It comes on suddenly. I’ll be watching a movie, and the moment I feel extreme joy, sadness or hopefulness, my eyes well with tears. It might stop there, but more often than not, my highly emotional divorced woman over 50 mentality causes full blown bawling.
I’m not sure when exactly I turned into a human water faucet. It might have been after having my first child, the result of out of whack hormones, or maybe it was after I got divorced. Or, maybe that’s what happens in your Botox, red wine, metabolism-halted years.
Don’t get me wrong. Crying during movies isn’t a bad thing. It actually feels good to express pent up emotion and to deeply feel those dramatic moments of happiness or sadness that we don’t always have in our everyday lives.
If you agree with me that there’s nothing better than a good cry, a box of Kleenex, and a glass of red wine while watching a movie, then here are some movies you can’t miss.Not only will each one have you sobbing, (in a good way), but these movies will leave you feeling encouraged, energetic and inspired!
10 Movies Every Divorced Woman Over 50 Should See
1. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) This adorable dramedy is about a recently divorced guy who just got out of a mental institution and who is trying to rebuild his life when romance develops with a recent widow living in his parent’s neighborhood. Football, bookies, ballroom dancing, family and love all mesh together in a deep, meaningful and really funny story. Best scene: Pat and Tiffany’s dance number during their dance competition.
2. The Notebook (2004) I’ve seen this movie 50 times and I still cry every time. The Notebook mixes young and old romance, sending the message that true love is ageless, and that every woman should trust her gut when it comes to marrying the right guy.
3. Something’s Gotta Give (2003) Nancy Myers, another genius in the field of screenwriting and directing is responsible for this hilarious and heartwarming movie about a woman who falls in love with her daughter’s much much older boyfriend.
4. It’s Complicated (2009) Another Nancy Myers movie! The plot: a woman is having an affair with her ex husband, who left her for a younger woman whom he married. I think this movie offers satisfaction to every divorced woman whose husband left her for a younger woman. Is it realistic? Probably not, but who cares!
5. Enough Said (2013) A divorced man and woman, both in their early fifties begin dating and unexpectedly fall in love. Meanwhile, the woman, a massage therapist discovers that her new client is her boyfriend’s ex wife. I think this movie paints a realistic but endearing picture of dating after divorce. Trivia: this was James Gandolfini’s last movie before dying unexpectedly in 2013.
6.When Harry Met Sally (1989) “I’ll have what she’s having!” “I’ve been looking for a red suede pump.” “You should never go to bed with someone when you find out your ex boyfriend’s getting married.” “Men and women can never really be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.” These are just a few lines from this adorable comedy about a couple whose platonic relationship turns romantic. The late Nora Ephron, who wrote and directed this and several other romantic comedies was a genius.
7. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) This is perhaps a lesson about getting lazy in your marriage, and about how if people are willing to make an effort for true love, it really pays off. Plus, Ryan Gosling is hot in this darling romantic comedy!
8. Brokeback Mountain (2005) I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been in the sixties, when gay men and women felt they had to hide their relationships. Brokeback Mountain is a beautiful but tragic love story of two cowboys who have a secretive 20-year relationship.
9. Sex and the City (2008) Don’t even get me started! When my all-time favorite HBO series became a movie, I couldn’t have been more ecstatic. And the movie did not disappoint! One might think that Sex and the City is all about sex and men, but it isn’t. The movie (and the show) is truly about the loyalty and support of real girlfriends, who pick each other up, especially when love lets them down.
10. Moonstruck (1987) I can still remember going to a movie theater by myself at age 22 to see this Academy award winning film. It is a darling story of a middle-aged accountant from a traditional Italian family who falls in love with her fiancé’s brother. Favorite lines: “I’m in love with you.” “Snap out of it!” It shows that when love is right, it only takes one afternoon to realize it.
