I had 'daddy issues' but shit that scene gets to me. And my wife just nails me for it.

Well if we're talking about television, what about the final Ron Howard episode of Happy Days when Fonzie tells Richie he loves him and they hug?

That was big time TV.

"Saving Private Ryan," which TNT showed last night. I always cry at the end, thinking about my father, who never told us the truth about what he went through as a POW in WW II and the later horrors of the Korean War. He never got the recognition he deserved, and neither did tens of thousands of others, but the characters in "Private Ryan" represent all those who died horrible deaths so that others could live.

'k.....here's a major embarassment...a few nights ago i went to see betty garrett's show at her theater in studio city...garrett was a swell second-banana actress back in the day and married to black-listed actor larry kert....turns out she also wrote songs (not reallllly good songs, but songs)....the show was not unlike something you'd see on a budget cruise or palm springs community center but something about the performance of 88-year-old garrett (one of her back-up singers was lee merriweather), doing what she loved to do in her own theater at almost 90 had me misty for most of the night......

i may have to give up covering entertainment...that was tragic even to me.....

Interesting thread. For me I cry not when something is sad but just from the exhilaration I feel when a movie is connecting with me. This was most apparent to me when I was watching Mullholand Drive. The scene where the actress sings I've Told Every Little Star at the audition. I don't know what it was but it was just the feeling that I was watching perfection. A perfect scene in a masterpiece. It was crying from feeling bliss.

Also the scene in It's A Wonderful Life where Jimmy Stewart arrives home after losing the money. This scene where a very decent man is at the end of his rope is just so devastating I can't help but cry.

I saw ELEPHANT MAN as a kid and it DEVASTATED me. I seriously was inconcolable for the rest of the day and spent the whole next day in my room crying.

I find myself getting pretty mushy in films like DP said...where something is just so fucking perfect I find myself utterly caught up in it and that's moving to me.

Spock's death in Star Trek II to this day still makes me weep in a sincere way. It is human. It is earned.

One of the best death scenes in cinema history. I stand by that.

Kirk's eulogy is sadder. The Shat nailed that scene.

No...forget that. I just remembered the way Nimoy phrased "I have been and always shall be your friend." Genius. They're both colossal talents and I mean it.

Good call, Nicol. I remember seeing that at the drive-in with my parents and freaking OUT when Spock died. I was totally blindsided by it and extremely pissed/upset.

I think I took movies a liiiiiitle too seriously as a kid.

"I feel...young."

James T Kirk.

Niagara falls. Niagara falls.

bulldog - my wifes cries during 50 First Dates. Each time ! Lets go bowling and let them go together to see the next Hugh Grant flick.

I've cried at the movies 5 times. I've been moved dozens of times, but only those 5 times were tears rolling down my face. Spoilers follow, so consider yourself warned!

1. Schindler's List - I still remember hurriedly wiping away the tears before the lights came up and my classmates saw me. I've only watched it 6 or 7 times since then, but as soon as the announcement comes over the radio about the surrender, the tears start and by the end when the survivors are coming down the hill, it looks like Niagra Falls on my face.

2. Saving Private Ryan - In this movie, its the beginning, the assault on Normandy, Captain Miller shooting the tank on the bridge and the end that moves me to tears every time.

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - When Aragorn says to Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin "You bow to no one." the waterworks starts and continues until the end.

4. In America - When Mateo and Sarah are both in the hospital and Johnny finds out that Mateo paid the hospital bill for Johnny and Sara, the tear ducts are turned on. I still remember watching it clear eyed and then when that was revealed, the tears started flowing like rain right away. No buildup, jut instant water.

5. Million Dollar Baby - Here, it happens when Frankie tells Maggie what Mo Cuishle means and then proceeds to give her the shot of adrenaline. I can never make it to the end without crying.

And then Nimoy reads the "space the final frontier" monologue. Melancholy, mysterious, perfect.

nice list zach---- agree with all but #5...just a matter of taste.... but what was your '1st'??

How about the end of "Midnight Cowboy," or "Nights of Cabiria," or "City Lights"? Anyone who isn't weeping at the end of "City Lights" has no soul!

Nice share, Zach. Let's see if these assholes give you shit for getting emotional at those movies. I would not put it past some of these folks to be that lame.

That last scene at the end of Field of Dreams always gets me.

I think Liam's breakdown scene at the end of Schindler's List, while manipulative, gives you the emotional release the movie has been building towards.

Most recently, I have to admit I teared up a bit at the joyous ending for Millions when they get the water running. It's just that kind of movie.

"Anyone who isn't weeping at the end of 'City Lights' has no soul!"

I absolutely adore the end of City Lights, but I shed no tears.

wow...wadr, ioio...has it occured to you that you are one of 'these assholes'??? because....well,....you are....jus' sayin'....

"The thing that (almost) always gets me, more than sadness in movies, is kindness. People being surprisingly nice to other people always gets me teary. I suppose that could possibly say more about the lack of benignity in my own messed-up life."

I'm like that too. Not even necessarily people being nice to other people, just nice people having good things happen to them. The moment in Hoop Dreams where the kids mother graduates opened up the floodgates.

I cry every now and then. I cried at the end of Monster, which (for me) is a very strange occurance. I mean... really!

There are only a few movies I shed a tear (or outright bawl) over every time I watch them. Thelma & Louise (even if I walk into a room and it's on TV at the end then I will start shedding tears), Dancer in the Dark, Requiem for a Dream (when Sara's friends are at the busstop and start to cry), ET (although I haven't seen this in about five years, so who knows) and I always get choked up at the end of The Dish for some reason.

Oh, and Rabbit-Proof Fence. That gets me every time.

