Terms of Endearment

Rating

Director

James L. Brooks

Screenplay

James L. Brooks (Novel by Larry McMutry)

Length

132 min.

Starring

Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels, John Lithgow, Lisa Hart Carroll, Betty R. King, Huckleberry Fox, Troy Bishop, Shane Serwin, Megan Morris, Jennifer Josey

MPAA Rating

PG

Review

One of the many Best Picture winning films of the 1980s whose emotional core is worn on the sleeve, Terms of Endearment is a marvelous film about the lives of a mother and daughter, both alike and not.

Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) loves her daughter. She loved her husband. After his death, Aurora descends into a self-imposed celibacy where men hold little interest with her. It is painfully obvious she has a problem letting go of the people she loves and that she cannot seem to form new bonds easily. Even when approached by many suitors, including the respectful, but lecherous Vernon Dahlart (Danny DeVito), she retains her moral compass and refuses to be swayed otherwise.

Her daughter Emma (Debra Winger) is a head strong little girl, having taken after her mother. Also like her mother, when she forms an emotional attachment, nothing can tear it apart. So, when she marries Flap Horton (Jeff Daniels) and has children with him, she can’t help but be angry with him when she discovers he’s had an affair, but is ultimately unable to tear herself forever apart from him.

Many times, we’ve heard movies being compared to TV movies. Those who make such comparisons would have us believe that good, dramatic entertainment didn’t deserve to be on the big screen. There is little doubt that some stories are best left for the small screen, but movies like Terms of Endearment are every bit as deserving of celluloid treatment as classic epics like Lawrence of Arabia.

No, these characters aren’t like anyone in a history books and no, they aren’t grandiose epics that look best on the silver screen. However, they are still amazing stories told well and it shouldn’t matter in which medium they appear.

MacLaine won her only Oscar for the film. She is delightfully strange in the film with her trademark style of comedy. Her dour expressions only serve to heighten her masterful comedic timing. That’s not to say that she can’t be funny, but it’s the way she engages the audience that make her one of the great actors of history. Certainly not to be outdone, and perhaps more deserving than MacLaine of that Oscar statuette is co-star Winger. Winger does phenomenal things with Emma, creating every ounce of emotional attachment we form while watching the film.

Though their characters may seem somewhat stereotypical at times, Daniels, John Lithgow as Emma’s extra-marital lover Sam Burns, and Jack Nicholson as Aurora’s lascivious neighbor Garrett Breedlove each give solid performances that keep the film feeling fresh and relevant.

Director James L. Brooks has little to do in Terms of Endearment. He manages the actors well and keeps the film moving despite some potentially dreary sequences. He never lets the audience feel overwhelmed by the material until it’s absolutely necessary. This reservation make the film feel more personal and touching that it might otherwise have under a less skilled helmer.

Terms of Endearment is an emotional roller coaster. Love, hate, joy and sorrow each find a there place in the film and together, they make for an emotionally satisfying picture.

Review Written

December 19, 2006