Me, Cry a River?

This is probably going to come back and bite me in the rump later, but what the hey? While watching my two-year-old niece yesterday, I was reminded of an interesting truth: I cry in movies. In fact, I am most likely to cry watching children’s movies. Why? I have no earthly clue.

Well, I do have an hypothesis. It may have all started back in 1989, when I saw The Bear in theaters. I cried through the entire thing. Somehow, in some way, a gateway was opened that night and I have never been the same.

So my niece wanted to watch Beauty and the Beast, which I haven’t seen in years. She loved it, I loved it. She laughed, I cried. She kept asking me to explain what was happening in the movie and I’d open my mouth to answer, only to find myself choked up.

I’m telling you, I’m more likely to weep during Homeward Bound—the ultimate tearjerker—than a more serious film like Schindler's List. There’s just something about the innocence of a children’s story that makes all tragedies (large and small) seem so…tragic. It’s true—the song “When Somebody Loves You” from Toy Story 2 is more apt to induce tears than “My Heart Will Go On.”

Pixar is the best studio to make tear-inducing films. Let me rephrase that: Pixar is the best studio in Hollywood PERIOD. No other production company has had as close to a perfect track record as Pixar. The people there are the most amazing bunch of creative geniuses in filmmaking. Who can resist the tears when Sulley has to say goodbye to Boo in Monster’s Inc. (or when the door to her room is restored and he gets to see her again)? Who in his right mind wouldn’t cry when Marlin discovers that almost his entire family was eaten, and he promises his only remaining son, “I’ll never let anything happen to you…Nemo” (in Finding Nemo, of course)? Actually, Finding Nemo is filled with emotional moments.

My cinematic sobbing is not completely limited to children’s films. I do find my heartstrings being pulled in more “adult” movies as well. The most recent? King Kong. Yes, King Kong affected me even more than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It seems that my emotions—when relating to movies—have no rhyme or reason behind them.

So there it is: I cry in movies like girls cry at weddings. I pray you will not use this information for devious purposes. And if you post a response, please be nice. (In other words, try not to make me cry.)