SCHINDLER'S LIST, a brilliant film, a classic, somewhat malauded by critics for its sentimental ending, nails me everytime. I agree with Geoff concerning the necessity of that climax as required 'emotional release.' I personally love the epilogue as well, with the real life survivors, accompanied by their movie counterparts, placing rocks on the graves of the fallen.

STAR TREK II's Shatner's Spock euology for sure.

RETURN OF THE KING'S "for Frodo!" sequence as well as the climax featuring our principals waiting at the dock about to sail off into the afterlife. Gets me everytime.

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT's climax with Shirley Mclaine at the hospital was also Niagara Falls-inducing, or at least I remember it was.

Strangely enough, recently I found the SOPRANOS's 'Made In America' climactic, obtuse diner sequence oddly moving. Maybe it was seeing Tony with his wife and kids sitting down for a meal, like any regular family, with the potential spectre of violence looming menacingly above them.

Oh, I forgot the Paul Giamatti 'healing' sequence of LADY IN THE WATER, when he breaks down about his family. Maybe it was the James Newton Howard score, I don't know, but that scene nailed me as well.

The other one that gets me every time is Dead Poet's Society:

"Oh captain, my captain."

"Thank you boys. Thank you."

As Maurice Jarre's music swells and the bag pipes are heard, I lose it. Never fails. And it's a good cry because it is one of hope.

The last five minutes of "Gallipoli." There are no words. I get weepy just thinking about it.

The end of "Before Sunrise," with the montage of the places they visited followed by the shots of the two of them on the train. I'm baffled by the people who gush about how "romantic" that movie is -- it's one of the saddest movies I've ever seen. Though I guess it could be both.

The end of Hytner's "The Crucible."

The entirety of "The Return of the King."

"I had a bad dream" -"Unbreakable"

"Sweet Sixteen." Anyone remember that movie?

I agree with whomever made the comment about kindness being more affecting than sadness. I think "Schindler's List" is such a powerhouse because it combines both so potently.

oh yeah whoever said MIDNIGHT COWBOY - in the top 5 along with the perenial fave, BRIANS SONG

Nicol D -- oh good god no. I was actually going to bring that up as an example of a heart-tugging moment that failed, in that I wanted to vomit instead of cry. *shudder*

Wow, what a great thread.

Lazarus: LOL.

Nicol: I am very happy to agree with you on Star Trek II. The whole end sequence, the miraculous escape, the death, the funeral, Nimoy's reading over the shot of the casket and what has to be the best score in James Horner's career, all gorgeous. And then in Star Trek III it's almost matched by the crew watching the Enterprise crash and Jim asks, "what have I done" and McCoy's response...well met, fellow nerd.

A few of my others:

Charlotte's Web (animated version) gets me every time.

When I saw Schindler's List, when it gets to Neeson's big scene, I was overwhelmed by the immensity of that emotion. I didn't cry but I did get choked up, I think.

Spider-Man 2 - both the scene when they carry him into the train and the very last scene with MJ.

Tears of joy while watching Singin' in the Rain.

The Pursuit of Happyness last year was manipulative as hell, but dammit, it worked.

And go ahead and laugh if you want, but I cried in two different places the first two times I saw Spielberg's A.I. - at the reveal of human civilization dead and buried in the snow, and at the finale. Full-blown tears.

jeffmcm -- I am absolutely with you on "A.I." Also -- "I am. I was." I adore that movie.

Star Trek II and III are rife with genuine heartfelt moments that ring true in a way that most dramas only dream of.

I also agree with Schindler's List, although I find the moments of pain throughout the film are the ones that I cry at as opposed to the end.

I also agree with Spiderman 2. Again, very heartfelt and earned.

The other one that gets me, and I know this is going out on a limb, is when Hugh Grant breaks down on his knees in About A Boy as he listens to his father's record. Something about the jump cuts and the fact that you cannot see his face rings true in that moment.

Oh yeah, also I forgot, from this year: that flashback in Ratatouille. And last year: the ending of United 93.

Also surprised there haven't been more mentions of Disney movies, where most of us probably learned to cry.

Disney movies? Strangely, for me it's the whole damn Circle of Life opening from The Lion King. I have no idea why that chokes me up, but it does. Every damn time.

There's a little remembered Disney live-action short called A Tale of Two Critters that made me so inconsolably sad that I was barely capable of basic motor skills for hours after it ended. Of course, I was five at the time, but the painful memory lingers to this day. Or is it a happy memory? Hard to say.

Scoot; I have learned my lesson. Sharing you some of you lot is a lost fucking cause. It's nothing but an asshole parade where even the dickheads are invited.

Nobody cares if you don't want to participate, but I think we'd all appreciate it if you could keep the bile to yourself.

I rarely cry at movies but those that made me cry made me cry buckets.

Some recent films:

"In America"--it started about half way through the movie and the tears just never let up. When I walked out of the theater I had tear tracks down my grey shirt. A movie that when I think about it makes me teary eyed.
"Antwone Fisher"--that whole scene of Antwone seeing his mother again, and the scene of him meeting his extended family.
"Almost Famous"--that beautiful shot of William running through Penny's fingers.
"You Can Count on Me"--the farewell scene, when Terry hugs teary Sam and tries to reassure her, asking "Remember what we used to say when we were kids?" She just nods, without him needing to spell it out.

And others that get me everytime...
"E.T."--the ending.
"Schindler's List"--scattered througout the last act.
"Terms of Endearment"--the climax like everybody else here, and the resolution, with Garrett trying to keep Tommy company and reassured during his mother's service.
"Grand Illusion"--the ending
"Glory"--the ending
"Apollo 13"--the ending, showcasing Mission Control celebration, mostly the shot of the gratitude and relief that comes over Ed Harris as he holds back tears.

