#9 – The Notebook
This 2004 romantic drama is based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks and directed by Nick Cassavetes. It tells the story of Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) and their struggle to eventually be together. The tale is told by Duke (James Garner) to another resident in his nursing home (Gena Rowlands). At the end, we find out they are Noah and Allie: her devastating Alzheimer’s has robbed her of her memories, but Noah reads her their story every day in the hope she will remember him. When she does, their time together is all too brief before, heartbreakingly, she forgets him again and begins to panic. Duke himself has a heart attack.
An unknown time later, Duke slips into her room at the home. She is lucid, and they talk about their love. The next morning a nurse finds them in bed, holding hands, having peacefully passed away together. This is why The Notebook is known as a weepie.