Rated T for TeenLooking for movies and TV shows that are rated T for Teen? These lists feature great movies and TV programs about teens, enjoyed by people of all ages.
Updated June 1, 2022 3.0K votes 939 voters 44.1K views
Voting Rules
Vote up the teen movies that brought the waterworks.
If you think sad teen romance movies skew too young to truly affect you, you're just plain wrong. Just like the heartbreaking moments in every lovable Disney movie, teen films know how to lay on the emotional content. In fact, they can be more overtly sad than some of their adult counterparts.Â
By focusing on a younger audience but addressing very real issues, teen movies have the ability to hit you right where it hurts. You don't have to pretend that you just spent an hour cutting onions. It's okay to admit that the cheesy teen rom-com made you cry.
From sweet coming-of-age stories to dramatic tales of loved ones lost to illness, adults and children will find themselves reaching for the nearest box of tissues when they pop one of these films on. Take a look at these teen movies that will definitely make you cry, and vote up the titles that are real tearjerkers.Â
The Story: This book-to-movie adaptation follows Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley), a teenager with terminal thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs. Although Hazel maintains a generally pessimistic view of her life, she meets Augustus "Gus" Waters (Ansel Elgort) at a cancer patient support group and quickly falls in love. Gus lost a leg to bone cancer, but his disease is thankfully in remission. Although Hazel's health is deteriorating, she commits most of her remaining energy to spending time with Gus. He encourages Hazel to keep living, particularly since she may not be able to do anything in the near future.
The Defining Moment: While on a trip to Amsterdam, Gus reveals to Hazel that his cancer has returned and spread quickly. His condition is now terminal, and he doesn't expect he'll have much longer to live. Upon their return home, Gus's health deteriorates and he passes away in a matter of weeks.
Why It's Sad: Throughout the entire movie, Hazel's health is the primary concern. She's in a significantly worse condition than Gus, and viewers are certain that she'll pass before the story is done. The revelation that Gus is now deathly ill is entirely unexpected. It shifts the mood of the movie, and his passing comes so quickly that it's difficult to process. What's most heartbreaking, however, is watching Hazel deal with the loss of her first love. Her grief and anger are palpable, making it hard to get through the film without a box of tissues on hand.
The Story: In A Walk to Remember, rebellious teen Landon Carter (Shane West) is forced into community service in order to atone for a past deed that resulted in a serious injury to one of his classmates. Part of his community service involves participating in the school play, and there, he becomes acquainted with Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), the local minister's daughter. Landon and Jamie gradually grow closer, but Jamie insists that Landon can't fall in love with her. Despite his best efforts, Landon does fall for Jamie.
The Defining Moment: When Jamie finds out Landon is in love with her, she reveals that she has leukemia and hasn't been responding well to treatment. As Jamie's condition grows worse and worse, Landon asks her to marry him. They spend a final summer together as husband and wife before Jamie passes.
Why It's Sad: At the start of the movie, it's clear that Landon has no future ahead of him. He's a rebellious kid who doesn't seem to care about anything. However, all that changes when he meets Jamie. He's committed to their relationship throughout her illness and learns to put someone else's needs above his own. By the end of the film, Landon reveals that he was accepted into medical school. Their love changes him forever, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that their time together is so short.
The Story:Five Feet Apart follows two teens with cystic fibrosis who fall in love while in the hospital being treated for their illness. Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is a rule-following patient who strictly adheres to her regimen in an effort to get better and live a normal life. Will Newman (Cole Sprouse), on the other hand, recently contracted a new bacterium that has no known cure. Tired of living his life in hospitals, Will has practically given up on the idea of ever getting better.
As CF patients, Will and Stella must stay six feet away from each other at all times. If they get any closer, they run the risk of cross-infection, and contracting bacteria from another CF patient can be life-threatening. Although the pair bonds and develops real feelings for each other, Stella uses a pool cue to ensure that they stay five feet apart at all times, choosing to risk that last foot of space for a chance at a relationship with Will.
The Defining Moment: When Stella's childhood best friend passes away, she throws caution to the wind. Heartbroken and wracked with guilt, she ignores news of a lung transplant and sets off on an adventure with Will. While walking through snow and ice, Stella falls into a freezing river, forcing Will to give her mouth-to-mouth to resuscitate her.