Jeff; the bile? Did you miss what Boam typed? You are simply singling me out. Why should I participate when I am attacked? Take that seriously, Mac.

On this thread, JBD made three comments, none of which had to do with you. I don't even understand why you're so upset. Relax, take a deep breath, come back in the morning.

Jeff; you shit on me. This is what you get. It's rather simple.

so, mcmahon,now that the drink cart has passed ioio and in the interest of curiosity....do you remember the first film that made you cry?...and would you share?....

I honestly don't know what your problem is. If I said something rude to you, I'm sorry, but as far as I know my only crime is asking you for clarity and coherence.

mcmahon-- you're fine...ioio is slightly tanked....

I already shared several, but going wayyy back, I feel like I probably got misty in The Fox and the Hound.

that 'buddy' song in 'fox/hound' did it for me.... and, here's a weird one.... i just watched a doc on william castle that summoned up such nostalgic feelings that i got all misty remembering when/where i saw all those crappy movies......

I alwasy remember my sister crying at the Lange King Kong and having no idea what her problem was.

Another sister refuses to even start watching West Side Story anymore.

But put me in front of Penny Serenade... kills me. And In America... so much of Djimon's stuff, but the older daughter killed me. And Sam Morton gets me.

Ian Holm punching the hat in Chariots of Fire gets me... all that emotion pent up and released.

It's interesting, I think, how unemotional so many of the awards season films are this year. But Bill Hurt braking down in Into The Wild... and the ennui of Catherine Keener... and Holbrook's last scene. The Savages is a heart ripper. And as corny as it kinda is, when Michael Clayton finally gets it right, it is powerful emotional moment.

For those above who mentioned it - JUDE. Yes. "We are too many." Indescribably painful, shockingly so.
Oddly, a non-movie event that made me cry was seeing Neil Finn from Crowded House perform a few years ago. He had already dedicated a set of songs to CH's drummer who committed suicide a few years previous, and then began "Private Universe." What seemed like the entire audience stood and sang along with him - the whole song, verses, chorus and all - and beautifully I might add. I think that may have been one of the most moving, powerful, yet sad communal experiences I have ever had.

I know a lot of people have found it creepy (or too creepy in theory to break down and actually see the thing) but there were several moments of unadulterated joy that had me choking up a bit in LARS AND THE REAL GIRL.

I was dabbing my eyes at the end of Juno. No full-blown waterworks but definitely getting caught up in the emotions. Specifically last shot of Garner. Everything was just right about it.

Oh, SEABISCUIT'S climax also got me, maybe because of the turmoil the Jeff Bridges character went through beforehand.

I don't remember the scene where Seabiscuit climaxed but i can imagine why it would bring tears to your eyes!

I'm a weepy bitch, and will choke up at the drop of a hat watching movies. It can be either extreme sadness, goodness, perfection or bittersweet melancholy that gets me going. Funnily enough, I almost never cry during "real life".

Another strange thing is that I often get more emotional watching animation than live action ("The Iron Giant", "Nightmare before Christmas", "Beauty and the Beast", "Ratatouille")

Was watching "Grave of the Fireflies" the other day (seen it three times but never seen the last 10 minutes due to crying SO DAMN HARD) and on the second disc there was an interview with Roger Ebert. He was saying that when watching animated films, you remove the barrier of wondering about the real little actress, and the set and the shot, the film stock or whatever. It's not a real little girl suffering during war...it's THE IDEA of a little girl suffering during war and that creates a shortcut to your emotions. Makes sense to me.

The last "new" film that made me cry was "The Fountain", but not tears of sadness, but tears of "perfection" accompanied by the mother of all goosebumps. Seen it now 7 times in the space of 4 months, and tear up every time.

Other movies that make me cry:
"It's a Wonderful Life"
"Ikiru"
"Whale Rider"
"Singing in the Rain"
"Cinema Paradiso"
"Grand Illusion"
"Limelight"
"The Sweet Hereafter"
"United 93"
"The Searchers"

And many, many more.

On the flip side, I have cried tears of laughter at Flying High! (aka Airplane!), the Margaret Cho standup films I'm the One That I Want and Notorious C.H.O., The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and, er, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. I kid you not that movie is one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

I forgot to mention I cried sad tears at the end of Silkwood. Meryl's singing of "Amazing Grace" is what got me.

IO, boohoo. Go cry us a river (ba-doom-ch!)

Hmmm... am a bit surprised no one's mentioned the one scene that probably got everyone crying, probably witnessing the first impact of the death of a loved on a beloved character in a movie: BAMBI!!! (I don't know anyone who didn't succomb to tears on at least their first viewing, and it gets me every time)

I must admit to have cried my eyes out at the end of Titanic back in the day... not when Jack dies, but closer to the end, when Rose dies in bed, and the camera shows those pictures from her life without him, doing all those things they were going to do together (particularly the picture on the horse).

Other films: the whole end of Return of the King (the dissolving of the fellowship; I have trouble reading the end of the book too), Pan's Labyrinth, Finding Neverland, Dead Poet Society, Amantes del Circulo Polar, Little Women... to name the first ones that come to mind (ok, so tears come easy to me!)

And this year's tear-jerkers?
Bridge to Tarabithia definitely top of the list
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
A Mighty Heart
Pirates of the Caribbean AWE (damn ending! once every 10 years?! arrrrr!!!)
Harry Potter _ Order of the Phoenix (Sirius, sob! had me in tears in the book too -not to mention the 6th and 7th books, expect fountains when those films come out)

And how about TV tears? mostly associated with deaths of beloved characters for me:
- A couple of scenes from Buffy the Vampire slayer come to mind: The Body (whole episode), Buffy's death, Tara's death (very bloody series)
- Starbuck (Katee Sackhof) heading into the Maelstrom

good lord!!! so many tears! ;o)

The end of "It's a Wonderful Life"

The end of "Field of Dreams"

When Eric Liddel gets up after being fouled in "Chariots of Fire" and runs in slo-mo to win the race.

