Paramount+ Tearjerkers You Need to Stream Tonight

Sad movies might not be everyone’s first pick on a Friday night, but let’s be honest: sometimes you want to get wrecked by a film and maybe even admit you enjoyed it. Paramount+ has a solid lineup if you’re in the market for movies that hit you squarely in the feelings. From brutal dramas to quietly devastating documentaries, there’s plenty here for those of us who believe a little sadness is essential viewing. Here’s a rundown of some of the platform’s best “happy cry, ugly cry, philosophical cry” picks—no handkerchiefs provided.

'There Will Be Blood' (2007)

Let’s start with a film that’s about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the chest. Paul Thomas Anderson’s 'There Will Be Blood' isn’t just a showcase for Daniel Day-Lewis's scenery-chewing—it’s a pitch-black takedown of early American capitalism. Based (loosely) on Upton Sinclair’s 'Oil!', it plunges you into the world of Daniel Plainview, a self-obsessed silver miner who climbs his way to oil baron status by manipulating and outright conning just about everyone. This guy’s moral compass? Rusted and tossed in an abandoned well. The more power Plainview gets, the more inhuman he becomes, chewing up anyone who gets in the way, including his so-called family. There isn’t much hope here, but if you want a brutally honest portrait of greed and how it strips away humanity, this is the one.

'The Weather Man' (2005)

Moving on to another film about a guy who looks successful on the outside and is a complete disaster inside: Nicolas Cage stars as David Spritz, a Chicago weatherman in the middle of a slow-motion personal implosion. In public, the guy’s a TV star. Privately, he’s adrift—battling divorce, dad issues, dysfunctional kids, and the fact that he just can’t seem to get his act together no matter how many fast-food items get lobbed at him on the street. If you like your sadness with a side of dark comedy and awkward self-reflection, this is Cage at his most surprisingly restrained (and that is saying something).

'Saving Private Ryan' (1998)

If you haven’t re-watched Spielberg’s 'Saving Private Ryan' since history class, it’s worth reminding yourself that this is one of the gold standards for “movies that will make you ugly cry and also make you fear the concept of war forever.” Tom Hanks leads a squad that’s tasked with finding and bringing home Private James Ryan after all his brothers are killed. Yeah, not exactly light fare. It’s a relentless look at the carnage of World War II—the D-Day sequence alone is so intense you can almost feel the sand on your face. Hanks delivers again (seriously, this guy has cornered the market on devastating performances), and the film ends with the kind of gut punch that lingers long after the credits. The last words Captain Miller gives Ryan— 'Earn this.'—pretty much say it all.

'The Eternal Memory' (2023)

Switching gears, here’s one that’s both a documentary and a perfect reminder that real-life heartbreak can be just as powerful as any Hollywood script. 'The Eternal Memory' is the story of Augusto Góngora, a well-known Chilean journalist, and his wife Paulina Urrutia, a celebrated actress. After more than two decades together, Augusto is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and we watch as Paulina cares for him while he slowly loses his grip on the relationship and identity they’ve built together. This isn’t just a story about illness—it’s a front-row seat to the kind of love most of us only hope to find, tested in ways that are almost unbearably poignant. The disease is relentless, yes, but so is Paulina’s care. If you need further proof that the 'in sickness and in health' vow is not just a formality, here it is.

'Forrest Gump' (1994)

Tom Hanks returns (again!) in a film that’s basically become shorthand for “unexpected feels.” 'Forrest Gump,' directed by Robert Zemeckis, is now a pop culture institution, but it holds up if you’re in the mood for pure sentimentality with some pretty heavy undertones. Forrest’s life is a relentless sequence of wild historical coincidences, but what really gets you isn’t the famous scenes—the shrimp boats or the running—it’s the web of relationships, especially with Robin Wright’s Jenny. The film is equal parts nostalgia trip, American history tour, and emotional rollercoaster, with key moments that still hit hard, decades later.