Amazingly enough, Stella doesn't contract Will's incurable bacteria. Will, however, realizes that he can't put her life at risk any longer. He wishes her a tearful goodbye and disappears, letting her know that he loves her, but that their relationship has to end.
Why It's Sad: Although Stella and Will are very different, they have a profound impact on one another. Stella convinces Will to fight for his life, while Will shows Stella that staying alive doesn't mean anything if you're not really living. Their situation is completely beyond their control and there's simply no way to solve it. They can't be together. Watching them slowly come to that conclusion while tragedy strikes all around them is heartbreaking.
The Story: Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) is a 24-year-old man tasked with caring for Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), his developmentally disabled brother, after their father's passing. Gilbert's mother has barely left the couch following his father's passing, and the day-to-day running of the house is now the responsibility of Gilbert and his two sisters. Throughout the movie, Gilbert tries to care for Arnie to the best of his ability while still maintaining his own life. The massive responsibility takes a toll on the entire family, and the film follows Gilbert as he struggles to find his place in the world while feeling like he has to be there for the people he loves.
The Defining Moment: After caring for Arnie for years while simultaneously putting his own desires on hold, Gilbert finally snaps. Arnie tries to run away from his bath and Gilbert becomes frustrated and hits him multiple times. He quickly realizes what he's done, and disgusted with himself, he runs away.
When Gilbert returns home to repair things with his family, he also mends the relationship with his mother. She acknowledges what a burden she has become and finally makes her way to her upstairs bedroom for the first time since her husband's passing. Shortly after, she passes, and the family chooses to burn their home down rather than allow the town to make fun of her.
Why It's Sad: The entire film elicits a feeling of sadness. While the relationship between Gilbert and Arnie is heartwarming, it's also clear that the bond is taking a toll on Gilbert. The entire family struggles to make ends meet with a mother they can't rely on. Although they fight to stay strong together, they also have to deal with the derision of their peers. It's a bittersweet peek inside the life of a 24/7 caretaker that's sure to result in quite a few tears.
The Story: When Charlie (Logan Lerman) starts high school, he quickly realizes that he doesn't quite fit in. Just before his freshman year began, Charlie was discharged from a mental health care institution following a particularly bad spell that resulted from his lifelong struggle with clinical depression. While still trying to recover and get his health back on track, Charlie bonds with two seniors, Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller). The rest of the story follows the many ups and downs of Charlie and his friends, all of whom are dealing with their own unique issues as they try to find their place in the world.
The Defining Moment: During the movie, Charlie's mental health continues to deteriorate until he eventually recalls some traumatic repressed memories involving his Aunt Helen.
Why It's Sad: This movie perfectly captures the difficulty of surviving in the world when you're just a bit different. From struggles with sexuality to mental health issues to normal teen jealousy, this film touches on various emotional aspects that come with being a young adult. Each issue is depicted in a painfully raw and real fashion, which makes the entire movie a bit of an emotional experience.
The Story: When rebellious teen Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) is forced to spend the summer with her estranged father, Steve Miller (Greg Kinnear), she makes up her mind that she's going to have a bad time. However, she ends up falling for the handsome and popular Will Blakelee (Liam Hemsworth). Their relationship encourages Ronnie to pick up piano again, a skill she stopped pursuing the day her dad left. Although the pair have a few ups and downs, their relationship is fairly strong. At the same time, Ronnie begins to open herself up to fixing the poor relationship with her father.
The Defining Moment: As Ronnie and her father grow closer once again, he reveals that he's terminally ill with cancer. Wanting to make up for the time she lost, Ronnie chooses to take care of him, which also involves finishing a song he was composing. She later plays the song at his funeral, letting everyone know that she has decided to pursue piano once again in honor of her dad.
Why It's Sad: Although Ronnie harbors lots of anger towards her father, he continues to be patient, kind, and loving towards her. Their relationship slowly comes back together, only for Ronnie to realize that she's about to lose it forever. The sadness she feels when he finally passes is palpable, but it's tinged with a bit of hope since she was able to show just how much she really loved him before he was gone forever.
