21 Heartbreaking Movies That Are Somehow Still Good Even Though They Have "Unhappy" Endings

"It rips your heart out at the last minute. Went to see it when it first came out, and I haven't been able to watch it again."

–AndreBa

"Watched it in the theater with my sisters. We were silent the whole ride home; that ending wrecked us."

–veemac

"My friends and I watched this movie. It's with Tom Hanks, and we knew it would be sad. But hell, we were all sobbing the whole movie and cried in the end. Great movie, but would never watch again."

–u/a3rt3m1s

"Incredible movie that introduced me to Robin Williams' more serious acting. I cried seeing him crying at the end when he heard the news, and another round when he left the class at the end."

–u/Nafeels

"That beautiful film was warning us about toxic masculinity 30-plus years ago."

–u/ConsiderationSea1347

"That entire movie is pure heartbreak, but it’s SUCH an important one that showcases the other side of war and everything that happens to the innocent people of a country that is war-torn. I always recommend everyone see it once, but I also don’t think I will ever be able to watch it again. Absolutely phenomenal movie."

–tersicore

"I was depressed to find out almost all of the kids grew up to have their lives derailed. When he types, 'I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?' in the typewriter, that one hit me so hard."

–u/MTVChallengeFan

"I went to the theater to see a Steve Carell comedy and came home with a lifelong existential crisis."

–u/-kilgoretrout-

"I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a cult classic one day."

–u/8_bit_brandon

"I got this movie and thought Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, a comedy! Needless to say, when Marley died, I cried so hard that I had snot coming out my nose."

—u/tutorgurl07

"As sad as it is that he doesn't end up with her, I love it because it's much more realistic."

–u/tpierce071

"I really thought they would end up together. I cried for three days straight."

—ashcash532

"Underrated movie. It's a sad ending when you realize that if you forget all your mistakes, you’re just going to make them all over again, and living with the pain is inevitable."

–u/Annual_Rooster5678

"Saw this in the theater and became an absolute waterfall at the ending. It was so traumatizing that I couldn't even sob. A+ film I never need to see again. Genius and utterly heartbreaking."

–belbetty

"How heartbreaking when he comes out of the forest, and she races out to see him. Always trying to catch a moment with a lost loved one is almost worse than just being able to move on."

–u/Seanathan65

"Perfect ending. Brad Pitt put a clause in his contract that the studio couldn't change the ending even if it didn’t test well. That movie would have sucked if the ending were any different. Well played, Brad, well played."

–u/juliango

"Saw this in the theater, and there was dead silence after the end."

–u/YogiAU

"What’s scary is that the book ending is infinitely more fucked up. Movie Amy is tame compared to Book Amy."

–u/Paddock9652

"Although tragic, the ending is powerful because it's much more realistic in today's world than if Queen and Slim had gotten away. I also appreciated that the funeral scene is included in the end. IRL, many people argue about who was in the wrong based on what they saw on the news, but real families and friends are grieving lost loved ones. Such a poignant and timely movie."

–sweetpeaprincess

"The ending is fucking traumatizing. My mind wants to forget it, but it can’t because it was THAT messed up. That is definitely a great movie that you need to watch only once."

–faceghostta

"I cried through the whole night the first time I watched it. Especially the scene where Ennis looks at the pic of Brokeback and their shirts, and he says, 'Jack, I swear...' My heart broke."

–chi_is_on_mars

"It's kind of a sad ending, but probably the only ending Maximus would have wanted after the death of his wife and kid."

–u/HacksawJimDGN

"That's what gets me. He tries so hard and is only really whole when he's with his family."

–u/arkayer

"His death wasn't a surprise if you've seen any of the other movies, and Ally's final ballad is totally heart-wrenching, so it's totally appropriate for people to get teary as she sings his farewell song. BUT the moment that I did not see coming was when the camera cut directly from Ally's performance to Jackson singing it for her at the piano for the very first time. I just didn't see that transition coming at all, and it really hit me."

—spenceralthouse

"Not fun fact: The story is based on a true story that happened to the author's son and his friend. The girl in real life died from being struck by lightning, but the publishers thought that was too fantastical so it was changed to drowning. Then, the son of the author grew up and wrote the screenplay for the film based on his childhood."

–u/Anti-waxxer

"Cried like a baby at the end. Great movie though, and very eye-opening."

–u/BlackCloudWrecker

"I watched that with a friend at their insistence. I was sobbing throughout. Completely inconsolable. I will never watch it again. I don't think my heart can take it."

–u/Eormet