Random Teen Movies That Definitely Made You Cry (14 items)

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  (#14) Lady Bird

  • Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Lois Smith

  The Story: Lady Bird is a coming-of-age story that follows dramatic high school senior Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan). While the film follows Christine's misadventures within her dating life and her friendships, the ever-present element that drives the emotional story is her strained relationship with her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Although the two obviously care for one another, Christine's embarrassment at her family's financial situation paired with Marion's feeling that her daughter is ungrateful inhibits the growth of their relationship.

  The Defining Moment: When Christine is suspended from school, her mother picks her up and immediately launches into a long speech about how ungrateful she is. Marion berates her daughter for her lack of understanding about their financial situation, but Christine takes her comments personally. She tells her that she'll pay her back for everything, if only so she never has to speak to her again. 

  Why It's Sad: The relationship between Christine and her mother feels entirely too real. While Christine doesn't feel that her mother actually likes her, her mother believes that she's simply pushing her stubborn daughter to be the best she can be. They each see each other's flaws more than they see their positive attributes, and they find it much easier to throw out words of anger rather than words of love. There's no clear-cut answer that solves that problem of how to fix their relationship, and each holds some sort of responsibility about the state of their interactions. Their inability to express what they're truly feeling mimics what often happens in real life, which makes it difficult to watch this movie without crying. 
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  (#8) The Hate U Give

  • Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Anthony Mackie, KJ Apa, Russell Hornsby, Algee Smith, Sabrina Carpenter, Issa Rae, Lamar Johnson, Common

  The Story: Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) is a young Black girl who lives in a primarily Black neighborhood, but she attends a predominantly white private school. While driving home with a childhood friend following a party, a police officer pulls the car over for failing to signal a lane change. Starr's friend, Khalil (Algee Smith), disagrees with the officer and is ordered to exit the vehicle. When Khalil reaches inside the driver's side window to pick up a hairbrush, the officer takes his life. The rest of the movie follows the fight for justice for Khalil. 

  The Defining Moment: As the only witness to the crime, Starr is wrapped up in the entire process, thereby earning the ire of a local crew, the King Lords. Towards the end of the film, the leader goes after Starr, and Starr's younger brother picks up a gun and points it at him. It's a poignant representation of the cycle of violence and the fact that it has to stop somewhere or else it will continue to be passed down from generation to generation. 

  Why It's Sad: By addressing the issue of police violence against people of color, this movie already strikes an emotional chord. Although the issue is clear-cut, the movie perfectly mimics what often happens in real-life situations, where outsiders try to justify a senseless act. The movie expertly presents differing opinions while still maintaining a clear line between what's right and what's wrong. Most importantly, watching an entire community grieve the loss of an innocent individual is difficult, particularly because it's not far removed from what's happening on a day-to-day basis. 
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  (#3) What's Eating Gilbert Grape

  • Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Kevin Tighe, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Peter Fernandez, Joe Stevens, Cameron Finley, Laura Harrington, Mona Lee Fultz, Brady Coleman, Darlene Cates, Jason Pace, Brent Bratton, Buck Reynolds, Drew Ebersole, David H. Kramer, David Stanford, Robert B. Hedges, Deborah Lee Johnson, Steve Cook, George Haynes, Susan Loughran, Paulette Rubinstein, Daniel Gullahorn, Nicholas Stojanovich, Tim Green, Tim Simek, Kirk Hunter, Penelope Branning, Shelly Latham, Mark Jordan, Kay Bower, Mary Alison Griffin, Patrick Welsh, Libby Villari

  The Story: Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) is a 24-year-old man tasked with caring for Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), his developmentally disabled brother, after their father's passing. Gilbert's mother has barely left the couch following his father's passing, and the day-to-day running of the house is now the responsibility of Gilbert and his two sisters. Throughout the movie, Gilbert tries to care for Arnie to the best of his ability while still maintaining his own life. The massive responsibility takes a toll on the entire family, and the film follows Gilbert as he struggles to find his place in the world while feeling like he has to be there for the people he loves. 

  The Defining Moment: After caring for Arnie for years while simultaneously putting his own desires on hold, Gilbert finally snaps. Arnie tries to run away from his bath and Gilbert becomes frustrated and hits him multiple times. He quickly realizes what he's done, and disgusted with himself, he runs away.

  When Gilbert returns home to repair things with his family, he also mends the relationship with his mother. She acknowledges what a burden she has become and finally makes her way to her upstairs bedroom for the first time since her husband's passing. Shortly after, she passes, and the family chooses to burn their home down rather than allow the town to make fun of her. 