Loads of times duting William Goldman's novel "The Princess Bride" but oddly, never while watching the movie, which is, at last for me, miscast and poorly directed.

Theoden's death in "The Return of the King." Come to think of it, there are at least half-a-dozen tear-jerking scenes in that picture.

But the all-time champ for me is "Lassie Come Home." My wife refuses to watch it with me as she claims she can barely hear the dialogue over my gut-wrenching sobs

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the one that gets me every time: the singing of the "Marseillaise" in Casablanca.

That and Cinema Paradiso. When it came out, I saw Cinema Paradiso at a special screening for a group of movie theater projectionists. You've never seen so many grown men bawling in your life.

No shittin', when I was in 4th grade I cried at the end of Terminator 2, when Ahnuld is melted down. I was a sad boy.

The Fountain still makes me wanna weep every time I see it, for a plethora of reasons.

I cried during "Punch-Drunk Love" but that was because I had paid to see it.

I try to hide behind massive doses of cynicism and general aggravation with my fellow man, but I am such an easy mark. There are a lot of choices here that do me in (Elephant Man, Trek II, "You bow to no one" in RETURN, and on and on.)

Give me a good "triumph of the human spirit" and stand back. I was inconsolable for an hour after watching MILLIONS. Just couldn't talk about it without breaking up. That was a good day. When the kid wins at the end of SPELLBOUND: same thing.

There are way too many to list, so I'll put in a couple that snuck up on me.

The end of THE STRAIGHT STORY. Man, I was glad no one was home when I watched that.

ROBIN AND MARION. A great hero and his comrades dealing with advancing age and their inevitable obsolesence...And it doesn't help that I have a tendency to mourn Robert Shaw at the drop of a hat.

The one that gets me without fail, though? The "La Marseillaise" scene in CASABLANCA. It only got worse after I heard that the extras were made up of a great number of European refugees and you can see the extra vigor they all put into singing down the Nazis. Even aside from that, though, it's a guaranteed cry. Viva la France!

Excellent call on STAR TREK II, Nicol. I love that scene.

There's many scenes I've seen here, but here's some I haven't...

Herman Blume and Max Fischer in front of his dad's barber shop in RUSHMORE: "I'll take punctuality." (This scene doesn't do it for most people, but for me, somehow, it does.)

The end of RAISING ARIZONA. That whole monologue devastates me.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS - the first time I saw it, I was laughing and enjoying the film, and then Gene Hackman and Ben Stiller just sucker-punched me into tears with two lines: "I've had a rough year, Dad." "I know, Chas." Every single time I see that scene, tears just happen. Can't help it.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'."

Cerny: That's almost exactly what I wrote over on HE.

"Ben Stiller's 'I've had a rough year, dad' line in The Royal Tenenbaums. The tears were so hard and unexpected, I practically heard them pop out."

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Big Fish. The ending wrecks me.

"Field Of Dreams"

"Hey, dad, wanna catch?"

Of course FoD is the most-cited guy weepy movie, but for some reason this line doesn't really do it for me. It's earlier - when Ray is talking to Shoeless Joe and Joe finally gives him the line "If you build it..." ::nods to the catcher undressing:: "...he will come." And then you realize that the the entire film, from that first moment in the cornfield, has been leading up to this. And then Ray gives the line... "Oh my God. It's my father." Good lord I'm getting choked up typing this.

The other two seminal weepy moments for me are from To Kill a Mockingbird and The Best Years of Our Lives. In the former I'm basically a mess throughout (thank you Elmer Bernstein), but the most oft-cited moment is when the black contingent of the courtroom stand in the balcony as Atticus walks out having lost the case.

In Best Years the moment that kills me is Cathy O'Donnell dressing Harold Russell for bed. He's lost his hands in the war and is so insecure over this fact that he shuts her out for the majority of the film (he has his father dress him early in the movie). But then comes that moment when he finally lets his guard down and realizes, for the first time, that she loves him so much that she doesn't care - she's absolutely willing to do this for the rest of her life. It's played almost completely silently and directed by Wyler with absolute perfection. For my money the best scene in a great, great movie.

Jesus, I'm tearing up just reading this thread, Good call on Stiller's line during Tennenbaums, I also get misty when he is speaking with Danny Glover and they share a quick moment over their lost wives.
I think Whale Rider and In America are the ones that have destroyed me most recently, but the one I remember the most as a kid was the end of "The Champ". Extremely manipulative but a young Ricky Schroeder sniffling and sobbing over Jon Voights beaten corpse was just the saddest thing I had ever seen. Though I havent seen the movie in 25 years I was describing it to someone recently and couldnt help but start crying when I got to the words "Get Up Champ"

Oh, and though it seems every dog movie ends the same way (Hope is given up for return of dog, Child outside hears distant bark, looks over hill to see muddied limping dog slowly approach, reunion). It gets me every damn time.

Nice thread. The previously mentioned Tenenbaums line gets me everytime as does Margot getting off the bus at the bus station.

Also, the end of Fargo gets me when Marge says: "So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money. There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don't you know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well, I just don't understand it."

George all alone at the end of "Shampoo."
Cue the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't it be Nice?"

Richard Dreyfuss on the plane heading off to college at the end of "American Graffiti."
The signal on Curt's transistor radio dies out.
Cue the Beach Boys' "All Summer Long."

