Saturday, September 22, 2007

Top Ten Tear Jerkers...or why Auntie Mame watches so many frat boy comedies...

Lady Bea and I decided that we needed a new “point/counterpoint” because they are so much fun to write. Then we couldn’t think of anything else that we really disagree on. Therefore this is the first in a new series of “Top Ten” lists. This is the top ten movies that make us cry.

Let me preface this entry by first saying that in real life Lady Bea is a hard ass, no nonsense, straightforward, kind of gal. In one word I would describe her as ‘grounded.’ In our younger days of my over dramatic relationships and breakups, it was to Lady Bea I would run and she would tell me to “get over it.” I am the emotional one who cries over anything; I am the person that other people come to because they know they will not cry alone. I can’t help it - in real life I am an emotional wreck. However, when it comes to Lady Bea and my preferred world, i.e. that of the TV show and movie, Lady Bea is a crier. Like a severe, embarrassing her brother, type crier. It kind of cracks me up because I am not. I don’t like to cry at movies, probably because I can do it in the real world just all too easily.

When we decided on this first Top Ten list, it took Bea about four seconds to come up with her top ten (which by the way, started as a top five until Bea couldn’t figure out which ones to cut). I, however, am still coming up with the final four even as I write these words. What made it more difficult for me, was we decided not to include movies that if you don’t get a little choked up when watching then obviously you’ve probably had your tear ducts removed (i.e. Schindler’s List, Hotel Rwanda, and the like). Oh well, here goes:

  1. Beaches duh. I am a woman. I have a best friend. I have a best friend, who, if I have a daughter born in April will have her middle name – just like CeCe and Hillary (by the way, in the book Hillary’s name is Roberta and CeCe calls her Bertie).
  2. Steel Magnolias double duh. I am a mother, I am a daughter; therefore it is the saddest movie if you are one or both. Funny note: Beau cries very hard at this movie. We aren’t allowed to watch it in the house. I think it would be a lot worse for him now that Glow Bug is around. I might have to try it out.
  3. The Notebook. Oh man, this is the saddest damn movie I have ever seen. It’s a tear-jerker in both a sad way and in a happy way; you just cannot not cry at this movie. If you’re a man: watch it with someone you love. At the end of the movie, you will pick yourself up, wipe away the tears, change your now-wet tee-shirt, go to the john and start to cry again. You won’t be able to help it. You’ll go to bed, blow your nose, start your fall asleep routine and when your loved one climbs into bed with you, you’ll both start to cry again. It’s that kind of a movie.
  4. Driving Miss Daisy makes me cry a lot, I think perhaps more with the older I get. I should do some sort of experiment and watch it on the same day year after year, because I get more and more respect for this movie the older I become. It’s a tremendous work of both main characters: Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. Tandy won best actress for this role and I consider this Freeman’s best.
  5. Terms of Endearment This movie reminds me in A LOT of ways of Joan (my mother) and me. However, this is not why this movie made my list. The scene where Emma is telling her boys that she is not coming home, nor is she getting better breaks my damn heart. The littlest boy is crying so hard and is so angry at his unemotional older brother that I am amazed that such a young actor could pull off such a real scene.
  6. Forrest Gump Oh man. I cannot take it when someone less fortunate than the average kid gets picked on; ergo I cannot take the first half an hour of Forrest. Wait, then I can’t take the Vietnam scenes. Literally, Joan took me to see this movie around 1 PM after it had been out for like a month and there was no one in the theater, so I could cry loudly and get it over with. To this day, I own the movie but can’t watch it with untrusted people in the room.
  7. Rent (but only if you watch the deleted scenes!)
    I prefer the play (doesn’t that sound snobby?!), but the movie is an excellent adaptation. Except for one small scene where Roger and Mark really get into it and Mark realizes that Roger has lost all hope. It kills me every time.
  8. My Life This little-known movie with Nicole Kidman and Michael Keaton is a terrific “What would you do with the last year of your life?” movie. It’s the same basic sad plot line for some reason, is done in a much more brilliant way.
  9. Armageddon SHUT UP BEA. When Liv Tyler is saying good bye to her father, Bruce Willis, and she starts to cry and reaches out for the TV screen. OMG!!
  10. She’s Having a Baby One of Kevin Bacon’s first movies; this story about a man who suffers a ‘quarter life crisis’ really hit home when I first got married, and even more so when I found out I was pregnant. Elizabeth Shue does a great job as his wife – putting up his bullshit even when I wouldn’t. Grab some handfuls of Kleenex at the end when you see her balancing her checkbook.

    Ok, I have to go now. I’m getting all vehklempt.

1 comment:

Bea said...

GAH. That deleted scene from "Rent." We still need to write the director a stern letter concerning the cutting of that scene. And, it's the BEST line to overly-dramatically sing alone with: "ANGEL'S DEATH IIIISSS IN VAAAAAAAAIN!!!" Awesome.