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The Saddest Romance Movies That Will Make You Cry

Updated October 19, 2020 1.4k votes 129 voters 2.2k views52 items

List RulesOnly romantic movies that fill you with sorrow.

At first glance, the idea of the best sad romance movies would seem to be a paradox. People watch romantic films so that they can be inspired to find love in their own lives. Having the film end on a sad note often points to the all-too-poignant reality that romance is never as everlasting as we like to think it is. The protagonists in these movies may have been in love at one point, but their tragic love stories were doomed to fail. Or perhaps they stay together and the film is sad for an entirely different reason. When it comes to Hollywood, there's more than one way to make you cry.

The best example of this would be Romeo + Juliet. The audience knows right from the beginning that these two star-crossed lovers will perish before they can truly be together. But sadness doesn't have to be synonymous with death. In La La Land, it seems as though Sebastian and Mia will end up together, but alas, their love story wasn't meant to be as they pursued their careers.

There are many romantic movies with sad endings, middles, and sometimes even beginnings. Which ones do you put on when you want a good cry? Vote for your favorites below.

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My Girl
Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin
Released: 1991
Directed by: Howard Zieff
My Girl is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Howard Zieff and written by Laurice... more on Wikipedia
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The Notebook
Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
Released: 2004
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
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Titanic
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Released: 1997
Directed by: James Cameron
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A Walk to Remember
Shane West, Mandy Moore
Released: 2002
Directed by: Adam Shankman
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Ghost
Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
Released: 1990
Directed by: Jerry Zucker
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A Star Is Born
Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga
Released: 2018
Directed by: Bradley Cooper
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Boys Don't Cry
Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny
Released: 1999
Directed by: Kimberly Peirce
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst
Released: 2004
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic science-fiction comedy-drama... more on Wikipedia
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Me Before You
Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin
Directed by: Thea Sharrock
Me Before You is a 2016 American-British romantic comedy drama film directed by Thea Sharrock... more on Wikipedia
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Call Me by Your Name
Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet
Released: 2017
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
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The Time Traveler's Wife
Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana
Released: 2009
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
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Life Is Beautiful
Roberto Benigni, Horst Buchholz
Released: 1997
Directed by: Roberto Benigni
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Moonlight
Trevante Rhodes, André Holland
Released: 2016
Directed by: Barry Jenkins
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Five Feet Apart
Cole Sprouse, Haley Lu Richardson
Released: 2019
Directed by: Justin Baldoni
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Dear John
Amanda Seyfried, Channing Tatum
Released: 2010
Directed by: Lasse Hallström
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The Fault in Our Stars
Shailene Woodley, Willem Dafoe
Released: 2014
Directed by: Josh Boone
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The Vow
Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum
Released: 2012
Directed by: Michael Sucsy
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Brokeback Mountain
Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal
Released: 2005
Directed by: Ang Lee
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If Beale Street Could Talk
Kiki Layne, Stephan James
Released: 2018
Directed by: Barry Jenkins
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Queen & Slim
Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith
Released: 2019
Directed by: Melina Matsoukas
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Her
Scarlett Johansson, Olivia Wilde
Released: 2013
Directed by: Spike Jonze
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Romeo + Juliet
Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Rudd
Released: 1996
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
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(500) Days of Summer
Zooey Deschanel, Minka Kelly
Released: 2009
Directed by: Marc Webb
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Blue Valentine
Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
Released: 2010
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
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Carol
Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Released: 2015
Directed by: Todd Haynes
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