Movies That Make Me Cry - And the Wines to Pair with Them

I can be a bit stoic at times and I rarely cry. But sit me down in front of a TV to watch the movies Apollo 13, Miracle, or Bohemian Rhapsody and I get misty. These are the movies that make me cry, so I always have a nice wine nearby to help me cope with my emotions. Read on to learn more about the movies that make me misty, and the wines you should drink while watching them!

I almost always choose reading over watching TV or a movie. But, like everyone else, I have a long list of movies that are my favorites – ones I can watch over and over again without ever tiring of them. My list (which I will share with you all at some point in time!) spans the range from stupid and infantile (Austin Powers, Dumb and Dumber – you get the idea!), to the classics (Rear Window, The Godfather), to the inspirational historical flicks (Hidden Figures, Lincoln), to sidesplitting comedies (The Heat, The Wedding Crashers, Bridesmaids).

Like a fine wine, each of these movies have their own personality driven by the script, the actors, and the director. Some are brawny and brash; some are subtle and mysterious; some are complicated and thought-provoking; and some are emotional and touching. I usually enjoy a nice glass or two of wine while watching these favorite movies. And often, I find myself playing a game where I try to match the wine I’m drinking with the personality of the movie. Does that sound crazy to you? Well, it’s not – let me explain!

There are a subset of my favorite movies that always make me cry for some reason, which is weird because I’m not the most emotional person and it usually takes a lot to make me cry. And I don’t really like to cry anyway (I’m sure the armchair psychologists out there are already trying to analyze what happened in my childhood to make me this way!). When it comes to wearing my emotions on my sleeve, I’m more like Jerry in the episode of Seinfeld where he finds himself crying for the first time in his life – it just doesn’t come naturally for me!

Click Here for Seinfeld Crying Clip

In fact, when I was running the Center for Naval Analyses, I had an unwritten rule for everyone who worked for me – “No crying at work!!”. As you can imagine that rule went out the window at least once a week when someone would come into my office and start crying about some terrible thing that someone said or did to them – I was always ready with the kind offer of a Kleenex (and a sympathetic and awkward word or gesture) before sending them on their way (like Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory when he’s trying to comfort Penny):

Click Here for Big Bang Comfort Clip

So, what are these movies that always make me cry, and what wines are the perfect pairing for these movies?

The first is Bohemian Rhapsody, the fantastic biopic of Freddy Mercury (played by the brilliant Rami Malek), lead singer and songwriter of the great rock group Queen. The movie is a romp through the bombastic and Avant Gard career of Mercury and Queen. Everything about Queen was over-the-top and dramatic, from their personal lives to their music. The movie builds to a climax after the group breaks up due to Freddy’s erratic behavior and then reunites just before Live Aid, the 1985 benefit concert at Wembley Stadium for Ethiopian famine relief, and soon after he was diagnosed with AIDS.

The concert took place in front of 72,000 people live at Wembley and an estimated 1.5 billion people watching on television. Queen stole the show with a 21-minute set that is widely viewed as one of the best, most iconic live performances of a rock group, ever, and captured in dramatic fashion in the movie. When Mercury ends the set with an emotional version of “We are the Champions”, I can’t help but start shedding tears!

The wine that pairs perfectly with this movie is the Belle Gloss Pinot Noir Las Alturas ($45) from the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey, California. It’s a huge, highly extracted fruit bomb of a wine with beautiful dark cherry fruit and earthy notes. Over-the-top like Queen, this Pinot Noir is bold, brash, and unique and a perfect match for enjoying Queen’s Live Aid set!

The second is Apollo 13 directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. I think everyone is familiar with the story of the fateful 1970 Apollo 13 mission where a mechanical malfunction put the spacecraft at risk. American ingenuity, grit, and the unwillingness to accept failure as an option brought the spacecraft safely home, against all odds. The scene where the spacecraft shows up on the cameras after re-entering the atmosphere and Flight Director Gene Krantz (played by Ed Harris) sheds tears of relief and wipes his eyes always makes me cry as well.

The perfect wine pairing for this movie is one you won’t find in any store. Laurie and I discovered it at one of the most unique wine tastings we ever participated in during a visit to Napa Valley a few years ago. The winery was Caldwell Vineyards, established by an eccentric millionaire with an affinity for profanity, creativity, and space. It’s the only wine tasting we have ever attended where a wine was described by the staff member leading the tasting as, “F#%$ing amazing, right??!!”. Many expletives followed throughout the tasting. The wine was fantastic, and one of our favorite was a bottling called “Rocket Science”, a proprietary red wine with blackberry and blueberry notes along with monster tannins and a long-lasting finish ($75). The wine even comes in a bottle shaped like a rocket – could there be a more perfect match for this movie?

Rocket Science by Caldwell Winery

The last movie that always makes me cry is Miracle (the 2004 movie, not the 1981 Miracle on Ice) which tells the story of how the U.S. Olympic hockey team defied all the odds by beating the Soviets at the 1980 Lake Placid, N. Y., winter Olympics, and then went on to win the gold medal. The movie stars Kurt Russell who plays Herb Brooks in a fantastic performance. As the game reaches the final minute with the U.S. leading the Russians by a single goal, the clock counts down the seconds and Al Michaels, who was the sportscaster making the call that game says his famous line, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”. And of course, I start crying. Every time, even though I know how this game ends.

The wine match? A bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne, of course ($250 per 750 ml bottle)! One of the greatest sparkling wines produced in the world, this champagne is bright and citrusy with beautiful effervescence and toasty brioche notes on the finish. There’s no better way to celebrate a rare and special occasion, whether it’s an unlikely sports win or perhaps something more meaningful like a special wedding anniversary or retirement!

So, what are the movies that always make you cry? And what do you drink while watching them? Let me know!