Boo Hoo

To say that I am emotional would be equivalent to saying that Mt. Everest is a hill. In short, I cry…

…a lot!

And it doesn’t take much to get the ol’ water works a-flowin’. Plus, it seems the older I get, the freer I am with purging the tear ducts. I get misty during just about every communion service at church; I get weepy when I pray with my sons; I blubber when just the right song comes on the radio (maybe I’m supposed to be taking hormone pills – I don’t know!)

But NOTHING makes me reach for Kleenex faster than a sad movie. So for your reading pleasure, here is a compilation of ten movies guaranteed to cause friends and family to call the local therapist on my behalf…

10. “Dead Man Walking” – Except for his portrayal of Spicoli in “Fast Times At Ridgemont High,” I could do without Sean Penn. But I loved “Dead Man Walking.” Granted, it has to be one of the most disturbing movies I’ve ever seen – watching a man walk from Death Row to the execution room was excruciating – but it was very well done. It’s impossible to think of yourself feeling sorry for a convicted murderer…but I cried through the last 30 minutes of that movie!

9. “Steel Magnolias” – Yes, it’s a chick flick…but yes, I’ve seen it…SEVERAL times. The scene at the cemetery is priceless, and the emotional roller coaster that Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, and Shirley MacLaine take you on is perfect. I’m almost ashamed to admit that I watch it any time I come across it on TV…commercials and all!

8. “The Champ” – This is the first movie I remember crying in…and I couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8 years old. When Jon Voight dies at the end, and Ricky Schroeder is screaming, “Don’t die, Champ – don’t be dead”…well, I found a lump in my little pre-pubescent throat.

7. “We Are Marshall” – I cry in about six different scenes…the plane crash, the scene with Coach and Nate Ruffin in the locker room, the “funeral end today” scene. It’s a powerful movie. Whenever I need a good emotional release, I queue up Nate Ruffin and the “my shoulder’s fine” scene.

6. “Marley And Me” – The dog dies…enough said!

5. “Godspell” – Okay…I don’t know that this ever was a MOVIE…but I fell in love with this musical when I saw my little brother, Greg, as the lead role of Jesus. For some reason, that performance impacted me…especially the scene at the end when Jesus is being killed. It was like watching my baby brother being killed…to save ME. It’s to the point I can’t even hear a song from the movie without needing a moment.

4. “Hoosiers” – Not really a “sad” movie…but I boo-hoo every time when Ollie hits the free-throw to win the regional final game, and when Hickory wins the championship game at the end.

3. “Old Yeller” – See #6.

2. “Mr. Holland’s Opus” – Saw this for the first time while riding on an airplane…and I genuinely felt sorry for the large gentleman next to me. I did more sniffling and tear-drying than he had seen in a long time. The scene with all of Mr. Holland’s kids coming back to play at his ‘farewell’ is absolutely beautiful.

1. “E.T.” – If you didn’t cry while watching this movie, you have no soul!

I could rattle off ten more...but I don't have any Kleenex with me at the moment...