Sometimes you just want to snuggle down, grab a bag of popcorn and tissues, watch a film and have a good old cry. And there are some amazing options for tearjerkers on streaming services. Including Amazon Prime, Netflixand NOW TV, check out our top choices for sob fests that are also great films…
MORE: 75 must-watch movies to check out on Netflix this week
Marley and Me
Starting with possibly the most heartbreaking dog film of all time, let's kick off proceedings with the delightful heart-wrencher, Marley and Me. Starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, the story follows a couple who adopt a chaotic yet loveable dog, Marley, who is by their side through the highs and lows of their lives. Maybe just switch it off halfway through if you're keen to avoid sobbing for hours.
The Impossible
A family holidaying in Thailand are hit by the horrific 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Torn apart due to the natural disaster with no way of knowing if their loved ones are alive, the family fight for survival while desperately trying to find out information. Based on true events, this is a heartbreaking look at the horrific incident which killed 227,898 people.
Where to watch: Netflix
WATCH: Will you be watching The Impossible?
All The Bright Places
All The Bright Places tells the story of Violet Markey and Theodore Finch, who meet and change each other’s lives forever. The synopsis reads: "As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they come together, discovering that even the smallest places and moments can mean something. This compelling drama provides a refreshing and human take on the experience of mental illness, its impact on relationships, as well as the beauty and lasting impact of young love."
PS I Love You
A widow deals with the grief of losing her husband with his help – as she receives a letter every month from him for a year after his death. The letters tell her new things to try and places to visit – sending her on a funny, emotional adventure, and eventually helping her to get through the roughest few months of her life as we see flashbacks of their lives together. Naturally, tears are more or less guaranteed.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Fault in Our Stars
Hazel Grace is a terminally ill cancer sufferer who falls in love with Augustus, a cancer survivor who lost his leg from the illness. The pair have an amazing connection as they fall for one another and enjoy a shared love of books and films.
Of course, The Fault in our Stars is famously heartbreaking, and while we won't spoil it for you, of course things take an awful turn. It is a brilliant film with perfect performances from Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, and chances are you won't be able to stop thinking about it long after the final scene.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
About Time
Sometimes it is the light-hearted rom-coms that can make us cry the most – and this is one of those times! The film follows the life of Tim, a VERY Richard Curtis-esque protagonist who finds out that he can travel in time, and uses this little trick to get the woman of his dreams. You fall a little bit in love with all of the characters, and so when tragedy strikes – it certainly packs a punch.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Irreplaceable You
Abbie and Sam were childhood best friends and are engaged when their worlds are torn apart when Abbie is diagnosed with terminal cancer. In order to help the love of her life move on from her, Abbie becomes determined to find a new person to fall in love with Sam, while trying to accept her own situation.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Miracle Season
Based on a true story, The Miracle Season follows the devastating fall out of Caroline 'Line' Found's death, a vivacious and beloved volleyball captain at her High School volleyball team who was tragically killed in a moped accident. The heartbroken team decide to continue playing in her honour, and bring the devastated community together to remember her. Warning, you won't cry just the once at this one. It's a 'blubbing through the whole film' sort of situation.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Wonder
Auggie is a bright, happy 10-year-old who has been home schooled all of his life due to his condition - mandibulofacial dysostosis – which has forced him to undergo 27 different surgeries on his face. Wonder follows young Auggie as he starts school for the first time, and his trials and tribulations with making friends and dealing with bullies. Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson play his worried but loving parents, and it is such a sweet, feel good story that you'll be crying tears of joy at the end, guaranteed.
Where to watch: Netflix
Good Will Hunting
Will is a genius delinquent who uses his extensive knowledge of the law to get him out of sticky situations. During community service at MIT, he solves a mathematical puzzle that none of the students could get, attracting the attention of Professor Gerald Lambeau. The professor enlists the help of his own college friend Dr Sean Maguire to take on Will's court appointed therapy sessions, and the pair slowly begin to form a deep bond. A powerhouse performance from Robin Williams, and an amazing story you'll want to watch over and over again.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
A devastating story about the Holocaust told from the point of view of Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer who relocates his family to reside near to a concentration camp for work. With no idea of the truth about the camp, Bruno befriends a young Jewish boy, Shmuel, who he believes is simply wearing pyjamas. The pair often met up and talk through the fences, and Bruno smuggles him food. The ending is unbearably awful – but it is a necessary one.
