The real reason why guys cry in movies isn’t because of an emotional impact, but it’s because we create a fictional bromance with the main character. Whenever that character goes through hardship, we feel his pain. That’s because bros are tight like that.
Anyway, I’ll just cut to the main point: ladies, if you want to see your man cry during a movie, you might want to try these suggestions instead of The Notebook. We can’t connect with The Notebook, since all it does is create a very high (and unrealistic) standard for men to adhere to in relationships.
Logan (2017)
I mean, Wolverine dies. This is the ultimate lone wolf alpha male of the superhero world. We watched him fight Magneto time and time again despite being pretty much made of metal (his super power isn’t high intelligence). We watched him face the demons of his past. We watched him fall in love, only to have to kill that woman to save the world. We watched him go back in time and defeat the sentinels. We watched him be betrayed by the guy that he saved from the Nagasaki bomb. We also watched him almost kill himself in Hollywood with a really, really bad origins movie. And now all those struggles and fights have come to an end. We’ll miss you, Logan.
Furious 7 (2015)
Remember how Paul Walker died? Well, he drives off in the last one so we should feel some connection to that. Because who can’t relate to characters out of the ever-so-realistic movie series called the Fast and the Furious? If you didn’t cry when Han died, you’re not allowed to cry when CGI Paul Walker drives off. While the tribute is a nice gesture to Paul and his loved ones, it feels out of place in a movie series where The Rock literally breaks a cast around his arm by flexing his biceps.
The Green Mile (1999)
Pretty sure this isn’t a guy cry movie but an „everybody cry“ movie, but oh well. The story and characters have so much impact on the viewer that it’s pretty hard to not feel something when Michael Clarke Duncan’s character dies. As usual, Tom Hanks is also top tier in this.
Forrest Gump (1994)
I have a very hard time believing you’re an actual human being if you don’t cry while watching this movie. As light-hearted as the movie starts off, that’s how heavy it ends. And as with The Green Mile, Tom Hanks takes an amazing character and story and turns it up a notch.
Interstellar (2014)
I mainly cried because I don’t understand why people are so fond of Christopher Nolan as a writer/director, but that’s probably just me. Matthew McConaughey finding his way back home after decades can get some emotional response out of your boyfriend, I guess. I find myself very often getting too confused in a Christopher Nolan plot to feel any emotional response since the confusion literally takes over my entire system. But the critics love him because somehow confusing your audience is interpreted as „he must be the smartest!“
Good Will Hunting (1997)
If nothing else, the Matt Damon – Ben Affleck bromance is worthy of at least one man-tear. The movie is probably worth two or three more. Let’s not hand them out like candy at Halloween, shall we.
Armageddon (1998)
There’s no man-tear more true than the man-tear shed over heroic self-sacrifice by Bruce Willis. Also, cheesy Aerosmith soundtrack. But still, watching the man that stopped Hans Gruber from ruining Christmas sacrifice himself so our planet can live on is at least a soft strum on our heart strings.
