Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels Directed By: James L. Brooks Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Paramount Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Region Code: 1 Release Date: April 10, 2001 Running Time: 131 minutes Theatrical Release Date: November 23, 1983
Product Description: The story of a mother and daughter and their relationship over a thirty-year time span. Genre: Feature Film-Drama Rating: PG Release Date: 29-DEC-2004 Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video: Larry McMurtry's novel becomes a somewhat lumpy film as directed by James L. Brooks (As Good As It Gets). Nevertheless, it is entirely winning, with Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger playing a combative mother and daughter who see each other through various ups and downs in love and loss, and most especially through a terminal illness endured by Winger's character. Jack Nicholson deservedly won an Oscar for his supporting role as a free-spirited astronaut who backs away from a romance with MacLaine and then returns in the clutch. As he always does, Brooks keeps things from getting too soapy with his intense concentration on the soulful evolution of his characters. --Tom Keogh
A Film of Joy, Tragedy and Hope. One of the top grossing films of 1983, including sweeping away 5 Oscars, Terms of Endearment, not only is a heart-felt relationship between a sensitive and compassionate daughter (Debra Winger) and her over bearing mother, (Shirley MacLaine) but also what it means to get caught-up in the day to day: and faced with the really tough things in life like seeing one's child go through unnecessary torment and hardship- but most of all, the film shows us about living in the moment, having fun in the moment, because life is fleeting, and often times, tragic.
Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson), a retired astronaut, lives next door to Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) and as middle age can be very lonely sometimes, reveals to Aurora a selfish man, but also one who enjoys life and she sets out to meet him, that ends in a strange but beautiful relationship. Taking away, at least, a little attention from her suffering daughter miles and states away.
This film is certainly a character driven film rather than plot driven because the story is a simple one. It is the dialouge, acting and the great direction of James L. Brooks, (Broadcast News, As Good as it Gets, to name a few) known in the industry as the 'actors director' which makes this film one of the best of 1883.
A beautiful film: loving, caring, moving, emotional, revealing the joys and the tragedy of life, leaving a glimmer of Hope for us all.
Outstanding.
Terms Of Endearment This is a wonderful film. The acting, the characters, the story, the music, the writing, the film is wonderful. You feel for the characters, the story is interesting and realistic. I highly recommend this film.
Overrated to the extremus I saw this movie in a theater in January of 1984, and if I never see it again for the rest of my life, I'll be a happy man. My loathing for this film knows no bounds. It's perhaps the most un-worthy film to ever be awarded the "Best Picture" Oscar, beating out much better candidates like "The Right Stuff" and "The Big Chill" that were nominated that year. As I was watching it, I kept saying to myself "When does this get better?" It never did, not once over its achingly long 131 minute running time. My former co-worker called this "the movie where the mother and daughter talk on the telephone all the time." Which it is. Throw in some infidelity and an incurable disease, and that summarizes this piece of garbage on celluloid. Avoid this movie at all costs.
Isn't that special. Terms of Endearment starring Shirley MacLaine is considered a tearjerker and wonderful epic but I hate to say that statement isn't what I think as well. Although MacLaine's performace is almost flawless, it's Debra Winger who has an unlikable and disconnected performance, I can't stand to watch her in this movie, she makes it unbearable to feel sympathy for her. The relationship between mother and daughter is strained and even though they fight, in the end they do deeply love each other. This movie has a lot of uneven moments, it's too long and cliched. People love this movie but for me, it's just ok.
Movies Was very pleased with the movie, it arrived quick. Very pleased with the service.
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