Emotional movies that move audiences to tears -

Sometimes you just need a good cry. Whether it’s a cathartic release for something you’ve been holding on to, or simply a moment to yourself, crying can be so beneficial for your body, and weirdly enjoyable.

But if you're going to do it, you might as well do it right. Cry to a masterpiece designed to lure those salty tears out with heart-wrenching lines and a melancholic soundtrack.

So grab a box of tissues and a pint of ice cream, and check out this gallery to see the best sad movies that are guaranteed to have you sniffling.

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'Blue Valentine' - This film, starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, combines the past and present with the question that plagues us all: is love enough? 

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'Toy Story 3' - While talking toys are entertaining for the whole family, when Andy grows up in the third film, adults will weep. 

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'A Star Is Born' - Every time you watch it you know how it will end, but every time it hurts just the same.

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'About Time' -

The mix of time travel and a love for the ages will make you laugh, cry, cheer, and collapse into the couch.

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'The Pursuit of Happyness' - Based on the true story of a homeless man who tries to provide for his young son, real-life father and son Will and Jaden Smith tug every last one of your heart strings. 

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'A Walk to Remember' -

Mandy Moore and Shane West play teens from different sides of the tracks, which only gets more complicated when they fall in love and one of them must die.

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'Boyhood' - Watching a boy grow up over the span of 12 years makes it hard not to feel completely invested.

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'Still Alice' - Julianne Moore will break your heart in this raw story about the all-too-common Alzheimer's disease.

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'Titanic' -

The real-life story is tragic enough without the added romance between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet's characters.

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'Brokeback Mountain' -

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger star as cowboys who fall in love, and the emotional impact of the story is only heightened by the world's loss of Ledger.

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'Mr. Holland's Opus' - This 1995 gem will strike a chord with anyone who has ever been impacted by a fantastic teacher.

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'If Beale Street Could Talk' - Barry Jenkin's story of a pregnant woman struggling to prove her fiancé innocent in early-1970s Harlem is rife with tear-inducing injustice, naivety, and tenderness.

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'The Notebook' -

While Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling get all the credit, it's really Gena Rowlands and James Garner who get those tears flowing. 

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'The Theory of Everything' -

This intimate portrayal of Stephen Hawking's heartbreaking love story will have you blubbering by the end.

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'The Joy Luck Club' - This 1993 drama about Chinese-American daughters and their mothers, based on Amy Tan's novel, will have you missing your mom like crazy. 

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'Moonlight' - A coming-of-age story about a boy who grows up struggling with a crack-addicted mother and his own sexuality, watching the Oscar-winning film requires tissues.

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'Stepmom' - Co-parenting with an ex is a roller coaster of emotions, and the twist in this 1998 tearjerker will certainly break your heart.

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'Milk' - Harvey Milk's journey from activist to California's first openly gay elected official is already enough to make you tear up without the powerful portrayal of his end.

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'The Fault in Our Stars' - There is never a dry eye after watching these two teens' tentative love blossom in the midst of a battle against cancer. 

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'Amour' - This Palme d'Or-winning film follows a devoted elderly couple as their relationship faces its greatest challenges.

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'Sophie's Choice' -

If anyone can make you cry, it's Meryl Streep as a concentration camp survivor.

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'Beaches' - Barbara Hershey and Bette Midler tell a heart-wrenching story of two childhood best friends who maintain their friendship throughout adulthood.

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'Selena' - The tragically short life and career of Selena Quintanilla remains an open wound for the world, and Jennifer Lopez brings her spirit to life this 1997 biopic.

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'Lion' - Based on a true story (those are always sure to bring on the waterworks), a young Indian boy finds his way back to his long lost family. 

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'Marley & Me' - Only a dog has more power to make you cry than both Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson in this film about a mischievous pup who grows up before your eyes. 

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'Steel Magnolias' - This 1989 classic about a group of southern women at a beauty salon never loses its magic. 

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'The Color Purple' - Based on Alice Walker's award-winning novel, this film features stunning performances by Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Danny Glover.

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'Roma' - This groundbreaking film follows the life of a maid for a middle-class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s, who finds support and heartbreak in unexpected places.

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'Call Me by Your Name' -

Timothée Chalamet silently crying in front of a fireplace for three minutes straight is all you need to know.

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'Room' - Brie Larson's Oscar-winning performance as a victim of kidnapping, raising a child under the watch of her captor is truly heart-wrenching.

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'The Lovely Bones' - If you're more into a creepy cry, this film about a murdered girl who watches her family try to find justice for her brutal death is the one for you. 

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'Seven Pounds' - A selfless decision to save seven people by paying the ultimate price, Will Smith will have you sobbing through the credits. 

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'Mudbound' - This expertly crafted tale of two families working the same plot of land in the Mississippi Delta tackles huge themes of war and racism, but feels personal all the same.

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'Up' - This is by far Pixar's most cry-inducing film.

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'P.S I Love You' -

A woman's late husband guides her on her journey to grieve his death, using letters that all end in "P.S I Love You." Are you crying already?

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'Terms of Endearment' - A tear-jerking mother-daughter classic, Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger have an incredible dynamic, though, of course, tragedy awaits.

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'Like Crazy' - If you've ever experienced the immense love and pain from being in a long-distance relationship, this film will bring all those feelings back.

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'Beautiful Boy' -

There's no real relief from how sad this movie is. Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet are a fantastic father-son duo.

See also: The craziest, funniest movie characters of all time

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