Very well executed

That was an excellent one.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Blistering performances.

This is one of best films ever made about love, family, and filial relationships.It is a movie that is utterly devoid of the schmaltz, sappy dialogue, and mushy sentimentality, you usually in stories of its kind.It's the divine absence of this, combined with the presence of dark humor, and spicy plot that makes this the gem that it is.Shirley McLaine, and Jack Nicholson are brilliant in their roles as Aurora Greenway, an irascible widowed mother, and Garrett Breedlove (her neighbor), a philandering, retired astronaut.Then there's Debra Winger as Aurora's daughter (I really think this is her best role ever), who's marriage to Flap Horton (Jeff Daniels) disintegrates as the story progresses.To properly summarize a movie like this is impossible because there are so many good things to be said about it.The romance between Aurora and Garrett, for instance, provides one of the funniest, most heartfelt, most well done subplots in history.Danny DeVito adds immensely in his role as Vernon Dahlart (one of Aurora's many admirers), as does John Lithgow in the role of Sam Burns, Emma's guilt-ridden, and adorable adulterous lover.Easily at the top of its genre, this movie deserved all the recognition that it got.Originally, Review #145Posted On: November 28, 2011.

Terms Of Endearment4 Out Of 5Terms Of Endearment is a plot driven feature of a family that goes through ups and downs to a range like no other tale takes you to. The chemistry among the characters is depicted from the scratch which helps the makers create the bonding with the viewers too; a slick move by the writers. It is rich on technical aspects like background score, cinematography, costume design, sound department and editing. The writing is strong, inspiring, emotional and a bit edgy that helps blend it all in and still keep it grounded and resonate with reality to keep it connected among the audience. The adapted screenplay by James L. Brooks is smart, gripping and layered with a thought-provoking soul and reasoning within it that ups the ante of the game. James L. Brooks; the director, is on his A game and doing some of his best work on executing this deep and impactful script on screen that pitches straight to the viewers and meddles with the emotions. The performance objective is scored majestically by the protagonist Debra Winger and is supported thoroughly by Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Denials and John Lithgow. Terms Of Endearment is costlier yet feasible terms that turns out more mature than we usually get in latter stages.

Oh boy, get out your Kleenexes. And be sure to have an extra box on hand! I don't usually like Debra Winger, but she gives an incredible performance in the film. It's easy to see why she was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars alongside Shirley MacLaine, although it's sad that in such a contest one woman will inevitably lose. Shirley MacLaine won, largely due to the famous and often spoofed "Give my daughter her shot!" scene.Jeff Daniels, John Lithgow, and Jack Nicholson provide the male talent, and each give great performances without overshadowing the women; after all, the movie belongs to Shirley and Debra. There are a few humorous moments, but keep in mind that it's a heavy drama. Don't be fooled by the cuteness of the opening scene.I'm not going to spoil the plot, or even tell you anything about it. It's a story about a mother and her daughter, simple as that. Sometimes they get along, sometimes they don't, but they love each other more than most people love in their entire lives. Everyone—yes, I mean everyone—will bawl during this movie. If you love your mother, hate your mother, have a complex relationship with your mother (or daughter), are extremely close or wish you'd been closer—everyone will bawl. Snot sniveling, mouth drooling, can't-catch-your-breath bawl. So, if you're in the mood for that, go ahead and watch Terms of Endearment. And if you really want to sob, watch it with your mother.

Terms of Endearment is a good exploration of the fact that parents don't often like their children even though they may love them, and children often have a hard time liking their parents when they turn out to be 100% correct - on the long haul - about the people they choose as spouses. Especially when the parents never let the child forget about the mistakes they have made. It also shows that death has a way of rewriting the past - often immediately.Emma falls in love and marries at a young age - about twenty. Her mother, Aurora, apparently married a man who was well off but died young. Aurora is controlling, illustrated in the first scene when she gets up to make sure Emma is breathing when she is an infant. Emma thinks she'll "be happy in a one room shack and she won't look back" when she marries poor young college teacher Flap Horton. And then the babies start coming, and keep on coming. At this point Flap and Emma prove they are quite flappable. Flap cheats because he can, and with a woman who is more like himself, more like the woman he probably would have married had he been older when he made that decision. Emma eventually cheats because she is drowning - in bills, in lack of emotional support, with an oldest son who sees the lack of respect everybody else gives his mother and apes the behavior.Then there is Jack Nicholson's place in all of this. As the aging astronaut who lives next door to Aurora, he is the only one who can get Aurora to fall off her pedestal as high priestess of perfect and emotionally detached decisions, and then she is terribly disappointed and surprised when he bolts as he feels the walls of monogamy closing in on him. Quite frankly, I was surprised that she was surprised that this happened.Some people have told me this is just an awful soap opera, but I disagree. Maybe a little bit because I have an aunt who trod the same tragic path as Emma, and maybe because I am also an exiled Texan who was a bit dismayed at the "lack of wildness in the people" in the state where I would spend the next quarter of a century. But then, I loved this film before any of those things happened.At any rate, highly recommended for the human drama of it all that hasn't really aged in 33 years. The only thing that lets you in on the fact that you are in a different time is Carol King's "It's Too Late" from 1971 playing as Aurora looks out the window at one point.