It's interesting how some of my most cherished waterworks moments in movies are tied to a song.
The scene in "American Hot Wax" where Alan Freed is on the phone with his dad that ends with, "It's raining in Akron, Ohio, but it's a beautiful nite in New York City. Here are the Drifters and 'There Goes My Baby,'" turns me into a whimpering infant every time.
Yeah, it's that whole "son-who-could-never-please-his-old-man" thing, but the song at the end really seals the deal.

A dying Diane Keaton sitting in the sun on a park bench at Disneyworld in "Marvin's Room."
Or Jon Voight talking to those high school kids at the end of "Coming Home."
John Savage returning to the base in "Hair" to discover that Treat Williams has been shipped off to Vietnam in his place. (Savage's anguished cry of, "Berger!!!!!!!," followed by that amazing cut--scored to "Let the Sun shine In"--to Berger's funeral with the whole gang singing their hippie hearts out. That might be my favorite Milos Forman movie moment ever.
Two more Warren Beatty mentions (the "Reds" reunion scene is great, too, but somebody already mentioned it):
Beatty and the crazy Natalie Wood's heartbreaking reunion in "Splendor in the Grass."
And Beatty asking Julie Christie if she'd recognize him in someone else's body--"maybe even a quarterback"--at the end of "Heaven Can Wait;" and their "eyes-meet-across-the-locker- room" scene shortly afterwards.
Re: "Splendor in the Grass." All doomed young-love love stories destroy me. Liza Minnelli and Wendell Burton in "The Sterile Cuckoo" and Rosanna Arquette and Vincent Spano in "Baby It's You" are two more favorites.

On a similar note, the "Going the Distance" cue from ROCKY always gets me good. Damn you, Bill Conti! So does "Yeroushalaim Chel Zahav" in SCHINDLER, but like I said, I'm an easy mark. (Though a lot of John Williams gets me, too. Parts of the SUPERMAN score do me in and I don't know why. I'm ashamed to admit that the first trailer for SUPERMAN RETURNS got me going good.)

I have a friend who cries when Al shoots Karl at the end of DIE HARD.

Josh, I third the Royal Tenenbaum moment AND second Big Fish... that last sequence with Crudup telling the story to Finney really gets to me.

In a vein not dissimilar to the Big Fish ending, for me (and it got there first): the last sequence of 25th Hour, with Brian Cox (who even sorta looks like Albert Finney) narrating to Edward Norton about the possibility of going on the run and starting over, especially when he talks about Norton gathering his new family and asking if they know how lucky they are to have "this life that came so close to never happening."

Beautifully written, beautifully delivered, beautifully accentuated by Spike Lee's images. That's the moment where the movie went from something I admired and liked a lot to one of my favorites. It also took me completely by surprise, as the movie was never really hyped as a tearjerker. That always helps, for me -- being *unexpectedly* moved.

Another Wes Anderson bit, less heralded because a lot of people didn't care much for the film: towards the end of Life Aquatic, when everyone is in the sub, and they see the Jaguar Shark -- specifically Zissou saying "I wonder if it remembers me." When I first saw it, I was moved, but for some reason the second time made me tear up.

Moulin Rouge made me cry, not during the sad bits at the end but during several of the musical numbers, because I loved them so much.

I think the only ones that made me cry this year were Ratatouille and a little bit at the end of Once.

Oh, and montrealkid, what gets me a little misty in Fargo is the scene following that one in the car, with Marge and Norm in bed, and her telling him how great it is to be on the three-cent stamp. I guess there's a lot of overlap between my teary moments and my favorite endings.

AI... When the music stops and the lock of hair falls out of Teddy's hand...
In America... The dedication at the end to Frankie. The realization that he was a real kid. The whole movie resonated with new life. I started bawling.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being... about seven seconds after the credits roll (yeah I counted), a delayed reaction I've never experienced. The whole movie just fell on me. Devastated.
And Jo Beth Williams' performance as the mother in Poltergeist cuts to the bone. "My went through my soul."

Wong Kar-wai's "2046:"
Tony Leung watching as his landlord's daughter (who he's secretly in love) talks to her boyfriend on the phone--a long distance call that he arranged for her--while Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" plays in the background.
The look on Leung's face (happy-for-her, yet inconsolably sad for himself at the same time) is a real heartbreaker.
And "The "Christmas Song," sob, too.
Somebody get me a tissue!

Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks' unexpected friendship at the end of "Catch Me if You Can."
I think it echoes the posting about "kindness" between the unlikeliest of friends being particularly moving and resonant.
And the holiday scene from "Catch Me" with--what else?--Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" providing musical accompaniment.

Has anybody seen Peter Bogdanovich's great doc, "Directed by John Ford"?
There's an audio tape of a telephone conversation between Ford and Kate Hepburn---when both of them were very advanced in age--that's almost indescribably moving.

"nice list zach---- agree with all but #5...just a matter of taste.... but what was your '1st'??"

They're in chronological order.

"I have a friend who cries when Al shoots Karl at the end of DIE HARD."

That's the kind of stuff that usually gets me. Not a sad death, but a larger-than-life, take-your-breath-away moment. Not Leo sinking in Titanic, for example, but the propellers lifting out of the water.

I remember tearing up when Sam Neill got his first full view of a dino in Jurassic Park. Or when Rocky won ("Yer out!") in Rocky II. The quiet walk in Children of Men. Sam Shepard walking out of the smoke in The Right Stuff.

Of course, the good ol' fashioned sad stuff works too - Jeff Daniels breaking down at the end of Terms of Endearment.

Hey, jesse, yeah, that 3-cent stamp bit at the end really gets to me to. Actually, their relationship is one of the most beautiful things about that film.

I'm a big fan of that shot of the dishes falling out of the cabinet in Titanic. There's something so simple and so wrong about it that I find really effective.

