Movies That Make Me Cry

Warning: This post is a little long. But c’mon people, I am bearing my soul here….

I am not afraid to admit I have cried during a movie or two in my day. ‘Land Before Time’, ‘Harry and the Hendersons’, and ‘Home Alone’ are some of my earliest cry-movie memories. I feel no shame here because those are legitimate, cry-worthy flicks. Little-foot looses his parents and you’re gonna tell me you can keep your composure? Harry’s sad Bigfoot eyes when Mr. Henderson tells him to he has to leave? Definite tear fuel. And of course Kevin’s almost tragically alone Christmas strikes a chord with even the toughest of hearts. Yes, I cry in movies. Typically this happens in a private living room by myself or with loved ones. However, twice I have cried in perhaps the most embarrassing of situations. Let me explain.

Cry #1

About two weeks into a new sales job, I am sent off to the corporate office to take part in the official sales training workshop. Other sales people from across the country and I all gather together to be motivated, trained and inspired in classic sales training form. About half way through the first day, the presenter turns the lights low and puts in a movie. “Heh, its ‘Rudy’” I thought to myself absently. Specifically, we watched the scene where Rudy finally gets to play in a game. As the scene played out, I felt my emotions start to rise. Here is a glimpse into my internal dialogue:

“What? Are you going to cry during ‘Rudy’? Have you ever even seen this movie all the way through? You can’t cry. Dude. You cannot cry. You are in a room full of half-strangers at a work function. No tears. Quick, think of something stupid, or gross, or funny. OK, that was a tear I just felt on my cheek. I hate you.”

It’s true, it was too late, Rudy’s determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles was too much for me to handle. Luckily I didn’t bawl, just teared up a bit. Nothing a few sleeve wipes couldn’t take care of before the lights came back on.

Cry #2

One of my favorite forms of service is donating platelets at the ARUP blood center. Those who have donated blood before will understand the setting. An open room full of reclining medi-chairs all facing each other in a circle. Medical staff sits at a large table in the middle to monitor the patients. Now, it is important to note there is a big difference between donating blood and platelets. Platelets take about 90 minutes to complete, and the blood is actually drawn, processed and reinserted in your body. On this particular trip, I was on an older machine so I had a needle in each arm. Because you have needles and tubes full of blood coming from them, you are not allowed to move your arms. Understandably. Because the donation process takes up to 90 minutes, platelet donors get to watch a movie at their chair. I love this part. Not too many acts of service come with an inflight movie. On this occasion my choice was ‘Click’. Yes, the Adam Sandler movie. Have you seen it? The end is legitimately sad. Self-introspective even. Well I introspected and I cried. Big tears. Not sniffly snobs, but a pretty steady flow of tears. Now remember how I can’t move my arms? No way to wipe away the sadness. I have no choice but to let the tears run their course down my cheeks. I made a few futile efforts to wipe my eyes with my shoulder, but the vision of blood squirting needles shooting out of my arms really limited my range of motion. So I cried. I cried during an Adam Sandler movie at the blood donation center. I like to pretend nobody noticed.

I am glad I got that off my chest. And while I am at it, let me also say I have had my fair share of movies that “should” have made me cry but didn’t. ‘Charlie’ and ‘The Notebook’ are the most notable. Mrs. Gravy is certain this is a sign of my hardening heart, but that just isn’t true.  Mrs. Gravy might also try and tell you that I once cried during a Hillary Duff movie, but that is just ridiculous.

What’s the most embarrassing cry-movie experience you have ever had? Please share in the comments below!