Terms Of Endearment (BD) [Blu-ray]

Highly recommend !!

Larry McMurty's novel has been adapted to the screen amazingly well; the film won five Academy Awards, including the Best Adapted Screenplay Award, as well as Best Picture, Best Actress (Shirley MacLaine), Best Director (James Brooks), and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson). The cast includes a wealth of Hollywood celebrities -- Debra Winger, John Lithgow, Jeff Daniels, Danny DeVito -- and the performances are outstanding throughout the film.The story is one of a mother, Aurora Greenway, (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter, Emma (Debra Winger), and how their relationship develops over the years, from the day that their husband/father dies. Aurora is a woman with more than her share of admirers, whom she takes great delight in keeping at a distance, and who has a rather contentious relationship with her daughter, whose marriage to Flap Horton (Jeff Daniels) she opposes to the point that she boycotts the wedding. As it turns out, Mother is right. The marriage between Emma and Flap is less than rosy, with both having their extramarital affairs (although the extramarital affair that Emma has with Sam Burns, played by John Lithgow, comes across as endearing in the film). Almost parallel to the philandering of the daughter comes the pie-eyed former astronaut next door, Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson), who makes no pretenses about his intentions toward Aurora, and this time Aurora gives in. For the time that the affair lasts, Aurora is very happy. It has its run, then stops, but then starts again. Garrett, as it seems, has a problem with commitment, but he also has a problem with walking out on a good thing, too.Flap comes home one day to break the bad news that the family is moving, thereby ending Emma's affair with Sam but continuing an affair that Flap was having. Emma discovers the affair and is indignant, but by now, Emma is also a mother and dying of a terminal illness. It becomes clear that Flap is not a candidate to care for the children after Emma dies, and Aurora re-enters the picture as the grand matriarch who will take over. When the moment of Emma's death arrives, the shock is still as painful as if nobody had expected it to happen. Garrett resurfaces to comfort the grieving Aurora and her family in a gesture that surprises Aurora greatly.What really makes this film succeed is the vividness of the performances of the actors and actresses. Debra Winger's performance as the daughter who grows through a bad marriage and ultimately dies from cancer is unforgettable. Jack Nicholson's performance, as much as he has played the lecherous male before, takes on a new dimension in this film. Shirley MacLaine's performance earned her an Academy Award; she gives a superb touch in the most unforgettable scene in the film in which she approaches the nurses' station in the hospital at 10pm to tell the nurses to give her daughter her pain shot. As is very typical in all too many medical institutions, the nurses are preoccupied with their internal bureaucracy and not with relieving the suffering of the patients. That is enough to make her go ballistic; she starts to run around the station, screaming at the top of her lungs. The histrionics add both an intensely personal and yet somewhat comical touch to a poignant part of the film in a way that is amazingly effective.This is a film that is definitely not to be missed.

Still enjoy this movie

A classic! If you love tearjerkers, this is one of the best!

Movie 3 of 1983 and 103 overall in my journey through films of my lifetime.Ever meet someone that although they did nothing to you, had nothing outstanding that was wrong with them, even had likeable traits for some unknown reason you just didn't like them? Maybe you can't put your finger on it, you just didn't like them? I feel that way about Debra Winger. I don't like her in anything I have ever seen her in, even "Shadowlands." Interviews with her yielded further distain from some place inside of me. Hurtles present themselves in all kinds of projects and this was the first "Terms of Endearment" had to clear for me to enjoy it. This will make me sound hateful but I promise you that this is only true for a couple of actors and actresses but the way I feel about Debra Winger is multiplied by a factor of two for Danny DeVito. With him I actually know my reasons for disliking his presence: he's slotted for comedic roles and I don't find him funny in any sense of the term. In fact I liked "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" until he came on board so I stopped watching the series. Hurdle number two loomed large. One name, however, sweetened the deal. One name gave me hope as it touched my 4K screen. One name, the most important name, in the most important role, perked me up: director James L Brooks! Never had I succumbed to a project of his that I was not at least entertained by. Could he overcome these significant obstacles?There is an old saying, "They don't make them like that anymore." In the case of "Terms of Endearment" my response would be, "Maybe that's not so bad." Now I'm not saying I don't think it's a good movie. Rather I just think these films have run their course. Occasionally they should still be made but because they usually end in similar ways it should be rare. I would describe these kinds of movies as, "hey check out what happens to this character we made up!" (Spoilers ahead!!!) It also seems that females tend to die in these biopics: "Steel Magnolias," "The World According to Garp," "Forrest Gump," and others I'm sure. That's a selective list so there may be other movies one could point out where the male protagonist dies, speaking respectively of fictional biopics.What of the problematic actors? They were great. This is definitely a recommend!Pros-great acting-great writing-well pacedCons-unfortunately a predictable ending through no fault of its own. The story simply demanded it. One must ask why a story is being told and I appreciate the effort given to accomplish that end. Despite this being labeled a "con" it was still touching.

