ICYMI, everyone is talking about Netflix’s latest romantic drama, From Scratch — the based-on-a-real-couple tale of an American artist (Zoe Saldaña) and Sicilian chef (Eugenio Mastrandrea) whose love story takes a tragic turn when he gets diagnosed with a rare cancer. It’ll make you feel all the things. After you fall in love with Amy and Lino, move on to one of these other emotionally charged movies and shows.
Jessica Brooks/Netflix © 2022
Like Amy, Frances (Diane Lane) experiences a personal “renaissance” when she moves to Italy — where she impulsively buys and renovates a villa. This one has a happy ending, so it’s a great palate cleanser if you need a break from sobbing over Lino for a bit.
Buena Vista Pictures
This British black-comedy series starring Ricky Gervais is the perfect blend of funny and heartrending. Tony, a writer for a local newspaper, struggles to come to terms with the death of his wife from breast cancer, learning a lot about the art of living in the process.
Netflix
This one’s another tear-jerking tale of a passionate (sometimes tempestuous) love that gets cut short. After Holly’s husband Gerry dies, she begins receiving deliveries he’d planned for her prior to his death — culminating in a trip to his homeland of Ireland, where she starts to rediscover herself.
Warner Bros.
I mean, how could we not? Even as the end of This Is Us approaches, fans still have trouble accepting the untimely death of Pearson family patriarch Jack (Milo Ventimiglia). Not only does this series focus on rebuilding through grief, it also highlights the importance of family support.
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
This Tyler Perry film has more in common with From Scratch than you might think: a love that the families disapprove of, a strong sense of place (here, the South), and an ultimate outcome that will wreck you. Plus, the fact that it’s full of jazz and blues is a subtle nod to Lino.
Jace Downs/NETFLIX
We all wish we could change Lino’s fate. In this semi-autobiographical film written by Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon, her character does pull through after battling a grave illness. And after overcoming everything from the illness to his family’s disapproval, their love pulls through, too.
Amazon Studios
In From Scratch, Amy and Lino’s families can be infuriating, but they also care for and lift the couple up through life’s biggest challenges. Such is also true of the Braverman family from this sentimental series. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry some more... it’s a journey.
Chris Haston/NBC Universal, Inc.
On the surface, this rom-com is a lot like From Scratch. A young American woman travels to Italy to find herself. There, she meets two Italian men — one an aspiring chef. However, even though there are a few sad moments in the film, it’s a mostly upbeat story.
Maila Iacovelli/Netflix © 2022
Another based-on-a-true-story addition to the list, Eat Pray Love tells the story of Liz Gilbert (played by Julia Roberts), who realizes that — despite having everything she thought she wanted — she isn't fulfilled. So, she uproots everything on a quest of self-discovery that includes time in Italy.
Columbia Pictures
Sometimes family isn’t blood; it’s the people you meet along the way. That comes through loud and clear in this emotional ABC series. It’ll pretty much make you cry every week, but just think of it as a catharsis.
Darko Sikman/ABC