By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Sep 11, 2018 at 7:46 PM

September is going to be a big month for your tear ducts. For one, NBC's hit tear-jerking drama "This Is Us" will return to television on Tuesday, Sept. 25, but in case that wasn't enough waterworks for one month, show creator Dan Fogelman also has a new star-studded, sure-to-be-sob-inducing movie hitting theaters called "Life Itself" – and we want you to see it early for free.

Starring Oscar Isaac ("Star Wars: The Last Jedi"), Olivia Wilde ("Tron: Legacy"), Annette Bening ("American Beauty"), Olivia Cooke ("Ready Player One"), Mandy Patinkin ("Homeland") and Antonio Banderas ("The Mask of Zorro"), "Life Itself" follows a collection of characters each going through different parts of their lives brought together by the unexpected twists and turns of fate – most of which, I imagine, will result in the audience's tears. 

The movie isn't supposed to hit Milwaukee screens until Sept. 21, but we're hosting a special free advanced screening on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Marcus South Shore Cinema – with a bunch of free tickets for you and a guest (aka a literal shoulder to cry on) we'd like to hand out.

All it will cost you is a quick visit to the OnMilwaukee Facebook page and a quick answer in the article's comments to the following question: What "This Is Us" moment made you cry the hardest? Your answer can be a multi-pronged thesis about the duality of mankind reflected in the character of "The Manny." Your answer can simply be the word "Crock-Pot." Just comment with your answer, and you'll have a chance at earning two free tickets to Thursday night's showing. 

Good luck – and see you at the movies! (Though it'll be hard to see anything behind our watery eyes.) And be sure to tune back in for my review of "Life Itself" – and my weekly recaps of "This Is Us" coming soon!

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.