10 Saddest Movies Ever Made

By Vlad Zakh · February 9, 2026

Some movies are built specifically to make you cry, and these are the ones that actually deliver, whether the setup is a sinking ship, a terminal diagnosis or a choice no parent should ever face. Dear John keeps a soldier’s love alive through years of letters, A Walk to Remember falls for a classmate hiding a terminal illness, Marley & Me ages a beloved dog alongside a family’s milestones, and Beaches tests a decades-long friendship through illness. Titanic, Sophie’s Choice, Steel Magnolias, My Girl, The Notebook and The Fault in Our Stars round out the list.

Dear John (2010)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A soldier and the woman he loves keep their relationship alive through years of letters.

Directed by Lasse Hallström · 1h 48m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Walk to Remember (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A rebellious teenager falls for a classmate who is hiding a terminal illness.

Directed by Adam Shankman · 1h 42m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Marley & Me (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A family's chaotic, beloved dog ages alongside every milestone in their lives.

Directed by David Frankel · 1h 55m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Beaches (1988)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A decades-long friendship between two women is tested when one falls seriously ill.

Directed by Garry Marshall · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Steel Magnolias (1989)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A group of Southern women support each other through a daughter's declining health.

Directed by Herbert Ross · 1h 57m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Paramount Plus Essential, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

My Girl (1991)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A young girl's first real experience of death arrives through her closest friend.

Directed by Howard Zieff · 1h 43m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Notebook (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 55% Metacritic 53

The gold standard for a proper cry, still working two decades later.

Directed by Nick Cassavetes · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

12 wins & 10 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 81% Metacritic 69

Two teenagers with cancer fall in love knowing exactly how limited their time is.

Directed by Josh Boone · 2h 06m · Rated PG-13

23 wins & 18 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sophie's Choice (1982)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A concentration camp survivor's past conceals a decision no one should ever have to make.

Directed by Alan J. Pakula · 2h 31m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo, Peacock Premium Plus, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Titanic (1997)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 88% Metacritic 75

A doomed shipboard romance set against history's most famous maritime disaster.

Directed by James Cameron · 3h 14m · Rated PG-13

Won 11 Oscars126 wins & 84 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

10 Saddest Movies Ever Made

Dear John (2010)

A Walk to Remember (2002)

Marley & Me (2008)

Beaches (1988)

Steel Magnolias (1989)

My Girl (1991)

The Notebook (2004)

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Sophie's Choice (1982)

Titanic (1997)

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