The best movie endings are the most moving. They stay with us long after the credits roll and emotionally impact us.
They move us, sometimes brightening our moods, other times leaving us distraught and grabbing for a box of tissues.
No matter how they affect us, there’s no denying how impactful they were. Here are some of the most moving endings in movie history. Caution: there may be spoilers!
The Green Mile
Warner Bros.
It is heartwrenching to watch Michael Clarke Duncan’s John Coffey ask to refrain from wearing a hood because he is afraid of the dark.
Seeing an innocent man so afraid as he’s executed is bad enough, but when Tom Hanks’ Paul Edgecomb wonders if he’s outliving his loved ones for putting down an innocent man, it is enough to deliver a forceful, emotional impact.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
“Okay.”
The first time I watched Eternal Sunshine, that one simple word was enough to move me in ways no movie ever has. It’s a beautiful reminder that no matter what happens, no matter the agony and heartbreak, true love is real, and destiny will always bring you to the person you’re meant to be with.
Cinema Paradiso
Sometimes you don’t need a single line of dialogue to deliver a moving, emotional ending. Sometimes, all you need is a collection of on-screen kisses spliced together.
That’s what happens with the ending of Cinema Paradiso, and we can’t help but share the same emotions as Jacques Perrin’s Salvatore Di Vita, coming to peace with the life we have lived.
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The Truman Show
“In case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.”
It’s the perfect way to end the movie as Truman Burbank makes those fateful steps into the real world, leaving behind everything he has ever known. It’s what he’s wanted all his life, and even though we can see the fear and hesitation in his eyes, we can’t help but root for him as he exits stage left.
The Iron Claw
I have no idea how this movie scored zero Oscar nominations, just like I don’t know how you can’t help but cry whenever you think about the ending.
Even now, tears are falling down my face as I type this up. Look me straight in the eye and tell me you didn’t cry along with Zac Efron’s Kevin Von Erich.
Rudy
Am I biased as a Notre Dame football fan? Perhaps, but if that makes me a sucker, I’m okay with it.
Some of the most moving movie endings tend to come from sports films (looking at you, Field of Dreams), and Rudy is no different. The music, the sight of Rudy being carried off the field by his teammates, and the reaction from Fortune. Yeah, it doesn’t get much better than this.
The Shawshank Redemption
I couldn’t help but wonder if Red was going to keep his promise to meet Andy again. We already saw Brooks struggle on the outside, and we see Red start to fall into those same trappings.
Thankfully, he remembers his promise to Andy and not only gets to shake his friend’s hand once again but also sees just how blue the Pacific is.
Interstellar
Where do you even start with a film like Interstellar? If its ending sequence doesn’t move you, then I seriously doubt you have a soul.
From realizing that Matthew McConaughey’s Coop was his daughter’s ghost the entire time, to reuniting with her one last time all those years later, and then ending with the show of Anne Hathaway’s Dr. Amelia Brand succeeding in setting up a human colony on what just happened to be Edmund’s planet. Not a dry eye in the house; I can’t believe some of you went to see this in IMAX just to cry your eyes out.
The Breakfast Club
If we’re talking about the poster child for a coming-of-age film, it begins and ends with The Breakfast Club.
Yes, much has been discussed about the ending monologue from the group, but for me, it’s that final shot of Judd Nelson’s Bender raising his fist in the air as “Don’t You Forget About Me” plays.
Toy Story 3
I might be telling myself that I’m a millennial, and Toy Story 3 came out at the perfect time. It was like an out-of-control 18-wheeler driving straight into my heart.
We all have to let go of our past as we get older, including, yes, our childhood toys. For me, it wasn’t when Andy handed Woody over to Bonnie that got me. It was when Woody said goodbye.
Schindler’s List
From start to finish, Schindler’s List is one of the most moving films ever made, period, but its ending is in a league of its own.
It’s a grim reminder that no matter how much you can do or the impact you make, there’s so much more that could have been done.
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