The Crying Game

As opposed to in real life, I can cry at the drop of a hat while watching a movie. And I don't even have to see the whole movie, as I've been known to burst into tears from the last five minutes alone of The Color Purple or Pocahontas.

It goes without saying that I am far from the only one who finds cathartic release through film (I remember when I saw Braveheart and a teen-aged girl had to literally be carried out of the theater by her friends when it was over, she was sobbing so hard). There is something about certain films that can sneak up on your emotions and you don't even realize it until your sobbing into your snack bar napkins. They are called "tearjerkers" for a reason, after all.

Entertainment Weekly recently ran their list of the top tearjerkers of all time (in two parts: part one, part two). Or should I say re-ran, as this is basically the same list they came up with in 2003 with some tweaking. Gone are such films as The Yearling and The Sixth Sense (huh?), replaced by more recent ones such as The Notebook and Million Dollar Baby.

And while it is nice to see Brokeback Mountain deservedly in the top ten, it is a little off-putting for it to take the place (#6) of Longtime Companion, which has been bumped down to #22. Now now, EW. Are you saying gay weepies are interchangeable?

The déjà vu-ness of the new list aside, the list covers many of the most tear-stained films in movie history, although they included the wrong Cocoon and The Champ in my opinion (the sequel and the original, respectively, are much more tearjerky).

Since their list is 50, my usual top 5 favorites culled from their list will be a top 10. (As you can tell, I like to cry in my popcorn.)

• Bambi - "Your mother can't be with you anymore."
• Brokeback Mountain - The shirts. That's all it takes.
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - "I'll be right here."
• The Iron Giant - Totally catches you off guard. Damn you, Brad Bird!
• The Joy Luck Club - Oh man, where to begin ...
• Longtime Companion - Bruce Davison, bedside. Don't need to say more.
• Stella Dallas - One image: Barbara Stanwyck in the rain.
• Terms of Endearment - EW has it right with this one: Huckleberry Fox gets to me every time.
• To Kill a Mockingbird - "Stand up. Your father's passing." (Man, just typing that gives me goose bumps.)
• West Side Story - "Hold my hand and I'll take you there ..."

Links via EW.com and Imdb.com.