Terms of Endearment.

I felt SO manipulated by SM. I enjoyed it, but Sally Fields OTT meltdown in the cemetery was too much. The only part that really got to me was when she was showing Shelby pictures in the ICU and begging her to wake up. I also thought Terms of Endearment was more nuanced with the relationship between Aurora and Emma.

I adore both films very much, but Terms of Endearment is probably one of the best drama/comedies ever made. The acting is perfect and it literally makes me cry every time I see it.
Steel Magnolias is very good but the acting is not as good. The character development is also weak. I would say TOE is a 10/10 and Steel Mag is 8/10.

SM is an undeniably sad film, but its never made me cry. ToE, on the other hand

I thought they rushed Emma's death in this movie. Steel magnolias gets my vote.

Yes, me too. I see where my post is ambiguous. It was so emotional and so good. I cried so hard where she talks to her kids, but that is what makes it great! I agree with you, didn't like Steel either
Wait! Wait! Where are you going? I was gonna make Espresso!

Terms was better for me
I never liked Steel

Terms nearly kills me. The scene with the kids. My God, I can barely breathe.

I cried twice during terms, when Emma says goodbye to her boys and then when Aurora realizes how stupid she was for thinking it would be a relief. That "I'm so stupid!" thing hit me even harder when I was older and had been through that same feeling myself. In Steel Magnolias, I cried during the cemetery scene only.
They didn't stand outside of the theater with boxes of Kleenex when Steel Magnolias was over, either.
So, I guess Terms wins for tear-jerking,

I have seen Steel Magnolias several times and I never heard anything about a second pregnancy. I thought what happened was a complication with the transplant. Please tell me where it is in the film and I will watch it again.

I feel that the intense and complicated relationships between the mother( played beautifully by Shirley MacLaine and the daughter, the greatly talented Debra Winger, add a complex layer to Terms of Endearment that makes it so very devastating. Aurora, the Mom, has a combination of toughness and vulnerability that becomes the crux of the film while Emma, ( Debra Winger) portrays a wisdom and understanding beyond her years. Her mother's relationship with the "playboy astronaut", Jack Nicholson, also reflects Aurora's growth as she lets go of her need to control, and finds love in return. Add to that the scene where Emma says goodbye to her young sons and it becomes too heartbreaking to watch without sobbing every time. The film Steel Magnolias is also very sad and makes me shed a few tears but it doesn't delve as deeply into character development. Everyone is nice, and Julia Roberts is quite adored in the town. Naturally, people are shocked when she falls ill while pregnant with a second child, leaving her family to make the worst and hardest decision. There was a part of me, however, that felt her decision to become pregnant a second time, against medical advice, was a naive and selfish one. After all, she left her children without a Mom and her family and friends without her.

I love both of the films.. But yes, I find Terms of Endearment much sadder.