Jennifer Coolidge Reveals the One Movie That Always Makes Her Cry

Jennifer Coolidge recently opened up about the movie that hits her hardest emotionally in an interview with Deadline’s 20 Questions.

She revealed that she is especially sensitive to films featuring animals in distress, agreeing with the interviewer that stories like Lassie are instant tearjerkers.

But the film that truly breaks her heart is Cinema Paradiso. “There’s some movies that are just overwhelmingly devastating; you just can’t recover from them,”

Coolidge said. “I think Cinema Paradiso, I remember crying so hard at the end of that movie. I do like sad music, but sad movies are really hard to handle sometimes.”

Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and released in 1988, Cinema Paradiso tells the story of a young boy growing up in a small Sicilian town and his friendship with an aging cinema projectionist.

The Italian-French co-production stars Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, Pupella Maggio, and Salvatore Cascio, and features a memorable score by Ennio Morricone and his son Andrea, beginning a collaboration that would last until Morricone’s death in 2020.

The film has been praised for its nostalgic and emotional storytelling, with the ending, featuring a montage of “kissing scenes,” widely regarded as one of cinema’s most powerful conclusions.

Cinema Paradiso won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1989 and earned the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. It also received multiple BAFTA awards, including Best Actor for Philippe Noiret and Best Supporting Actor for Salvatore Cascio. Critics credit the film with revitalizing Italy’s film industry and inspiring later successes like Mediterraneo (1991) and Life Is Beautiful (1997).

Cinema Paradiso holds a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it “a life-affirming ode to the power of youth, nostalgia, and the movies themselves.” Metacritic assigns it a score of 80 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews.

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert gave the theatrical version 3.5 out of four stars and the extended cut a full four stars, while noting that the shorter version remains the superior film. In 2010, Empire magazine ranked it number 27 on its list of “The 100 Best Films of World Cinema.”

For Jennifer Coolidge, Cinema Paradiso remains the movie that moves her the most, a testament to its timeless power and emotional resonance. “I remember crying so hard at the end of that movie,” she said, and it’s clear that the film’s impact has stayed with her over the years.

What movie makes you tear up every time? Share your thoughts in the comments.