  Why It's Sad: The entire film elicits a feeling of sadness. While the relationship between Gilbert and Arnie is heartwarming, it's also clear that the bond is taking a toll on Gilbert. The entire family struggles to make ends meet with a mother they can't rely on. Although they fight to stay strong together, they also have to deal with the derision of their peers. It's a bittersweet peek inside the life of a 24/7 caretaker that's sure to result in quite a few tears. 
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  (#2) The Fault in Our Stars

  • Shailene Woodley, Willem Dafoe, Laura Dern, Ansel Elgort, Mike Birbiglia, Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff, Lotte Verbeek, Milica Govich, Randy Kovitz, Allegra Carpenter, Emily Peachey, Johanna McGinley, Ana Dela Cruz, Amber Myers, David Whalen, Toni Saladna, Camera Bartolotta

  The Story: This book-to-movie adaptation follows Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley), a teenager with terminal thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs. Although Hazel maintains a generally pessimistic view of her life, she meets Augustus "Gus" Waters (Ansel Elgort) at a cancer patient support group and quickly falls in love. Gus lost a leg to bone cancer, but his disease is thankfully in remission. Although Hazel's health is deteriorating, she commits most of her remaining energy to spending time with Gus. He encourages Hazel to keep living, particularly since she may not be able to do anything in the near future. 

  The Defining Moment: While on a trip to Amsterdam, Gus reveals to Hazel that his cancer has returned and spread quickly. His condition is now terminal, and he doesn't expect he'll have much longer to live. Upon their return home, Gus's health deteriorates and he passes away in a matter of weeks.

  Why It's Sad: Throughout the entire movie, Hazel's health is the primary concern. She's in a significantly worse condition than Gus, and viewers are certain that she'll pass before the story is done. The revelation that Gus is now deathly ill is entirely unexpected. It shifts the mood of the movie, and his passing comes so quickly that it's difficult to process. What's most heartbreaking, however, is watching Hazel deal with the loss of her first love. Her grief and anger are palpable, making it hard to get through the film without a box of tissues on hand. 
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  (#6) Five Feet Apart

  • Cole Sprouse, Haley Lu Richardson, Moises Arias, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Parminder Nagra

  The Story: Five Feet Apart follows two teens with cystic fibrosis who fall in love while in the hospital being treated for their illness. Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is a rule-following patient who strictly adheres to her regimen in an effort to get better and live a normal life. Will Newman (Cole Sprouse), on the other hand, recently contracted a new bacterium that has no known cure. Tired of living his life in hospitals, Will has practically given up on the idea of ever getting better. 

  As CF patients, Will and Stella must stay six feet away from each other at all times. If they get any closer, they run the risk of cross-infection, and contracting bacteria from another CF patient can be life-threatening. Although the pair bonds and develops real feelings for each other, Stella uses a pool cue to ensure that they stay five feet apart at all times, choosing to risk that last foot of space for a chance at a relationship with Will. 

  The Defining Moment: When Stella's childhood best friend passes away, she throws caution to the wind. Heartbroken and wracked with guilt, she ignores news of a lung transplant and sets off on an adventure with Will. While walking through snow and ice, Stella falls into a freezing river, forcing Will to give her mouth-to-mouth to resuscitate her.

  Amazingly enough, Stella doesn't contract Will's incurable bacteria. Will, however, realizes that he can't put her life at risk any longer. He wishes her a tearful goodbye and disappears, letting her know that he loves her, but that their relationship has to end. 

  Why It's Sad: Although Stella and Will are very different, they have a profound impact on one another. Stella convinces Will to fight for his life, while Will shows Stella that staying alive doesn't mean anything if you're not really living. Their situation is completely beyond their control and there's simply no way to solve it. They can't be together. Watching them slowly come to that conclusion while tragedy strikes all around them is heartbreaking. 
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  (#11) Call Me by Your Name

  • Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois

  The Story: When 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) spends the summer in northern Italy with his family, he's initially frustrated at the inclusion of Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old graduate student who tags along to work with Elio's father. Over time, however, a connection builds between the two and they start a secret relationship, both a little scared to admit their mutual attraction.  

  The Defining Moment: As Oliver's stay draws to a close, he spends a romantic weekend with Elio. The two eventually say goodbye and Elio is entirely heartbroken when Oliver leaves. While Elio is accepted by his family, Oliver returns home and continues to keep their relationship to himself. A few months later, Elio finds out Oliver is engaged to be married. Heartbroken, Elio stares into the fire and allows the tears to fall down his face. 

  Why It's Sad: Call Me by Your Name is a beautiful coming-of-age story that addresses the fear and shame that can accompany being gay. While Elio struggles to accept his feelings, his care for Oliver is deep and important. The news that his first love is moving on, practically forgetting about the time they spent together, cuts deep. His hurt is written all over his face, and you simply can't watch that ending scene without crying. 

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