'Into the Wild' (2007)

Here’s another one that’ll make you question your dreams of dropping it all and living off the grid. 'Into the Wild,' directed by Sean Penn, tells the (true, and truly melancholic) story of Christopher McCandless—who rechristens himself Alexander Supertramp and sets off into the Alaskan wilderness with, let’s be honest, a dangerously naive view of nature’s hospitality. Emile Hirsch plays McCandless with just the right mix of hope and self-destruction, as flashbacks reveal exactly why he chose to cut himself off from society. Spoiler: it does not end well, but even if you know where it’s going, the journey is worth taking.

'Interstellar' (2014)

Sad sci-fi? Christopher Nolan says yes. 'Interstellar' flings Matthew McConaughey and friends into a dying Earth scenario, with humanity scrambling for an escape hatch into deep space. McConaughey’s performance as a single dad/pilot/slightly unhinged astronaut is probably a career best, and the film’s real focus turns out to be less about time dilation and science jargon, and more about emotional stakes—what’s the cost of trying (and probably failing) to save everyone you care about? It’s all amplified by the film’s knockout visuals and a Hans Zimmer organ score that defies description. Come for the wormholes, stay for some of the most emotional parent-child scenes you’ll ever see in a genre film.

'Titanic' (1997)

Yes, it’s a classic, and yes, you’ve seen it a million times, but there’s no way this list gets made without 'Titanic.' James Cameron took the most infamous maritime disaster ever and turned it into a juggernaut romance (and, for a solid decade, box office king). Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are the blueprint for “tragic movie couple”—their story infused with every possible class divide, timing issue, and, of course, one gigantic iceberg. It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t need to be. Decades later, it still has the power to make a theater full of people reach for tissues, even if you already know that door only has room for one.

'The Elephant Man' (1980)

If you want something a little older (and a lot darker), David Lynch’s 'The Elephant Man' dials up the misery with the true story of John Merrick—a man whose severe physical deformities made him an outcast and a sideshow attraction in Victorian England. John Hurt’s performance as Merrick is a masterclass in understated agony, and Anthony Hopkins brings both gentleness and heartbreak as the physician who tries to help him. Lynch doesn’t hold back from showing unhappiness in all its forms—prejudice, exploitation, outright cruelty—but what makes the film a classic is how it finds unexpected hope and humanity in the wreckage. Also worth noting: it snagged eight Oscar nominations, which should silence anyone who still brushes off Lynch as just a 'weird filmmaker.'

'Road to Perdition' (2002)

Let’s finish on another Tom Hanks film—notice the pattern? 'Road to Perdition' masquerades as a prohibition-era crime thriller, but really it’s a meditation on father-son relationships set against a backdrop of mob violence. Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, a hitman who ends up on the run to save his own kid after a hit goes sideways. It’s got that cold, blue sam Mendes aesthetic, plus it’s Paul Newman’s last-ever film appearance. Despite the guns and getaway cars, it’s the core relationship that’ll leave you muddled up inside. If you’re looking for an excuse to watch a gangster movie that actually earns its sentimentality, this is your pick.

Quick Watch List:

• 'There Will Be Blood' – Daniel Day-Lewis schemes his way to the top, alone.
• 'The Weather Man' – Nicolas Cage, midlife crisis, thrown fast food.
• 'Saving Private Ryan' – The ultimate war weep-fest, Hanks edition.
• 'The Eternal Memory' – Alzheimer’s, love, heartbreak, real and raw.
• 'Forrest Gump' – “Life is like a box of tissues, honestly.”
• 'Into the Wild' – Escaping society doesn’t end well.
• 'Interstellar' – Dad saves planet, probably loses you in space-time feels.
• 'Titanic' – Unsinkable heartbreak, Jack and Rose forever.
• 'The Elephant Man' – Victorian tragedy, compassion, Lynch’s early tour de force.
• 'Road to Perdition' – Gangsters, lost innocence, Hanks in antihero mode.

"Earn this." — The kind of line that sums up the emotional stakes of a movie list like this.