carkol2005
Ok let's throw the first one out: I can't stand soap operas, nor TV movie plot archetypes, but this movie is way above all that. The direction is good, the actors make a good job and, for what is worth, the characters are nuanced and interesting. The script has some good subtle humor beneath it, what makes me happy because in a movie like this it's refreshing. There is, certainly, some talent going around this movie... but it's flawed. First of all, there is some characters I can't fully understand. The mother, Aurora, for example. Is she rude? Is she lovely? I am not sure. One moment is rude with Jack Nicholson, another moment wants to bang him... I don't get her. It's not like she's changing throughout the movie, she just is inconsistent. I know that real people behaves very strangely sometimes, but this character shift her personality too much, to the point it seems just an inconsistency in the script, not a real behavior. The same problem goes to the Jeff Daniels character. He is just a jerk who doesn't care about his family, but suddenly he does? Again, this is not a change, it's lazy writing. We the audience know he's always been like that, it's crystal clear that nobody should trust him. Debra Winger knows it as well. So, what's up with his resolution? At the end, everybody is fine with him. All this character inconsistencies come from the plot point that drives all the plot along the second half of the movie (I won't spoil it, let's say it's a sad one). Instead of putting a resolution to the characters arc, this plot point simplifies the characters and make them puppets of the plot, which I don't like. There's so much left aside. What about the relationship between Jack Nicholson and Shirley Mclaine? What about Jeff Daniels and Debra Winger discussing their issues in the relationship? The guy did little to nothing to support her until the end and tricked her in the most nasty ways! I guess it was like every soap opera all along: manipulative and phoney. Nevertheless, I recognised the talent and I guess the script is decently rounded, even with its problems. 7/10
eroviravalls
Life is a gap between what we expect to happen and what really occurs.
Aurora doesn't accept the gap and she closes herself in her "daughter & home" micro-world.
Life turns up to be more cruel to her than the average, but she proves to be ready and faces all obstacles that come with outstanding integrity and brave.
So, accept the gap but bé ready.
Memmorable Shirley MacLaine in a universal classic movie.
sandcrab277
I have a huge personal dislike for most of the actors in this film so you can imagine how painful it was for me to watch it at all...well, i don't mind jeff daniels too much and the 2 women that brought the drunken nicholson home in the car...the rest of it made me grit my teeth....i've read a lot of larry mcmurtry novels and was never disappointed with the screen adaptations until now...i didn't wait for it to grow on me because i won't live that long...there is one surety that came from this film and that is hollywood is a nut farm....for winger and what's her name to be nominated for oscars...the only thing endearing about this film was when i turned it off
Davis P
Terms of Endearment (1983) is a classic dramedy film. It's really much more of a drama than it is a comedy. It was praised by critics and swept the major awards, winning five academy awards, including best picture. It stars Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, and John Lithgow. I absolutely loved the casting, every actor represented their character so well. MacLaine turns in a performance of a lifetime, she is funny and witty at times, then sharp as a tack and tough as nails in other moments. And Winger is so skilled and charming in her role, she plays Emma with a certain lovable innocence. I love how these two talented actresses commanded the screen, and had amazing chemistry together while doing it. Another Hollywood heavyweight that turns in a great performance here is Jack Nicholson, I really loved him playing Garrett, he brings something to the role that only he could do, it's something about Nicholson that is just perfect for this character. And he and Auroras connection in the film is really something fantastic, it was great to see an older mid life romance between two people with such chemistry. The writing is superb, the writing really focuses mainly on Emma and Auroras relationship, their connection as mother and daughter, but it also brings in subplots that Nicholson and Daniels. I love how the script includes all those different very important aspects of the movie, and it brings them all together to form a near perfect film. This a classic film that I recommend, but I warn that you may need a few tissues. 9/10 for Terms of Endearment.
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