33 Deeply Satisfying Movie Scenes That'll Make You Feel Like A Weight's Been Lifted
One way or another, everyone got what they needed.
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which movies have the most cathartic scenes ever – here's what they said.
🚨Spoilers ahead! 🚨
1. In Cruel Intentions, when Annette rides off in Sebastian’s car after Kathryn has been exposed to the entire school.
"...while 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' plays in the background – it's the most perfect movie ending ever."
2. When Bernie puts all her cheating husband’s personal belongings in his fancy car and sets it on fire in Waiting to Exhale.
3. In The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, when Carmen confronts her dad about abandoning her and starting a new life with another family.
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"It really resonated with me as a young girl whose dad did the same thing. Even now as a 26-year-old, the scene still makes me tear up."
4. The scene in Midsommar, when Dani finds her boyfriend cheating and screams with the other May Queens.
"That scream is so satisfying! She’s not just screaming about her boyfriend, she’s screaming about losing her family, she’s screaming about the frustration she’s been feeling throughout the whole film. She can finally release all this tension she’s been feeling. I feel a release every time I watch that scene."
5. The emotional reunion between Saroo and his biological family in Lion.
"I had spent the majority of that film with silent tears streaming down my face but that moment broke me into full on sobbing. Seeing his mother coming down the street and all you want is for them to hug and touch and confirm to each other that it really is that person they’ve spent decades grieving for. When they finally do it’s like all of the tension and pain built up throughout the film is released and you can breathe again."
6. THAT limo scene in What's Love Got to Do With It.
"Angela Bassett's Tina Turner let's 👏Ike 👏have👏 it!"
7. When Elle turns Warner's own words back on him in Legally Blonde.
8. Anna's satisfying punch in Frozen.
"I get that the princesses are supposed to be good role models for kids, but sometimes a villain just asks for a punch to the face, and it was kind of surreal (and awesome) to see a Disney Princess get violent."
9. In Titanic, when Rose spits in Cal’s face.
"Most of our movie screening did a little "yesssss" when she got him."
10. When the miners arrive to join the parade at the end of Pride.
"It's such a beautiful image of what happens when the oppressed (miners and LGBTQ+ community) put aside their differences and prejudices, spend time getting to know each other as humans, then unite to stand up to the oppressor (in this case Maggie Thatcher and her party) who keeps kicking them down. I can't recommend this movie enough."
"That entire film is one, big, heart-warming hug."
11. The scene in Hidden Figures when Katherine reveals how difficult it is to work at NASA as a woman of colour.
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"Her boss and co-workers finally begin to realise what she has been going through. As someone who has never experienced anything like that, it was so powerful to see on screen."
12. This excellent – and well-deserved – punch from Ever After.
"It's just *chef's kiss*"
13. And at the end of the movie, when Danielle sends her abusive stepmother and stepsister to work as palace servants.
"I especially love that her kind stepsister Jacqueline – who is constantly emotionally abused and fat-shamed – gets to stand up for herself by calling out her family members for their cruelty."
🚨 There's a spoiler for the ending of Promising Young Woman ahead, so skip if you haven't seen it yet! 🚨
14. The moment when Al gets arrested in Promising Young Woman.
"Since it’s at his wedding, everyone in his life is there to witness the consequences of his actions, and as tragic as it is that Cassie had to die for this ending, Al being charged with her murder will completely ruin his life, even more so than if he were properly charged for Nina’s assault."
15. Ego's rave review in Ratatouille, where he calls Remy the "finest chef in France".
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"It was so satisfying to watch Remy not know his true potential, then seeing him so happy and at peace! It made me cry and gave me goosebumps."
16. In Captain Marvel, when Carol shuts Yon-Rogg down with a photon blast to the face and this epic line:
"After he spent the whole movie gaslighting and manipulating her, it was pretty satisfying to watch."
17. The ending of Get Out, when Chris *doesn't* get arrested.
"When the police car comes your stomach drops, but as soon as you realise it’s Chris’s friend, Ron you let out the biggest sigh of relief. You know Chris is finally safe."
18. When Mrs. Weasley uses her words and actions against Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 2.
"She absolutely annihilates her. It's my favourite moment in the series over both the books and movies!"
19. This emotional final scene from The Truman Show.
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"He realised he was on TV, overcame his phobia of water to sail to the boundary, and walked through the door. One of my favourite movies ever ❤️."
20. When the family is *finally* reunited in The Impossible.
"It's based on a true story of a family that was separated after a tsunami. Needless to say that I ugly cried when they were finally reunited against all odds."
21. Steve and Peggy's dance in Avengers: Endgame.
"I know from a plot standpoint it was a weird and unpopular decision but Steve and Peggy not being able to be together was one of the biggest tragedies of the MCU and I really liked that they got their time back."
22. When the centaurs take Dolores Umbridge away in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
"Never has a character so deserved exactly what was coming to her."
23. In Pretty Woman, when Vivian puts the snobby shop assistant in her place.
"'You work on commission right?' Amazing every time, even after all these years."
24. The captivating scenes in Room, when the police officer pieces together Jack's clues to work out where Ma is and she finally escapes.
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"God, those have to be the most cathartic moments in recent cinema."
25. In The Help, when Minny bakes a ~special~ pie for Hilly.
26. At the end of Knives Out when Martha drinks from a mug that reads "My House. My Rules. My Coffee."
"It’s so powerful and satisfying without any dialogue. In my opinion it’s a perfect ending."
27. Olive's final dance in Little Miss Sunshine.
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"It seems like the dad is going to continue being the nightmare he had been the whole movie and stop Olive from doing her Superfreak dance, but instead dances along with her."
28. In Veronica Mars, when Veronica punches Madison in the face.
"I had no idea I'd been waiting years for that to happen until it did."
29. When Aldo Raine carves a swastika into Hans Landa's forehead at the end of Inglorious Basterds.
"...and claims he's finally made his masterpiece."
30. When Edmond triumphs over Mondego in The Count of Monte Cristo.
"Edmond spent decades planning his revenge against the man who betrayed him. Seeing him finally complete his plan and go on to live happily ever after with his family is by far the most satisfying movie moment for me."
31. In Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, when Coco gets her comeuppance and Chuckie gets a lovely new mum and sister.
32. In Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, when Romy tells off her high school bullies.
"That last line makes me wish I can tell off the kids that bullied me in elementary school!"
33. Finally the airport scene from Inception.
"He makes it through passport control, greets his dad, and we see the team subtly acknowledge him leaving the airport. It's so beautiful, such a feel good moment."
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