One of the greatest shifts from abject weeping to absolute joy was my wife for Ving Rhames' hanging scene in Rosewood.
She also cried for Christopher's death scene in Sopranos, just because she couldn't believe that Tony would kill him.

Season finale of MASH - when the korean musicians were all killed and Winchester put a record on of the music they used to play, then he loses it and breaks the album.

It seems almost too obvious to mention, but what about Rose's return to Titantic, and all of the ghosts from her youth, at the end of, uh, "Titanic"?
Or the lobomotized Frances Farmer at the end of "Frances.,"
And Sophie's horrible secret--revealed in harrowing flashbacks--in "Sophie's Choice"? (Also Sophie and Nathan's double suicide at the climax.)
How about Glenn Close and the old gang remarking (with fond approval) on the perfect symmetry of William Hurt and Meg Tilly somehow winding up together at the end of "The Big Chill"?
Does anybody remember "Hope floats" in "The Hotel New Hampshire."

Barbara Harris hitting the stage after Ronee Blakley's assassination in "Nashville."
"It Don't Worry Me" indeed.
Or, while we're still in 1975, the death of the Lyndon child in "Barry Lyndon."
Tobey Maguire returning to the orphanage at the end of "The Cider House Rules."
Batman and Catwoman's dance in "Batman Returns:" both realize the others' secret identity and realize that theirs is a love that can never be.

Okay, movieman, I wasn't going to admit this one because I also thought it was obvious and a cliche. Ah, well. The Strauss' clutching each other on the bed with the water flowing under them in TITANIC. Followed by Goldstein tucking in her children.

The last shot of Burstyn in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM.

The reading of the verdict in THE VERDICT.

Time to be a contrarian. I've seen several people mention the end of Field of Dreams, and I was reminded how many times that movie's been cited as the ulimate tearjerker. I just can't dig it. It was too manipulative and too saccherine. I'm a big baseball fan, but that whole movie left me cold. I always assumed it was for guys with daddy issues, but its persisent recognition proves that its too-sweet appeal is far reaching.

ah, wrecktum, it's one of my favorite movies of all time. if i'm flipping channels and it's on, i'll watch to the end. but i'm a softy.

united 93 was a good call. the trailer had me crying.

also, almost famous. how anyone doesn't fall in love with kate hudson in that movie, i'll never know.

music definitely plays a huge part. a scene that gets me is the museum bit in "ferris bueller." smiths song playing. cameron staring at the painting. it's a strange moment in a comedy.

I saw the premiere of THE STRAIGHT STORY in Austin at the Paramount, and knowing that I was moving from Texas to Hollywood brought on extra tears. Badalementi's music helps.

Definitely SPIDERMAN 2 in the train and the end when when Peter Parker is allowed a glorious moment of triumph.

HAROLD AND MAUE natch.

And...SILENT RUNNING when Dern leaves the final droid alone to tender the earth's last forest. Weep.

We cry because we relate. And (this is more of a guy thing) we cry because of lost promise. Field of Dreams. They play catch to make ammends for the lost time, it gets us. We also cry watching sacrifices. People sacrificing themselves for a great good, or someone they love. It's moving.

I agree with the above comment. Music makes a HUGE part.

a few for me:
Saving Private Ryan - actually, the scene where Hanks breaks down in tears. Something about his face. You can see that the man, the Captain, after barking orders to his men, he himself is on the edge of losing it the entire time.

And I KNOW it's manipulative as hell...but the ending montage at Philadelphia. Seeing Andy as a little boy. Seeing how the world would pass judgement on this small child. I was bawling.

Finding Nemo - that last hug at the end. BAM! Tears just started flooding.

Shawshank Redemption - that last hug at the End.

LOTR: Return of the King - that "You bow to no one" gesture.

The Sea Inside was the last one I really lost it at. "You'll look back at what you've just said, and you'll hate yourself."

what should be noted is the films we DON'T cry at. Did not cry at Brokeback, or Finding Neverland, A.I., Minority Report, A Beautiful Mind, Amistad, Lars and The Real Girl (last night), King Kong, Chronicles of Narnia, didn't cry in Eternal Sunshine, even though I think it's one of the most emotionally satisfying movies I've seen in years.

Oh I forgot the big one:

CAST AWAY.

I knew it was coming, I knew it was coming. I still cried anyway. And I think the music played a big part of it.

More recent flicks that got the well running:

Friday Night Lights - the coda telling us what happened to all the real-life players after they lost the State Championship, as Billy Bob takes all their names down from the wall. God i love that movie - never gets the props it deserves. It's the 'Hoosiers' of the '00's.

Walk The Line - June's reserve finally cracks as she accepts Johnny's proposal on stage. Just brilliant acting from Reese.

Cast Away - the loss of Wilson.

Revenge of the Sith - the Order 66 montage, backed up by Williams' glorious elegy, finally gave the prequels the mythic power they should have had all along.

This is the best thread in ages. I'm probably going to blind-buy Bridge to Terabithia on the basis of the love it's getting here.

Dr. Wally,
You're too right. This thread is an absolute blast. Not only because of the similarity of films, but also because of the reasons.
As for Hopscotch, I agree with you about Eternal Sunshine. Insanely, I was not all that impressed with the film when it was in theatres, but since then, for better or for worse, it rips me up. Mainly because I went through a most profound loss since then. And each day since then, the memories kill and I want to wipe them out but I know I can't and so I thank God I have them because I know that the memories also help keep me alive.
As for what you DON'T cry at... Brokeback Mountain. I think the film is a masterpiece of restraint and all the more touching because of it. Can you imagine the sludge that would have ended up on screen at Joel Schumacher agreed to direct.
And finally, I agree with you that we cry because of lost promise. And also because when the gap between the reality and what we so deeply wished for falls so short... that is the void into which we fall.

