Tear Factor: My Girl

So, every so often (or maybe every single sacred weekend), I have an overwhelming need to make myself cry. Especially after a long week or an especially bad Friday (probably caused by my failure to remember anything on a Latin quiz), the cathartic release of crying is the one thing I really need to feel. So, rather than suck it up and go out and get wasted enough to forget my troubles, I cozy up with my favorite blanket and a bag of Sour Patch Kids (my kryptonite!) and go in search of books, movies, and TV shows that are likely to make me feel like the sappy, hormonal woman I truly am.

So, I've decided to share with the world what tearjerkers I use. You know, just incase anyone else needs a good reason to release some built up emotion and have a good cry! (And let's face it, we all could probably use just a little bit ;P)

So this weeks pick: 
Title: My Girl (1991)
Starring: Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis 
Rating: PG-13 (contains mild language and intense scenes)
Synopsis: Vada Sultenfuss is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her father runs a funeral parlor. She is also in love with her English teacher, and joins a poetry class over the summer just to impress him. Thomas J., her best friend, is "allergic to everything", and sticks with Vada despite her hangups. When Vada's father hires Shelly, a makeup expert, in his funeral parlor, and begins to fall in love with her, Vada is outraged and does everything in her power to split them up.

My Take: This movie, without a doubt, is in my top 5 favorite movies. Ever. Maybe it's the awesome 70s soundtrack and the more than adorable Macaulay Culkin (and trust me, this is no Kevin McAllister that we're working with this time around) , but, seriously, fantastic movie. 

I don't even know where to start with this movie without just diving into complete spoiler mode. 

First of all, Vada is a great character. She's been surrounded by death from the moment she came into being, and she is the biggest hypochondriac ever. She reads the "Cause of Death" on the death certificates of the people taken to her father's funeral home, and automatically gives herself the same diagnosis. This is just, like, the best thing. It adds a comedic element to the movie. Her naivety of disease is what makes it hilarious, in case you were wondering. At one point, she thinks she has prostate cancer, if that gives you an idea of how naive she really is. 

Then there's her best friend Thomas J. He's an easy target for the other kids in the neighborhood because he's a bit less adventurous. But Vada, despite her own crazy ideas and ambitions to learn, keeps him around and always defends him. He's also allergic to just about every damn thing, even chocolate, which is actually pretty sad when you think about it. But together, he and Vada make the best pair and show the greatness of childhood innocence. 

Now, I've got to say right now that movies about kids are probably the worst tearjerkers ever. The thing about these movies is that they get you totally hooked on the adorableness of these kids and then something terrible beyond terrible strikes and your whole understanding of happiness comes crashing down into one of those shitty pits in an Edgar Allan Poe story. This movie is definitely no exception to this assumption.  I don't want to totally turn you off by saying that happiness is not in the stars for Vada and Thomas J, but.... I mean, what are you expecting if I am writing a blog post about a sad movie... that just happens to be about kids? But it's really a pretty funny movie until the end, so, please, don't worry about instantly getting all the feelings. (Well, if you're me, then you probably will just because kid feels, but seriously... don't worry about it)

But let's get to what everyone really cares about: the on-screen romance between Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd. Yeah, I know, JLC was a total babe back in the day... and, well, Aykroyd... he's looking like something. Curtis plays Shelly, a make-up artist recently hired by Aykroyd's character of Harry, Vada's dad. When Harry and Shelly see sparks fly and love fills the air, hilarity ensues. Harry, who probably hasn't even touched a woman since his late wife died soon after giving birth to Vada, is the most awkward flirt and dater on the planet. Meanwhile, Shelly is constantly trying to send signals to Harry... and he is just not getting it... at all. 

So, pretty much, if you watch this movie, you'll get to see some awkward romance, cute kids, and some really sad things that I can't talk about because I don't want to spoil it and ruin your life. 

I have no criticisms for this movie. Seriously. Everything is perfect... and everything hurts. 

Just... Go watch it, dammit. 

Tear Factor Rating: 9.0

Tear Factor: Radio

So, every so often (or maybe every single sacred weekend), I have an overwhelming need to make myself cry. Especially after a long week or an especially bad Friday (probably caused by my failure to remember anything on a Latin quiz), the cathartic release of crying is the one thing I really need to feel. So, rather than suck it up and go out and get wasted enough to forget my troubles, I cozy up with my favorite blanket and a bag of Sour Patch Kids (my kryptonite!) and go in search of books, movies, and TV shows that are likely to make me feel like the sappy, hormonal woman I truly am.

So, I've decided to share with the world what tearjerkers I use. You know, just incase anyone else needs a good reason to release some built up emotion and have a good cry! (And let's face it, we all could probably use just a little bit ;P)

So this weeks pick: 
Title: Radio (2003) *
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr, Ed Harris, and Debra Winger
Rating: PG (contains some mild language)
Synopsis: Based on a true story, Radio tells  the story of a mentally disabled man nicknamed Radio (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and the bond he forms with the local high school football coach and his team.

My Take: I actually saw this in theaters when it first came out (I would have been about 10 at the time), so I was very familiar with the plot and the whole story overall, but that was so long ago, I figured I'd see what the hooplah was all about by refreshing my memory.

First of all, I'd just like to point out that if a movie is based on a true story, that probably means it's either going to scare your balls off, or it's going to make you feel all the feels. In this case, it gave me a double scoop of feels in a waffle cone.

Second, football and racial differences go together like peanut butter and banana. I've never seen a movie that contained both of those key elements that didn't make me emotional. I'm still trying to figure out why these themes go so well together. Is it seeing that brotherly bond that make your insides turn to mush? Maybe or maybe not. I just know that this film was the perfect combo with all the goodies on top.

And lastly, I am a major wimp for movies about people with diseases and the like. My life has been touched by so many amazing people. Some of those people did or do have impairments and various ailments, and seeing that depicted in movies just brings me back to so many good and bad memories. It's really fantastic to be able to bring personal experiences to the table while watching a film.

Honestly, you don't have to like football or know anything about the mentally disabled to enjoy this movie. It has a very touching story, and the cast is amazing. I felt like it was highly inappropriate for me to laugh at some of Cuba Gooding Jr.'s lines and actions because they felt so real. I had to remind myself half the time that he was acting. And I felt like his chemistry with costar Ed Harris was so genuine. At times, it was as if I was watching something happen in real time with real people rather than a movie made 10 years ago. That chemistry and realism definitely make the whole shebang more amazing and enjoyable.

My one criticism is this: Some of the more emotional scenes seemed a little overdone, if you know what I mean. I feel like those scenes were done very well, but they were pushed to their limits. There I was with tears running down my face, and it was like I just kept being punched over and over again to make me feel even more emotions. I was just like, "Yo, brah! That's enough! Can't you see I'm already making oceans with these tears?" I could have used a break. ;P

It's a definite must-see for those in need of a cry!

Tear Factor Score: 8.0/10

*This film is currently available to watch on Netflix and can be found where most DVDs are sold.*