{"id":2803,"date":"2025-08-01T01:44:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T05:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=2803"},"modified":"2026-05-04T13:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T17:14:10","slug":"terms-of-endearment-1983","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=2803","title":{"rendered":"Terms of Endearment-1983"},"content":{"rendered":"

Terms of Endearment-1983<\/strong><\/p>\n

Director James L. Brooks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starring Shirley MacLane, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top 250 Films #152<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Scott’s Review #368<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"60004508\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reviewed January 9, 2016<\/p>\n

Grade: A<\/strong><\/p>\n

Terms of Endearment (1983) is a sentimental favorite of mine, and while I am slightly embarrassed to include this chick-flick to end all chick-flicks on my favorites list, it is also a damned good sentimental film and makes me a bit weepy each time I see it.<\/p>\n

It is pure Hollywood mainstream formula, but somehow Terms of Endearment works (romantic films are not usually at the forefront) and even won the coveted Best Picture Oscar in 1983.<\/p>\n

That must say something.<\/p>\n

So if it is so sappy, what makes it so great? For starters, it has exceptional acting all around, especially from the leads Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, and Debra Winger.<\/p>\n

How can you go wrong with a talent of that caliber?<\/p>\n

MacLaine and Winger play Aurora and Emma Greenway, a mother and daughter (the father is deceased) who share a lifelong love-hate relationship and live in the Midwest in the present.<\/p>\n

Nicholson plays Garrett, a retired astronaut (and womanizer) and the object of Aurora’s affection.<\/p>\n

The chemistry among all three is apparent- I sinfully find it delicious that Winger and MacLaine despised each other throughout filming, adding a layer of curiosity and intrigue to the film, and during their scenes.<\/p>\n

Director James L. Brooks wisely balances the heavy drama with comedy, so the film does not become too overwrought.<\/p>\n

For example, Garrett and Aurora have a humorous courtship, constantly bickering or misunderstanding each other- he is a womanizing playboy type and Aurora a domineering, insecure woman- they end up needing each other, nonetheless.<\/p>\n

Unforgettable is the hilarious drive and the beach scene that the two share.\u00a0 Even though the duo is tenuous and difficult, I love them all the same.<\/p>\n

The tear-jerker scenes are emotional, especially the deathbed scene at the end of the film. There is so much raw emotion going on at once, and, a rarity in film, the child actors involved are real, believable, and flawless.<\/p>\n

The film feels like watching a true, real-life drama play out. The heartache feels real, and the film as a whole feels very genuine.<\/p>\n

Also interesting is Emma’s failing marriage to Flap (Jeff Daniels) and her subsequent affair with kind-hearted Sam (John Lithgow), as well as her departure from her mother’s hometown, the constant phone calls, and being in one another’s lives, just like a real mother and daughter relationship often is.<\/p>\n

Terms of Endearment (1983) incorporates all of the elements that make a good, old-fashioned, dramatic tear-jerker, and I find myself a sucker for it each time that I watch it.<\/p>\n

Oscar Nominations:<\/strong> 5 wins-<\/strong>Best Picture (won)<\/strong>, Best Director-James L. Brooks (won)<\/strong>, Best Actress-Shirley MacLaine (won)<\/strong>, Debra Winger, Best Supporting Actor-Jack Nicholson (won)<\/strong>, John Lithgow, Best Screenplay Based on Material Based on Another Medium (won)<\/strong>, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Terms of Endearment-1983 Director James L. Brooks Starring Shirley MacLane, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson Top 250 Films #152 Scott’s Review #368 Reviewed January 9, 2016 Grade: A Terms of Endearment (1983) is a sentimental favorite of mine, and while I am slightly embarrassed to include this chick-flick to end all chick-flicks on my favorites list, … Continue reading Terms of Endearment-1983<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7836,181,1510,42,1263,1262,192,362,10667,874,1264,1193,1212,2332,675,7464],"tags":[7837,184,1512,58,1266,1265,193,363,10668,875,1267,1198,1213,2334,676,7460],"class_list":["post-2803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-152-favorite-film","category-1983films","category-albert-brooks","category-bestpictureoscar","category-danny-devito","category-debra-winger","category-dramas","category-favorite-film-of-the-year","category-huckleberry-fox","category-jack-nicholson","category-james-l-brooks","category-jeff-daniels","category-john-lithgow","category-mary-kay-place","category-shirley-maclaine","category-top-250-films","tag-152-favorite-film","tag-1983-movie-reviews","tag-albert-brooks","tag-best-picture-oscar-winners","tag-danny-devito","tag-debra-winger","tag-dramas-2","tag-favorite-film-of-the-year","tag-huckleberry-fox","tag-jack-nicholson","tag-james-l-brooks","tag-jeff-daniels","tag-john-lithgow","tag-mary-kay-place","tag-shirley-maclaine","tag-top-250-films"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2803"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23055,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803\/revisions\/23055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}