So I went and asked the fine people of the UCC Express about the movies that left them in actual tears. Here’s a couple of our staff:
Edward Scissorhands – Sophie McKenzie (Fiction Editor)
When I was young, I was the tough nut of my family. E.T., Titanic, even the notoriously child-traumatizing parent deaths of Lion King and Bambi all failed to wring even a sniffle out of me. Then, one fateful day, my parents switched on Tim Burton’s pastel-slathered masterpiece, Edward Scissorhands – and by the time it was over, I had my head buried in a cushion, desperately trying to hide my tear-streaked face from their judging eyes.
It’s a bit tricky to pinpoint what exactly about this film makes me teary-eyed as opposed to, say, something like Marley and Me (although now that I think about it, Depp’s Edward does have something of a ‘kicked puppy’ look about him…). Even before the film’s climax, there’s a faint melancholy to the film that never lets you forget how tragic Edward’s situation really is; probably my favourite scene, and the one which started me sniffling on my first viewing, is the one where Vincent Price’s kindly inventor (in one of his last roles, which adds another layer of poignancy) leaves his bewildered, lost creation unfinished and abandoned. The tear-jerking moments are far from over, however, and by the time the bittersweet ending rolls around, not even Danny Elfman’s achingly gorgeous score will be able to mend your shattered emotions.
Rugrats in Paris – Lauren Mulvihill (Byline Editor)
Nowadays, the Rugrats are probably best known for the internet conspiracy theories they’ve inspired, but back when I was a kid I had all their films on video. There was one movie in particular where the characters ended up in Paris (aptly named Rugrats in Paris) which featured a very sad scene where Chuckie, who lived in a single-parent household with his father, sat on an aeroplane thinking about his deceased mother to a backdrop of melancholy piano music. I first saw it when I was about five or six, and I just lost it. Tears everywhere. He was just so sad.
All of the movies…ever – Stephen Spillane (Staff Writer/Golden Oldie)
I am not sure why I agreed to write this as I cry the moment a character dies, or someone is re-united with their true love. Basically, I cry at happy moments as well as the sad ones. And sometimes just at the oddest moments: I was recently at the cinema and I cried at the trailer for the A Street Cat Named Bob! Films that stand out that I cried a lot at are Brokeback Mountain (bad idea to go on a date to that one); Schlinder’s List (watched that at school, not a good look for me); and Marley and Me left me a blubbering mess at the end. All in all, I try to avoid films that make me cry, but that can be tough as I cried during Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (Film & TV editor’s note: I shed a single tear at the rolling text during The Force Awakens). (Editor-in-Chief’s note: I think we all did).
Children’s movies – Laura O’Connor (Staff Writer/Grown-up)
Most Disney films make me cry. To be honest, I wish I was joking. They just… get to me, man. That scene where Belle and Beast dance to Mrs Potts singing? I bawl (though admittedly Angela Lansbury singing it solo also gets me; dancing is optional). Ariel walking out of the sea to meet Prince Eric? Floods. Simba finally ascending Pride Rock as the King? Tsunamis. Aladdin setting the Genie free? You guessed it. Similarly, the end of the Muppet Movie also has me in tears every goddamn time – yes, that one with Jason Segel. Judge me all you want: it’s great, and also makes me cry. Just in case you didn’t grasp that.