Entertainment

313 voters

Great Movies About the Death of a Spouse

Updated March 23, 2020 1.3k votes 313 voters 40.4k views39 items

List RulesVote up the best films about a lover dying, whether a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend.

The death of a spouse or a lover is one of the most devastating losses in life. The top movies about a spouse dying find widows and widowers trying to put the pieces of their life back together in a time of great sadness. This is a list of the best movies about the death of a partner including everything from The Fugitive to Ghost to What Dreams May Come.

What films will you find on this list of the best spouse dying movies? The Descendants tells the story of a husband coping with the fact that his wife is dying while learning that she was having an affair. George Clooney stars in this 2011 film directed by Alexander Payne. Sleepless in Seattle is another good movie that deals with the death of a wife - Tom Hanks's character is a single dad. Up is unique among wife dying movies, thanks to its vivid animation and light-hearted, yet bittersweet, tone. Other good films featured on this list include Moonstruck, P.S. I Love You, and Moonlight Mile.

Which movie do you think is the best? Give your favorites a thumbs up and please add any notable films that are missing.

Photo:

...more

1
91
12
Forrest Gump
Tom Hanks, Sally Field
Released: 1994
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic-comedy-drama film based on the 1986 novel of the... more
More Forrest Gump
16 Extremely Messed Up Things About Forrest Gump That'll Change How You See It#27 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever
2
82
18
Sleepless in Seattle
Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
Released: 1993
Directed by: Nora Ephron
Sleepless in Seattle is a 1993 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-written by... more
More Sleepless in Seattle
#87 of 541 The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Movies#217 of 933 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
3
56
34
Ghost
Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
Released: 1990
Directed by: Jerry Zucker
Ghost is a 1990 American romantic fantasy/crime thriller film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi... more
More Ghost
#21 of 50 The 50 Highest Grossing '90s Movies, Ranked#63 of 372 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime
4
85
70
Up
Christopher Plummer, Ed Asner
Released: 2009
Directed by: Pete Docter
Up is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy-drama film produced by Pixar... more
More Up
Small But Poignant Details From Pixar's 'Up' That Deserve The Ellie Badge#6 of 542 The Best Animated Films Ever
5
33
17
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
More Me Before You
#234 of 369 The Best Movies Based On Books#12 of 200 The Best Teen Romance Movies
6
57
44
P.S. I Love You
Gerard Butler, Hilary Swank
Released: 2007
Directed by: Richard LaGravenese
P.S. I Love You is a 2007 American drama film directed by Richard LaGravenese. The screenplay... more
More P.S. I Love You
#11 of 15 Comedies That Are Horror Films From the Supporting Character's Perspective#49 of 277 The Top Tearjerker Movies That Make Men Cry
7
35
19
What Dreams May Come
Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Released: 1998
Directed by: Vincent Ward
What Dreams May Come is a 1998 American fantasy drama film, starring Robin Williams, Cuba... more
More What Dreams May Come
#19 of 170 The Most Utterly Depressing Movies Ever Made#138 of 164 Live Action Movies With The Best CGI Effects
8
22
10
Saving Grace
Craig Ferguson, Brenda Blethyn
Released: 2000
Directed by: Nigel Cole
Saving Grace is a 2000 British comedy film, directed by Nigel Cole and based on a screenplay... more
More Saving Grace
#25 of 27 The Funniest Movies About Weed#24 of 52 The Best Movies Released Labor Day Weekend
9
21
10
The Time Traveler's Wife
Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana
Released: 2009
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
The Time Traveler's Wife is a 2009 American romantic science fiction drama film directed by... more
More The Time Traveler's Wife
#181 of 1,235 The Best Novels Ever Written#14 of 53 The Saddest Romance Movies That Will Make You Cry
10
16
8
Demolition
Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts
Released: 2016
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée
Demolition is a 2015 American drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. A successful investment... more
11
18
12
City of Angels
Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan
Released: 1998
Directed by: Brad Silberling
City of Angels is a 1998 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by Brad Silberling. The... more
More City of Angels
#455 of 549 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made#228 of 781 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made
12
25
21
Message in a Bottle
Hayden Panettiere, Kevin Costner
Released: 1999
Directed by: Luis Mandoki
Message in a Bottle is a 1999 American romantic drama film directed by Luis Mandoki. Based on... more
More
#53 of 89 The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Romance Movies#46 of 95 The Best Romance Drama Movies
13
19
14
Mary Poppins Returns
Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Released: 2018
Directed by: Rob Marshall
Mary Poppins Returns is a 2018 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall. In... more
More
#28 of 356 The Best Musical Movies Of All Time#22 of 109 The Best Disney Live-Action Movies

14
22
19
Inception
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy
Released: 2010
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Inception is a 2010 science fiction thriller film written, produced, and directed by... more
More Inception
10 'Inception' Fan Theories That Left Us More Confused Than We Already Were#11 of 230 The Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time
15
16
12
Silver Linings Playbook
Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro
Released: 2012
Directed by: David O. Russell
Silver Linings Playbook is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by... more
More Silver Linings Playbook
#72 of 84 Great Movies That Take Place in Autumn#64 of 108 The Best Dance Movies Ever Made
16
16
12
Irreplaceable You
Claire Holt, Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Released: 2018
Directed by: Stephanie Laing
Irreplaceable You is a 2018 American drama film directed by Stephanie Laing. The lives of two... more
17
14
11
Things We Lost in the Fire
Halle Berry, David Duchovny
Released: 2007
Directed by: Susanne Bier
Things We Lost in the Fire is a 2007 drama film directed by Susanne Bier and written by Allan... more
More Things We Lost in the Fire
#41 of 46 The Best Movies and TV Shows About Heroin Addiction#209 of 359 The Best Movies Directed by Women
18
21
22
Replicas
Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve
Released: 2019
Directed by: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Replicas is a 2019 American science fiction thriller film directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff. In a... more
19
12
10
Just like Heaven
Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo
Released: 2005
Directed by: Mark Waters
Just Like Heaven is an American romantic comedy fantasy film released on September 16, 2005,... more
More Just like Heaven
#18 of 44 The Funniest Movies About Ghosts#10 of 16 The Funniest Movies About Heaven
20
2
1
Ordinary Love
Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville
Released: 2020
Directed by: Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn
Ordinary Love is a 2020 romantic drama film directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn. A... more
21
12
11
Shadowlands
Claire Bloom, Joss Ackland
Released: 1985
Directed by: Norman Stone
More Shadowlands
#129 of 141 The Best College Movies Ever#22 of 31 The Best Broadway Plays of the '90s
22
8
6
Birth
Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall
Released: 2004
Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
Birth is a 2004 American drama film directed by Jonathan Glazer, starring Nicole Kidman,... more
More Birth
#2 of 15 Movie Couples With Creepy Age Gaps#24 of 70 The Best Nicole Kidman Movies
23
10
10
About Schmidt
Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates
Released: 2002
Directed by: Alexander Payne
About Schmidt is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne, starring Jack... more
More About Schmidt
#23 of 37 Great Movies About Sad Loner Characters#15 of 23 Movies You Never Expected To Show Skin

24
6
5
Dan in Real Life
Emily Blunt, Steve Carell
Released: 2007
Directed by: Peter Hedges
Dan in Real Life is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Hedges, starring Steve... more
More Dan in Real Life
#17 of 31 Great Movies Set Along the Coast#36 of 48 The Best Father-Daughter Movies
25
6
5
Bounce
Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck
Released: 2000
Directed by: Don Roos
Bounce is a 2000 American romantic drama film starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow and... more

Message in a Bottle

Mary Poppins Returns