James L. Brooks had a background in television, and was best known as a producer of the "Mary Tyler Moore" show. Nonetheless, he managed to be the producer, director, and sole screenwriter for his second feature film, Terms of Endearment.
The film begins with scenes rapidly taking Emma (Debra Winger) from infancy to the newlywed wife of Flap Horton (Jeff Daniels). Flap is an unpromising English teacher, disapproved of by Emma's well-intentioned but prickly mother Aurora (Shirley MacLaine).
As the years pass, Emma struggles to raise three children (Huckleberry Fox, Megan Morris, Troy Bishop) on her unfaithful husband's low salary. She finally turns to a kindly banker (John Lithgow) for support.
Meanwhile, Aurora keeps two slavish suitors (Norman Bennett, Danny DeVito) at a distance. She begins an unlikely off-and-on relationship with the next door neighbor, rowdy ex-astronaut Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson).
The first half of the film is mostly a comedy, with the few dramatic elements providing a context for Aurora to be proven correct about Flap. We learn that adultery is sometimes okay, and sometimes not okay. It is okay if your wife won't put out, or if your husband is already cheating. It is not okay, if you neglect your burdened wife in favor of young college students.
The film changes tone in its second half, becoming a tearjerker. Emma is stricken with cancer, and must come to terms with Flap, Aurora, and her children. Some of the resulting dialogue is very good, although it follows now familiar ground (Steel Magnolias, Stepmom, One True Thing).
Brooks made his smartest move as a producer, in casting Jack Nicholson. Nicholson's over-the-hill astronaut character was not in Larry McMurtry's novel, but the addition was necessary to prevent the film from being a 'chick flick'. Debra Winger was also a wise casting choice, as her character is completely sympathetic throughout. Shirley MacLaine had the most successful role of her career, finally winning the acting Oscar that had long been denied both her and her brother, Warren Beatty.
With the expert, cross-demographic casting, and a script loaded with clever, memorable lines, Terms of Endearment had a box office gross of nearly a hundred million dollars. It was also showered with critical acclaim and Academy Awards. It won Best Picture, Best Actress (MacLaine), Best Supporting Actor (Nicholson), Best Director and Best Screenplay. It also had six other Oscar nominations, including editing, score, art direction, and sound. Winger and Lithgow lost to fellow cast members in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor categories.
A belated sequel, The Evening Star (1996), was made thirteen years later. Brooks was not associated with the sequel, which starred MacLaine. It drew poor reviews, and stiffed at the box office. Brooks would have much better luck the following year with As Good as it Gets, which also reunited him with Jack Nicholson. (67/100)
Terms Of Endearment dazzled critics and audiences alike with its believable, insightful story about two captivating people, mother and daughter, unfor...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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