Tremendously moving, often very funny, and bursting at the seams with life, both good and bad. No one is a hero or a villain, every character is just a screwed up human being trying their best, often failing, but picking themselves back up and trying again.At the core this is the study of a very prickly mother daughter relationship, but it branches out to cover the men in their lives, friendships with other women, etc. The performances are just about universally superb. Some splashy and fun (Jack Nicholson, Shirley MacLaine), others just slightly lower key but still just slightly bigger than life in that good, movie way (Debra Winger), and still others are so simple and quiet they routinely get overlooked, but are little gems as well (Jeff Daniels, John Lithgow).The film has a wonderful way of never going quite where you expect it, as it traces 30 years of life. Serious scenes turn funny, funny scenes end up making you cry, and no one ends up where they, or we, would have guessed. Especially in more recent, revisionist reviews, the film is often attacked for being sappy or melodramatic, but the older I get the more I see that life itself can be sappy and melodramatic, and if those elements are dealt with honestly they can translate real emotions, and can be part of a terrific film.The only nit-pick I have is a few of the very small roles are clichés (e.g. the upper-class ‘young ladies’ Winger’s character meets in New York). But when that’s the worst you can find to say about a 130 minute film, you’re in a pretty great place. One hell of a feature debut for James L. Brooks.

It was major surprise to us to discover (albeit in 2020) that this had won best picture (in 1984). As indeed it was that Shirley MacLaine won best actress - although I am a fan (see The Apartment). And a surprise, too, that it was nominated for 11 Academy Awards - and won five. That's not to say it is a bad film by any means. The final scene is what makes it - plus (the brilliant) Jack Nicholson playing the likeable and wacky rogue (as if!) in conjunction with MacLaine. But the rest was a bit so so - not least the totally miscast John Lithgow as Emma's (Debra Winger) lover (despite him being nominated for best supporting actor - hardly believable!) and the (sadly, always) bland acting of Jeff Daniels. But the last scene - and particularly the acting of Emma's sons (notably Huckleberry Fox who almost stole the scene) was very well done. So a good film, with its success at the Oscars almost certainly due to it being a weaker film year, but still worth watching in 2020. (PS If watching for the first time please try to ignore the sickly music - particularly at the beginning - and keep watching)

How does this 1984 Academy best picture stand up in 2019? Moderately well. Unfortunately it's full of unpleasant people,who tend to be bullies and hypocrites. Shirley MacLaine plays the mother who refuses to go to her daughter's wedding, has difficulty embracing her grandchildren and ignores her daughter's financial difficulties. However she has a bizarre affair with her astronaut neighbour (Jack Nicholson, rather creepy). Debra Winger is the daughter who so alienates her elder son that he can't love her even when she's dying. Earlier she had damned her husband for his affair while carrying on her own (with an unintentionally funny John Lithgow).Nobody seems to grow a day older until the daughter contracts cancer and the production has an air of plushness about it.Shirley MacLaine was competing with Debra Winger for best actress . Because of her final scenes, Debra should have won it, but Shirley was the stalwart and academy favourite. You can catch her 1984 acceptance speech. That's how they should go, Olivia. Beautifully spoken, relevant and witty.Next up I shall watch Ordinary People, another academy favourite containing a disfunctional family.

Just finished watching this in the cinema room for the 2nd time, the first being the week it was released in the U.K. during 1983 at the Savoy Cinema I worked at and enjoyed more my second time. Think I valued the performances of the excellent cast of actors. A film worth buying for either a stroll down the nostalgic route like me, or as an almost 4 decade old film that can still entertain as did it on release.

Great chemistry between lead characters however tragic the real part of the story is. Great humour and joy amidst sad truths in the tale. Not for me really but bought for a male friend who loves this film! Would recommend to people who like a spark in relationships between people and like to have a story which helps you to notice what attracts you to others in life. Aswell as dealing with problems which is sad but in this film its not all bad due to the lead characters and their chemistry throughout which makes it!

Great movie. If my child was in pain and lazy nurses preferred to stick to protocol I too would scream and stamp my foot as Aurora did...brilliant scene. Emma's death scene is the most devastating and moving few minutes you will see on film. Beautifully acted and directed by all concerned.