Where to watch: Netflix
My Girl
A young hypochondriac girl lives with her emotionally unavailable father after the death of her mother, and is best friends with her next door neighbour, Thomas. What begins as a sweet coming-of-age tale turns to tragedy when [spoiler alert!], Thomas is killed from an allergic reaction to bees, leaving her devastated.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Lion
Based on a true story, Lion follows the story of Saroo, an Indian-born Australian who was adopted from his home country after accidentally falling asleep on a train and being transported to the other side of the country – getting so lost that he couldn't find his way home again. As an adult, Saroo becomes determined to track down his home and his family with only the information he knew as a very young boy. The last couple of minutes will make you burst into tears, you've been warned.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Finding Nemo
Thanks to NOW TV's impressive selection of Pixar films, get ready for the most tear jerking selection available, starting with Finding Nemo! The opening few minutes of the film sees happily married fish Coral and Carl discussing the arrival of their hundreds of children… when another fish comes along and kills them all – and Coral – leaving Carl with just one egg: little Nemo.
Where to watch: Disney+
Coco
Young Miguel is desperate to become a musician, but his family won't hear of it after their ancestor left his great-great-grandmother to become a famous musician. In the Day of the Dead, Miguel steals a guitar and accidentally lands himself in the Land of the Dead. The story is all about family, and remembering loved ones after you've lost them, and will make you laugh, cry, and give your loved ones a call.
Where to watch: Disney+
Big Hero 6
Young Hiro is a teenage genius who hugely looks up to his big brother, researcher Tadashi, and has an amazing time in his research life inventing incredible new technology - microbots. After tragedy strikes, a devastated Hiro accidentally activates one of his brother's creations – Baymax – an adorable healthcare robot. With the help of Baymax, Hiro forms a superhero team to track down a villain who stole the microbots, while dealing with his own feelings of grief.
Where to watch: Disney+
Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri
Mildred Hayes, a tough talking woman grieving for her daughter – who was attacked and murdered, becomes increasingly frustrated by the police seemingly doing nothing to arrest any suspects, and pays for three billboards which read: "RAPED WHILE DYING. STILL NO ARRESTS? HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY?" While the billboards gain national attention, they cause problems within the town – particularly within the police department, who are furious at Mildred, particularly since Willoughby is suffering from terminal cancer. This is a brilliant film and it will certainly bring the tears.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Lion King
Being heartbroken over the death of Mufasa is a rite of passage we all had to go through as children, and fortunately the film is still on NOW TV and can continue to devastate us all! Ahead of the live-action film being released, relive the story of Simba the lion, who runs away and lives the Hakuna Matata life before returning to Pride Rock to take his place as king. Drama, drama, drama!
Where to watch: Disney+
Room
The film is told from the point of view of Jack, a little boy who lives in one rundown room with his mother. While it initially seems like the pair could be living in poverty, it soon transpires that 'Ma' is actually a kidnap victim, and Jack is a result of her captivity, and that they are trapped in the room with no way of escaping. Brie Larson's role as Ma won an Oscar, and for good reason.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Manchester by the Sea
After his brother dies, Lee Chandler is forced to return to his home to take care for his nephew. He deeply struggles being back in his hometown, as he left to escape from the memory of a terrible mistake caused by him that resulted in the deaths of his three young children. If you want to feel like you're being hit over the head repeatedly by one tragedy after the other, this is definitely one to try!
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
The Time Traveller's Wife
The love story between Clare and Henry is a complicated one – as he travels in time at any moment, and is unable to control where he goes but always manages to find Clare in different times of her life. However, the romance takes a drastic turn when Henry travels ahead of his own life span, and finds out exactly when and how he dies – leaving both of them devastated.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Green Mile
This Stephen King adaptation follows Paul Edgecomb, an elderly man living in an care home who decides to tell the story of the most meaningful experience of his life to his friend, Elaine. When working as a prison officer on death row, known as the 'green mile', he and the other officers form a bond with John Coffey, a prisoner sentenced the death for the murder of two little girls.
However, it soon becomes clear that there is something special about John, that he can magically heal injuries and illness, and is innocent of the crime of which he is accused. Seriously gripped and emotional, this is certainly one of Stephen King's best novel adaptations.
Where to watch: Netflix
My Sister's Keeper
Anna is used to undergoing procedures for her older sister, Kate, who is suffering from cancer. In fact, she was a designer baby made so that she could be a genetic match for Kate and help with her treatments. However, when Kate needs a kidney transplant, teenage Anna decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body. It's slightly ridiculous in parts (hi Alec Baldwin), but overall it's devastating, and chances are you probably wouldn't want to watch it more than once.
Where to watch: Available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime
Me Before You
Lou is financially struggling, and out of desperation, agrees to a job as a carer for a quadriplegic man who had a highly active life before he was hurt in a motorbike accident. Although she knows nothing about being a carer, she and Will soon form a bond, and Lou brings him out of his depression as they fall in love with one another. Much like all of the films on the list, watch with caution!
Where to watch: Netflix
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
