Sob stories: 25 movies to watch if you need a good cry

No need to worry about ChatGPT just yet. No computer could have written this human, personal and profound story about two Korean immigrants who cross paths over time. It's the kind of thing that makes you cry even more once it's over.  

You've seen this story a million times: A woman gets cancer and only has a few years to live. It's up to these lovers to make the most of what time they have left. Love Story doesn't have to apologize for this trope, however, since it's the movie started the trope in the first place. 

Here's an animal and here's a sad movie list. You don't need to be a detective to know where this is going. Bambi started the Dead Parent trope in Disney movies, which means some kids will be scarred by this film.

I have never sobbed at the end of a movie quite like I did watching Bicycle Thieves, an Italian drama about a father and son who lose their bike and then their job. What can they possibly do? The answer is more heartbreaking than I can even describe — a portrait of two people who try to keep the wheels spinning on their lives, but who wobble through the streets of Rome with a flat tire. 

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger are cowboys in love, but there are a million things keeping them apart. No matter how many times you saddle up for this one, it will still make you cry. 

Yes, I know. It's a holiday movie with lots of schmaltz. But when Jimmy Stewart returns home from his journey with the ghost — to a community who welcome him with open arms, smiles and tears — your entire being will swell with the feeling of joy. 

Um. If you haven't seen this movie about a girl who is sold to the circus, brace yourself. Federico Fellini's film has the power to move you like no other, thanks to his humanist approach to storytelling and his fantastical appraoch to visuals. The character is just as unique as the atmosphere, which makes it all the harder to see her go. 

Raise your hand if you think there was more room on the door. Okay good, it's not just me. Even if the movie ends on a downer, the first half makes you care about these lovers played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, to the point that fans have spent decades trying to find a way to make them live.

This is a classic tearjerker. Just ask your mom, sister or grandma. We don't want to give too much away, but this chick flick about besties isn't all flowers at the wedding. In a stunning monologue from Sally Field, even the guys in the room will find themselves tearing up. 

If you build it, they will cry. There's not a lot of tearjerkers out there for dudes, but this story of a man who builds a baseball field in his backyard is definitely one of them. Watching Kevin Costner meet his heroes and reconnect with his paps is something every guy can cry to.  

You've probably heard someone refer to something as a "Sophie's Choice" before, and that comes from the choice Merryl Streep has to make in this movie. In this Hollocaust melodrama, the choice Streep makes will affect her future. 

Are you ready to phone home and connect with your inner child? That's the effect of watching Spielberg's classic, which sees an alien come to Earth and become friends with the local kids. In scene after scene, Spielberg blows you away with his magical touch. The alien has human traits that make us care about him — who doesn't love Reese's Pieces? — while also having magical traits like a glowing finger. It's the kind of thing only Spielberg can pull off.  

Only watch Fireflies if you are prepared to spend the last 30 minutes bawling your eyes out. Most people think of Studio Ghibli as family entertainment, but this story of two orphans scrounging for food during World War II is anything but. It's a movie that rains down on you like an air raid, filling your eyes with smoke and tears. 

This is a movie about divorce, and it's hard to watch at times. Watching a custody battle can feel like you're being pulled in two very different directions, but there are moments of warmth as well. 

You can't write a tearjerker list without including The Notebook. Those are the rules. The story of two lovers who come from different backgrounds is like the countryside version of West Side Story. That means more beards, flannels and uplift. 

If you're in the mood for something that will make you cry and smile at the same time, we got you. Beasts of the Southern Wild brings a flood of tears when a father and daughter lose their home, but there are moments of splendor as well. As they go through life the best they can, they find magic in their swamp of despair.  

If you can make it through Michelle Williams' monologue in Manchester by the Sea without crying, you would be the first. This story of divorcees in a fishing village is one of the all-time tearjerkers. 

Seriously, get out those tissues. Nothing can prepare you for this story of a dad who hides the Holocaust from his son by pretending it's all a game. It's all fun and games until the gunshot, which will echo in your mind long after the credits roll.

The opening scene sees a man's life flash before our very eyes as he grows up, gets married and gets old. It's one of the greatest montages in movie history, especially for the way it shows how a wife's passing can feel like a husband's death. It's tearjerking stuff, but luckily a boy comes along to give him new life. 

Robin Williams sure likes making you cry, huh? Between this, his monologue in Good Will Hunting and the ending of Good Morning Vietnam, the actor has a way of turning his optimistic charm into a lovely puddle of tears. He's a teacher every student wishes they had, which is why many people return to this movie to learn valuable lessons. 

Before Damien Chazelle made a musical about a tragic romance, Jacques Demy made a musical about a tragic romance in Cherbourg, France. In the main characters, you can see how this movie influenced La La Land, while the set-pieces would go onto inspire everyone from Agnes Varda to Wes Anderson. It's one of the most influential musicals of all time, thanks in large part to that whopper of an ending. 

Douglas Sirk and tragedy go together like peanut butter and jelly. They complement each other perfectly. The director's greatest tragedy is a funeral march of bad decisions — the daughter in this family can only seem to walk down a road toward death.

Anyone who has seen the movie Living knows this story well. A banker spends his life as a curmudgeon when he's diagnosed with cancer, which causes him to question how he's spent the past 70 years. Maybe he could have been nicer? Livelier? More charitable? Akira Kurosawa's movie is a life-changing masterpiece for many in the audience, especially those who wants to make the most of life. 

You kinda have to be onboard with what Kenji Mizoguchi is doing here (it's an austere film with lots of suffering), but those who stick it out will be rewarded with an ending that cannot be described in words. There are not words in the English language that can sum up the power of this masterpiece, nor the journey a son takes to find his lost mother (and vice versa). It may very well be the most moving movie ever made. 

Get ready to look at animation in a new way thanks to the greatness of Hayao Miyazaki, along with his furry friends. My Neighbor Totoro tells the story of a father and his daughters, who move to the countryside, where they can see their mother (who has cancer) more often. It's not long before they make friends with a furry creature named Totoro — and it's not long before audiences are making friends with everyone on screen, too.