Oh, Derek Luke in FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS in the car destroys me. "I was gonna buy you a house!" How Berg pulled that performance out of him... amazing. That movie is absolutely underrated, and it's probably my favorite football movie ever made.

"Meet me in Montauk..." in ETERNAL SUNSHINE kills me too.

This is indeed a fabulous thread! (in part because for once no one is insulting anyone else)

I'm frequently thrilled by how often the Music (and a particular song) in certain movie scenes can up the emotional level and really bring out the fountain... off the top of my head: "Unchained Melody" and Ghost; "Smoke gets in your Eyes" and Always...

I'm an easy cry. :-( But here are the ones that brought me passed the point of the usual tears welling up thing to actual crying. Kindness does it for me too. And apologies in advance for not having the requisite "too cool for school" that some of these are:

It's a Wonderful Life ("to my brother George, the richest man in town." SOB.)

Terms of Endearment ("you always think it's going to be easy when they finally go but it's not...oh...oh my sweet baby!" AHHHHHHH! SOB)

The Kite Runner - jaysus crimeny, the last fifteen minutes of that movie had me almost literally sobbing in the theater.

A Beautiful Mind
Shakespeare in Love just cause it's so beautiful.
Old Yeller
The Champ remake
ET
Sophie's Choice (ZOMG)
Schindler's List (holy fucking hell)
Scent of a Woman
The Bicycle Thief
Sense and Sensibility
The Pianist
Pan's Labyrinth
Ordinary People
King Kong (Peter Jackson's version)

The movie that made me cry harder than any other film I've ever seen and had me living that famous quote, "when you look into the abyss the abyss looks back at you," was the Mike Nichols HBO movie Wit starring Emma Thompson. That movie - I dare anyone to watch it and not cry your eyes out.

Movies that should have made me cry but never did:
Titanic
The English Patient
An Affair to Remember
Dances with Wolves

One more reason I can think of to cry is when good things happen to good people who have been through the emotional crapper.

I know the movie doesn't get much love around these parts, but I damn near explode when Bingley finally proposes to Jane in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice. The look of joy on Rosamund Pike's face when she gives him her "with all my heart, yes" line is as perfect a bit of acting I've seen in a good long while. The whole last twenty or so minutes of the movie actually tears me apart, but this is the scene that gets it started.

Well, after over a year of lurking and not commenting, this topic finally moved me to say a few words. Those words: Harry and the Henderson's gets me everytime.

Some others:

A Condemned Man Escapes (never know how we're translating that these days)

The Green Mile

Dead Poet's Society - moreso when Hawke is running through the snow, as opposed to when he stands on the chair

Kramer vs Kramer

The Bicycle Thief (Bicycle Thieves?)

And, if I might offer a tv moment, the final scene of Blackadder was incredibly moving, and most certainly jerked my tears.

Now that I'm older though, I have to agree with the sentiment that extreme acts of kindness are what really move me. I don't so often fall for the sappy, manipulative stuff anymore - well, rarely I do.

A really good friend of mine, not at all a movie buff, real cynical guy, once told me he was sobbing at the end of Seabiscuit. That always cracks me up. That movie never got to me in that sort of way.

Two I just remembered it.

HUD - scene where Melvyn Douglass is singing his heart out to "My darling Clementine" in the movie theater.

IN America - Let's see...yeah I was crying essentially the entire movie.

The Green Mile - forgot that one too. Speaking of random acts of kindness. When John brings Mr. Jingles back to life and the prisoner says "merci". BAM! water works.

Some that people haven't mentioned that move me:

Mr. Holland's Opus -- The ending
Monster's Inc. -- The end when Sully sees Boo
Rudy -- When he gets to go in and gets a sack.
Watership Down -- effective when I was a kid

Last 10 minutes of "About Schmidt," with Jack's resigned, depressed narration leading up to the simple, devastating image of the African boy's drawing.

Also:

"The Deer Hunter," unwatchably sad, what with the funereal music and the image of Walken during the end credits.

Hal Holbrook had me choked up in "Into the Wild."

The quiet scene between Rocky and Adrian before the big fight, not to mention the scene where his banner has the wrong shorts.

The ending of "Starman," of all things. Even more than "E.T."

Clint standing in the rain in "Madison County."

The Chief's scene with lobotomized R.P. McMurphy.

Good call on WIT, BP. Goddamn, that killed me. I can't hear the piece of music the used for the closing theme (I think it's called "Spiegel Im Spiegel") without tearing up.

Anf thanks for bringing in CUCKOO, Lex. That sets me up and his escape puts me over.

I cried at the shirt in Brokeback Mountain... and I wasn't the biggest fan of the film.

I don't come from a divorced family, but Shoot The Moon levels me half a dozen times... the kids... the pain masked as rage.

The father's acceptance of his daughter in North Country.

Born Into Brothels.

Too many to list...

Billy Elliot, when he is about to voyage down from Northern England to London. He comes from a very, very tough working class community that has been wrought asunder by the miners' strike... picket-lines, scabs, hunger... and the boy wants to be a dancer... the folk don't take too easily to that oddity... but his Dad makes a HUGE sacrifce and when he goes to put him on the bus... his Dad doesn't just hug him to say goodbye... his Dad doesn't just hold him in his arms... his Dad holds him up like he was some Champion of the World. Incredible power in that one image.

The ending of Escape From the Planet of the Apes. "Mama...mama..." Pretty rough stuff when you're 11.

