As Tears Go By - Toy Story 3

It's noticeable how hard the film critics are finding it to discuss the new Toy Story 3 movie (which we saw on Wednesday) for fear of dropping in a plot spoiler. Universal praise for Pixar of course, but only the bare minimum of a plot (Andy has grown up and is going off to college, so Woody, Buzz et al are shipped off to a daycare center). It really is an excellent movie, and may be the rated as the best of the bunch, if it wasn't for the novelty impact of the original Toy Story. However, all the reviews without fail have mentioned the phenomenon of grown men crying through the end of the movie.

I admit it. I sat there blubbing away at the end, feeling great rivulets running down my cheeks and into my beard. And I know I wasn't the only one. For 90 minutes the cinema was filled with the usual noises - the rustling of popcorn cartons, slurping on sodas, and the squeals of laughter and excitement at recognising genuinely funny in-jokes. Then, a noticeable - almost audible - hush descended over the cinema for the last 20 minutes - the sort of exam room silence that occurs when everyone is concentrating extremely hard on something. In this case, concentrating on not crying - or at least not giving any obvious clues that risible adult crying was taking place.

I can't really discuss why it made me cry without giving away crucial parts of the story. Without being too specific, I believe that something pulls at that part of a parent who knows that at some point - all too soon - you are going to 'lose' your kids - the ones sitting in the cinema seats next to you - to the curse of adulthood, and you anticipate the same sense of bereavement brought on by the untimely passing of a loved one. The way that Andy, Buzz and Woody handle this passing is laudable, but I think most of us adults will empathise more with the shock of Andy's mom, as she looks round his empty room and breaks down.

I often cry at movies - in some cases predictably, like Marley and Me, where you feel stupid for being so shamelessly manipulated. Field of Dreams always gets me, even though I never played baseball with my dad (I just sometimes get overwhelmed with grief at his passing - nearly 20 years ago - at the most obscure promptings...). My weirdest trigger for flowing tears at a movie was watching the little known movie The Shooting Party, when the denouement signalled the imminent loss of a whole generation of England's bright young things in the horrors of the WW1 trenches - and I was a tear-stained wreck. Maybe I used to be a much more politically sensitive soul in my youth...

So - time to man up, guys (and gals) - Do you cry at the movies ? What makes you cry

Oh, and don't forget - if you go to Toy Story 3 with your kids and you start blubbing, they will not be sympathetic in the least - just hugely embarrased at you.

Comments

[LauraC]

I wept. Uncontrolable, heaving sobs which ended in huge cheers (you know when). At which point, my 9 y/o daughter punched me in the arm because I was mortifying her.

[Karen Sue]

Oh, I was one of the ones blubbering throughout the entire movie. This movie is about so much more than a toy's life; life changes, farewells, choices made and not made, and mostly goodbyes. So sad to see the "gang go". Mostly sad for Andy's mom. I was nursing my 4 month old at 2 am and picturing her at 16 walking out the door and saying, "see you around mom!". I started crying right then; I thought it was post partum depression, but now I know that I will forever be unprepared for when my children fly the coop.

The first movie I remember people crying en mass in public was ET. It was so crazy. Even my tough guy older cousin of 14 had tears running down his cheeks, although he denied it outside the theatre.

Good books will do that to me too: Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game was heart wrenching.

[Penny V]

This is a must see for next year. I vote for all 3 Toy Story's.