Emotional Movie Endings

[Joe Washington]

Which according to you are the movie endings that struck an emotional cord in you? That moved you to cry either with tears of despair or tears of joy?

To me, those endings are Magnolia, Away We Go, and Requiem for a Dream.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

These movies tend to leave Joel with tears in his eyes, literally:

*Saving Private Ryan (that John Williams score!)
*Malcolm X
*Gladiator

 

[Kirkman1987]

To Name a few Standouts....

Shawshank Redemption

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

 

[scotpens]

The bittersweet ending of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. It always makes me cry like a little girl. And I'm man enough to admit it.

So there.

 

[Admiral Shran]

I can only think of two off the top of my head. If I sit down and think about I'm sure I can come up with more....

The Shawshank Redemption

Schindler's List - two moments in this film really hit home for me. 1.) When Schindler is about to leave and breaks down crying because he feels he could saved more people, and 2.) the ending with everyone visiting the real Schindler's grave.

 

[1001001]

The ending of Dragonfly had me sobbing like a child.

Then of course there's Field of Dreams and Brian's Song.

If you do not cry at the end of these movies, you're dead inside.

 

[Vasquez Rocks]

Stand By Me
Big Fish
The Fox And The Hound

 

[auntiehill]

The ending of The Constant Gardener had me weeping buckets.

 

[sojourner]

LOTR "My friends, you bow to no one" and of course the 3 other endings after that.

 

[doubleohfive]

Finding Neverland. And though I still think it was somewhat of a cheaper emotional ending, so did Atonement.

 

[FPAlpha]

Dances With Wolves when two friends part ways forever

"Dances With Wolves. I am Wind In His Hair. Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that you will always be my friend? ?"

 

[Shazam!]

Armageddon

 

[Goliath]

^Except in that case, the tears are tears of despair for Hollywood, and frustration at having wasted two precious, irreplaceable hours of your life.

For myself--I can think of endings that moved me, but I can't think of a single one that actually moved me to tears.

A few came close, like Schindler's List and Matewan. But I guess I'm mostly dead inside.

 

[Shazam!]

^Except in that case, the tears are tears of despair for Hollywood, and frustration at having wasted two precious, irreplaceable hours of your life.

No, because it's Bruce Willis sacrificing himself to save the panet is beautiful.

 

[SinglePurpose]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

 

[Shakaar]

Some good answers here already. I'll probably get laughed at, but the final shots of Titanic really moved me. I'm not even sure is was the actual emotion of the scene or just the beautiful way it was shot and filmed, but the final zoom along the halls of the dead ship into the "living" grand staircase with all of the "ghosts" was very effective.

 

[Warp Coil]

Some good answers here already. I'll probably get laughed at, but the final shots of Titanic really moved me. I'm not even sure is was the actual emotion of the scene or just the beautiful way it was shot and filmed, but the final zoom along the halls of the dead ship into the "living" grand staircase with all of the "ghosts" was very effective.

I was reading through the thread waiting for the "Titanic" mention. I can't lie, it's a very emotional scene. It was one of the first to pop into my head.

 

[Sagart]

Another vote for Field of Dreams - gets me every time.

Toy Story 3 had me blubbering like a baby.

 

[doubleohfive]

Toy Story 3 had me blubbering like a baby.

Agreed - they were really firing on all cylinders with that one.

 

[Reverend]

The Shawshank Redemption - no brainer.
True Romance - for a movie written by Tarentino, the ending was surprisingly sweet (yes, I know Scott changed it!)
Leon - Roller coaster of a final act this one.
The Green Mile - yes I know, another King/Darabont film, but you can't argue with that ending.
My Girl - pathetic I know, but there it is.
Donnie Darko - Just calling it "melancholy" doesn't really do it justice.
It's a Wonderful Life - An oldie, but it still works, though only Stewart can pull of that kind of earnest emotion without seeming insincere.
The Mist - OK, last one with these to, I swear, but again...damn.
Blade Runner - Obviously not the version with the naff voice-over.
Bicentennial Man - Often overlooked but this film has a lot of heart...especially since the main character begins life as a household appliance.
The Abyss - Special Edition ending, obviously.
Kite Runner - My grandmother grew up in that part of the world and I grew up hearing stories about it, so the whole thing with the kite battles had it's own resonance for me.
Frequency - Another one that often gets overlooked. Dennis Quaid is so underrated IMO.
Alien 3 - What can I say? I have a taste for bleak endings. Remember, despair is an emotion too!

Other than those...just about anything by Pixar! Oh and Showgirls of course. Never has getting to the end of a film provoked such a feeling of elation and relief.