THE BEST TEARJERKERS EVER: THE TOP 25 (PART II)
Here is the second and final part of EW’S list of the top 50 tearjerkers of all time.
It includes films like: ORDINARY PEOPLE, CHARLY, KRAMER VS. KRAMER, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and SOPHIE’S CHOICE.
I don’t give a damn how much critical slagging it gets – and it had strong detractors even at the time of its release. LOVE STORY may not be great art but it accomplished what it set out to do: allow you to be moved by people that you care deeply about. Spoilers are not even a consideration here. The very first line in the movie, spoken in voice over by RYAN O’NEAL’s character OLIVER BARRETT is: What can you say about a 25 year old girl who died?
In the sexually frank post hippie era of 1970 it was perceived that romance was finished. Especially after DAVID LEAN’S masterpiece RYAN’S DAUGHTER was savaged by the critical establishment and tanked commercially. (God, if I had been around back then I really could have cleaned some clocks.) But at Christmastime LOVE STORY hit big. It was a juggernaut of unbelievable proportions.
Despite the disdain from the media at the time, it made a mint and garnered a Best Picture nomination and acting nods for its uncommonly gorgeous leads. I wasn’t alive in 1970. Much less an active moviegoer. So I can’t realistically say how deserving all the AMPAS attention was.
But I do think that RYAN O’NEAL and ALI MacGRAW were both wonderful. They did some very strong work in their respective careers so I’m not complaining. The tag line (Love means never having to say you’re sorry) is ridiculous. In what world…?
But when Oliver leaves Jenny’s hospital room after it’s all over and runs into her father in the hallway (the magnificent JOHN MARLEY in an awesome Oscar nominated performance) and Phil says in a quavering voice, “I wish I hadn’t promised Jenny I would be strong for you,” I lose it.
EVERY TIME.
To see the gallery, please go here
May 17, 2008 at 10:16 pm
“Brief Encounter” (one of my ten favorite movies) is a surprisingly classy choice for EW.
“Once” gets me every time. And it gets me good. The music….the performances…..it’s beautifully made.
May 18, 2008 at 6:22 pm
You are *too* funny, M.
I just bought a copy of LOVE STORY, a film that, despite its dated feel, I’m very fond of. The whole time I’m thinking, yeah, I won’t cry…and then *the* hallway scene takes place, and Oliver walks off and sits down in Central Park and I just *lose* it like it was my first time seeing it.
The Francis Lai score is sheer perfection. I don’t know why, but man, it really kills me.
May 18, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Yeah, isn’t it funny that I appear to be prescient regarding your tastes lately? How do I keep doing that? I guess it’s because we’re on exactly the same wavelength much of the time so I’m not even thinking about it? Must be.
My older relatives have told me that LS was a “nice little movie” (to a point) in terms of the view that the general public had at the time. But when the box office numbers became staggering and it was showered with Oscar nominations, it became very hip to hate on the little movie that could.
(Things never change, do they?)
Let’s face it. The film made a ton because the leads were very engaging and people could relate. I’ve always loved ALI MacGRAW. If you look at pictures like GOODBYE COLUMBUS and JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT she really can act – and she’s endlessly glamorous.
RYAN O’NEAL is just the living bloody end. He is so gorgeous and has so much charisma. He was really hysterical in WHAT’S UP DOC playing straight up against Barbra’s liberated and fanciful kook.
Yeah, that LS score is golden. It can bring you to tears just listening to it. The fact that the movie begins and ends with Oliver sitting alone in Central Park is just…unbelievably sad.
But there are a million little moments that I really treasure from it. Their smart ass exchange in the university library where they first meet is classic. All this talk about rich people, intellectuals and the lack thereof.
Jenny says, “Actually I’m smart and poor.” And then, “But I wouldn’t go for coffee with you.”
Oliver can’t resist getting that last little dig in. “Well, I wouldn’t ask you.”
Jenny: “Well, that’s what makes you stupid.”
After that, he has to.
In some ways, she really was a strong personality and not entirely likable. He was absolute perfection – from his looks to his background to his pure, unsullied love for her. Jenny was rather sharp and sarcastic which was a big contrast to his softness. Sometimes I didn’t feel that she was very nice to him. But maybe it was better that her character came across that way instead of being some flawless late 60s/early 70s idealized dream wife? If they were both saints, I think it would have been too much to believe.
Like that time that they discussed their respective futures. In effect, what he was going to do after she was gone. They’re sitting on the bed and she’s telling him to buck up, that things will be great because he’ll be the “merry widower.” He just sits there, crying, shaking his head. “I won’t be merry.”
*sighs* Oh, GOD…
You know, D, I don’t think I’ve actually seen it since I bought it several years ago. When I was growing up it used to be on television constantly. At least every few months. Now it never is at all.
It’s not a great film by any stretch of the imagination. But it’s almost like it has a strange power over me. Gets to me deep in my soul. Odd how that happens, isn’t it?
I’m glad that you love LS too. Once again, we are on the very same page…
May 18, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Ari, I adored ONCE as well. That was a lovely film. GLEN HANSARD and MARKETA IRGLOVA were wonderful. It was just incredible to see them win Oscars earlier this year. I’ve rarely come across two people that were more deserving of an honour like that.
Although I’m a huge DAVID LEAN fan (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, RYAN’S DAUGHTER and DOCTOR ZHIVAGO are three of the best movies ever made) I have yet to see Brief Encounter.
One day soon, though…
May 20, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Oh, man.
“I won’t be merry.”
Devastating. It’s interesting that we both agree that it’s not a great film, and yet there’s something about it that makes it so unforgettable.
I haven’t seen Ms. McGraw’s other work, but I am a fan of O’Neal’s 70s films — especially PAPER MOON. Please tell me you’ve seen it and that you love it too
May 20, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I DO love PAPER MOON, D.
RYAN O’NEAL and his daughter TATUM O’NEAL had such a wonderful chemistry in that. MADELINE KAHN (God rest her soul) was just hysterical. She truly was an extremely delicious and talented comedian. I miss her a great deal. She could be in the most atrocious movies (and she was… ) but they were always elevated by her charm and grace.
But on another note…
This is exactly why (the majority of the time) I’m against kids winning Oscars. (I have absolutely no problem with them being nominated, though.)
Tatum winning that Oscar thrust her directly into the Hollywood machine at 11, when she was just a little girl that needed to be a little girl. Much as I adore Ryan, it does appear that he was far too wrapped up in his romantic life and his career to be a responsible parent. Tatum has come out in the press the last few years with some stories that were pretty horrific. Sounds very much like the BRITNEY SPEARS situation.
But it’s all over and done, thankfully. Tatum’s a grown up now and she survived it all. Plus she’s working again.
For all that, I’m extremely grateful…