Saddest Movies on Prime Video When You Need a Good Cry

Sometimes you just need to curl up in a blanket and watch a movie that leaves you in a sobbing heap. If you’re looking for a good cry, you’ll find sad movies on just about every streaming platform, but if you’re looking for the saddest collection on Prime Video, we’ll supply a list of the biggest tearjerker.

The Deer Hunter

This star-packed classic starts with a joyful wedding sequence before descending to the outright hell of the Vietnam war. It was nominated for 9 Academy Awards and it won 5 including Best Picture. The brilliant cast includes Robert De Niro, John Cazale, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken.

Why you’ll cry: Even if you return home from war, a part of you may never come back.

Watch “The Deer Hunter” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

Forrest Gump

This Tom Hanks classic was the #2 film at the box office in 1994 (only behind “The Lion King”), and it won 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture. It’s the story of a mentally slow man who always seems to find himself at the crossroads of important moments in 20th century history. Throw in a storyline about unrequited love and you’ve got a powerful mix of emotion.

Why you’ll cry: Hanks’ Oscar-winning performance is notable for its incredible vulnerability. As Forrest faces life’s challenges, it’s impossible not to root for him through the tears.

Watch “Forrest Gump” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

This might be the most devastating movie on this list and it’s a documentary. I won’t share too much — it’s best if you go in cold. But this movie is a project a man started to tell a young boy about the father he’d never know. The tragedies in this story land like a series of endless bombs right to your heart. It’s unforgettable and remarkable and painful. But it’s brilliant.

Why you’ll cry: If you’re capable of any degree of empathy, this real-life story will hit you like a ton of bricks.

Watch “Dear Zachary” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

Bicycle Thieves

This Italian classic tells the story of a poor father searching Rome in the aftermath of World War II to try to find his stolen bicycle.

Why you’ll cry: When the odds are stacked against a father who loves his son, it’s hard not to get sucked in.

Watch “Bicycle Thieves” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

Manchester by the Sea

When Lee Chandler’s brother dies, he learns he’s been appointed the guardian of his 16-year-old nephew. This forces Lee to return to the site of an enormous personal tragedy.

Why you’ll cry: Casey Affleck’s Oscar-winning performance as a grieving man will hit home for anyone who’s ever had a broken heart.

Watch “Manchester by the Sea” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

Blue Valentine

This movie is relentless. It’s the story of a collapsed marriage, but the movie jumps back and forth in time, so you get to see the couple newly in love and throughout the downfall of their affection.

Why you’ll cry: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are excellent as they take you along on this tour of emotional wreckage.

Watch “Blue Valentine” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

Rabbit Hole

It’s a movie about a couple (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) broken by the death of their 4-year-old son.

Why you’ll cry: It’s a movie about a couple broken by the death of their 4-year-old son.

Watch “Rabbit Hole” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

Her

In the near-future, lonely Theodore Twombly finds himself falling in love with a Siri-like artificial intelligence. As you might imagine, this does not have a happy ending.

Why you’ll cry: Joaquin Phoenix gives a wonderfully restrained performance as a writer who struggles with human connection. Love is always tricky. It’s even trickier when the “person” you love isn’t a person and doesn’t have a body.

Watch “Her” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

It’s a Wonderful Life

Don’t wait until Christmas to unwrap this all-time classic. George Bailey is a selfless boy who grows to be a hometown hero in the small town of Bedford Falls. When he faces the greatest challenge of his life, he wishes he were never born. An angel named Clarence swoops down to show him what the world would look like if he weren’t around to change so many lives for the better.

Why you’ll cry: When George’s friends race to the rescue, you’ll feel your heart overflow.

Watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

Titanic

Just before Christmas 1997, James Cameron dropped this emotional bomb on audiences around the world. It’s the story of a doomed romance between wealthy Rose (Kate Winslet) and poor Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio). Did we mention they’re on a cruise ship that’s going to sink in the Atlantic? It racked up 11 Academy Awards, broke nearly every box office record, and destroyed the hearts of millions of teenage girls.

Why you’ll cry: The movie starts with the promise of tragedy, and then you’ll spend the next 3 hours hoping there’s a way out of it. Star-crossed lovers, indeed.

Watch “Titanic” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

The Best Years of Our Lives

This 1946 classic was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. Like “The Deer Hunter” above, this movie tells the story of veterans returning home from war. One of the stars was Harold Russell, who literally lost his hands in WWII.

Why you’ll cry: We’ve seen lots of movies about the heroism of WWII servicemen. This one was a pioneer in showing how hard it is to come back to civilian life.

Watch “The Best Years of Our Lives” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video

On Golden Pond

This 1981 classic features Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda as an aging couple. Henry’s real-life daughter Jane plays his on-screen daughter here. As the father begins to show signs of dementia, the daughter arrives with her 13-year-old son. Everyone gets a chance to bond as the sunset of life draws near.

Why you’ll cry: If you’ve ever lived through the pain of a fading older relative, this one will hit home.

Watch “On Golden Pond” with a free 30-day trial of Prime Video