And I always, always cry when Dorothy sings Blue Velvet at the Slow Club.

i caught 'united 93' on cable one morning at home, i turned on the tv on a whim during breakfast and it was so damn tense and visceral, by the end i was shaking and sobbing in my living room, i was so thankful no one was there to see me, i was a complete mess! that is one fine piece of filmmaking.

i've never watched 'once were warriors' without everyone in the room shedding tears, it's a real tear-jerker, check it out if you get a chance, it's a good kiwi film.

Don't know exactly why but the last time I cried was watching Children of Men.

As Clive Owen was bringing the girl and her baby down the stairs.The baby started to cry. The gun fighting stopped. For a moment there was peace and hope.

It's completely out of fashion to admit, but DANCES WITH WOLVES got me. There were the expected throat-lumps when the wolf and his horse were slaughtered, but that moment near the end: "Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that you will always be my friend?" being shouted from the cliffs as they begin their exodus. Beautiful.

A film here likely no one has seen here... the 2003 Bollywood hit KAL HO NAA HO, which was shot in New York. There's one pivotal scene that I just think is perfect, and it *destroys* me every time I see it. Preity Zinta has just found out the great selfless sacrifice Shahrukh Khan has made in the name of his love for her, and they face each other at her "special" spot, on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. She tearily asks him "Why do you love me so much?" as he repeats "I don't love you" as he starts to break down himself--a denial which is not so much for her benefit than his own. It ends with an epic crane shot (great work by DP Anil Mehta) of them embracing (while she repeats the question and he the denial) with the hulking metropolis of Manhattan behind them, thus reinforcing one of the film's general themes about how in this bustling, crowded city the central characters were able to find a transcendent connection. I'm getting choked up just thinking about this one.

Don't be ashamed to defend Dances with Wolves. I don't get the Costner bashing and why some bad films automatically means all his films are hated. I'm no big fan as indeed 80% of his output has been shabby but Dances is wonderful, classic filmmaking that i wish would influence more filmmakers these days. John Barrys score, the cinematography, the characters - wonderful.

I haven't rewatched many of the films that I have cried at so I'm not sure if I would cry again or if it was just the first time. I forgot about Lynch's Elephant Man and Straight Story. He really can tug at the heartstrings if he wants to.

I usually cry at the end of Pleasantville, I forgot about that.

Bambi didn't make me cry, but I saw that for the first time when I was about 15 so I guess the idea of death wasn't new. I did shed a few tears watching Bridge to Terabithia a few weeks back on DVD. That Anna Sophia Robb, I tell ya... if she stops being the "evil child" and takes roles where she gets to SMILE TO THE HEAVENS then she'll have a big career.

Great thread!

BABE - At the end, when Babe silently shepherds the sheep to victory in front of a stunned audience. "That'll do, Pig. That'll do!"

"I'm no big fan as indeed 80% of his output has been shabby but Dances is wonderful..."

See, I think Dances is wonderful, but I also think most of his films have been - or at least they were before the past 10 years or so. But that guy made some very good-to-unabashedly great films between the mid-'80s and early '90s - Dances, Field of Dreams, The Untouchables, No Way Out, Fandango, A Perfect World, Bull Durham, JFK, Silverado,... Even Waterworld, The Guardian, The War and Thirteen Days had their moments.

And while the quality of his films has diminished, he just directed what I feel is going to be considered a classic in the long run - Open Range.

I've never understood the hate, other than petty Goodfellas fans who blame Costner for his Oscar victory.

"But that guy made some very good-to-unabashedly great films between the mid-'80s and early '90s..."

Exactly! Costner's top 3 films; Dances, Field of Dreams, The Untouchables are superlative works. His 2nd tier films from that era are waaay above average. I have always been a huge champion of Costner and get tired of the guy being bashed. Even Waterworld, while flawed is not the wash (no pun intended) that many think.

Costner has a diverse resume and easily understands the mythology of the Western genre on a par with the great Western directors like Leone and Ford. I recently purchased A Perfect World. His work in that film is excellent.

Thanks for defending him. Now I know I am not alone.

A little late to the party, but quite a few moments that have been mentioned make me tear up:

- the end of Schindler's List
- Morgan Freeman's "I hope" speech in Shawshank Redemption
- Nimoy's monologue in Wrath of Khan

Other stuff that's done it to me over the past few years:

- Ralph Fiennes going to where his wife was killed in The Constant Gardener
- The culmination of The Fountain
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's admission of unrequited love

I'm a sucker for love stories I guess. Still, I remember once crying at the end of Terminator 2. I only ever did it once, but that was just an emotional week I guess. It's still very moving.

Ratatouille also is more moving each time I watch it. I saw it twice in theater and twice on DVD now. I just fricking love that rat.

More recently (SPOILER WARNING), the end of Atonement, when we get the big reveal. Man, that just rocked me to the core. Vanessa Redgrave's voice is full of so much regret, shame and sadness, I don't know how anyone couldn't be moved.

I'm sorta curious to see if I'll have the same reaction again though...usually the second time through I don't, but later on when I re-watch something, I will again. It's kinda odd. Anyhow, there be my two cents.

I'll pitch in on the Costner love. I can't absolve him of the crappy ones he's made- or that period when his relentless narcissism ran wild- but I do love his stuff a lot of the time. He won me over immediately in SILVERADO and I was thrilled when UNTOUCHABLES put him securely on the map. With a nice string of quality in the years immediately following, what's not to like? And even though I don't think it should have beat GOODFELLAS at the Oscars, WOLVES is a fine piece of solid moviemaking.

To connect it to the thread: His closing argument in JFK had me weeping.

Let us remember his should-have-been-oscar-nominated recent work on The Upside of Anger. That alongwith his directing and acting on Open Range makes me happy. I really like Costner, hope he continues to be successful. Less Dane Cook thrillers and more Open Ranges and Upside of Angers please.

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