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Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, John Lithgow ... see more see more... , Huckleberry Fox , Troy Bishop , Danny DeVito , Lisa Hart Carroll , Betty King , Norman Bennett , Kate Charleson , Jennifer Josey , Nancy Mette , Megan Morris , F. William Parker , Shane Serwin , David Wohl , Tara Yeakey , Albert Brooks , Mary Kay Place , Alexandra O'Karma , Paul Menzel , Michelle Watkins , Charles Beall , Sharisse Baker-Bernard , Judith Dickerson

Terms of Endearment covers three decades in the lives of widow Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter Emma (Debra Winger). Fiercely protected by Aurora throughout childhood, Emma runs int... read more read more...o resistance from her mother when she marries wishy-washy college teacher Flap (Jeff Daniels). Aurora is even more put out at the prospect of being a grandmother, though she grows a lot fonder of her three grandkids than she does of her son-in-law. Flap proves that Aurora's instincts were on target when he enters into an affair with a student (Kate Charleson). Meanwhile, Emma finds romantic consolation with an unhappily married banker (played by John Lithgow, who registers well in a rare "nice guy" performance). As for Aurora, she is ardently pursued by her next-door neighbor, boisterous astronaut Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson). After 75 minutes or so of pursuing an episodic, semi-comic plotline, the film abruptly shifts moods when Emma discovers that she has terminal cancer. Terms of Endearment won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay for TV veteran James L. Brooks making his first feature film, Best Actress for MacLaine, and Best Supporting Actor for Nicholson. It was followed by a sequel, The Evening Star (1996), which again featured MacLaine as Aurora. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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82% liked it

33,935 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

36 critics

PG, 2 hr. 12 min.

Directed by: James L. Brooks

Release Date: November 23, 1983

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DVD Release Date: April 10, 2001

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Stats: 1,661 reviews

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Jack Nicholson with Oscar for Terms of Endearment Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment Terms of Endearment Jack Nicholson in Terms of Endearment Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment Terms of Endearment John Lithgow in Terms of Endearment Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment Shirley MacLaine with Oscar for Terms of Endearment Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment Jack Nicholson in Terms of Endearment Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Eandearment Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment Shirley McLaine in Terms of Endearment
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Flixster Reviews (1,661)

  • jamers2011
    November 4, 2011
    jamers2011
    A great film! So touching. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger both give great performances! I had originally given this film a 4/5 rating. However I have recently decided to bump it up to a 4.5/5. I will never forget this film...the acting, the story, the characters, the execution... read more...it's an extremely well done film.
  • spielberg00
    November 2, 2011
    spielberg00
    Soap opera saga of a feature film is like baking honey into a pie: it's deliciously sweet, but it's not what we're at all used to.

    When I turned on TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, I was full-out ready to hate it. But by the end, my decision was that I had enjoyed it well enough, but it ... read moredid NOT deserve a Best Picture Oscar. Lots of this was funny, and some of it, tear-sucking. (There are many better romance/comedy/drama hybrids out there, to say the least.)

    Jack Nicholson's role stands high above those of all other cast members in this film. When he is first introduced, we are reminded of his "...bash your brains in!" scene from THE SHINING; but then we figure out he is playing Jekyll & Hyde on us: he is a lovable human being, and just as much as everyone else in the film.

    In my humble opinion, this winning the Best Picture Oscar was up there on the disappointments lists, somewhere around when THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE COLOR PURPLE did not win Best Picture. Sure, it's decent, but it's certainly not the expected material. Don't be deceived by how overrated TERMS OF ENDEARMENT is.
  • cosmo313
    September 28, 2011
    cosmo313
    Spanning several years, this is the story of a mother and daughter, their sometimes intense love/hate relationship, and the quest each one goes through to find love, happiness, and acceptance. It was based on a work by Larry McMurty (which I fins surprising),and marked the direct... read moreorial debit of James L. Brooks. It also won several Oscars, even though it only deserved a couple of them.

    This is a rather odd film tonally. It is listed as beign a romantic comedy-drama, and, while there are some moments of humor, it mostly comes off as a drama filled with pain and heartbreak, especially towards the end. It's a classic tearjerker. It's a good movie, and I did find it enjoyable, but I do think it's overrated and not a masterpiece or anything.

    The acting holds it together though, and that's the real reason to watch it. Shirley MacLaine is wonderful as the overbearing and out of touch mother Aurora. Debra Winger started off as a big annoying, but got better in her role as Aurora's daughter Emma. Jeff Daniels appears in one of his earliest role's as Emma's philandering professor husband, but it is Jack Nicholson who is the most fun to watch as the boozy, womanizing former astronaut who is neighbors with Aurora and tries to have a more meaningful relationship with her.

    Like all of Brooks's films, this drags on a bit too long, but it's got some decent writing, and sometimes we all need a good cry. Give it a watch.
  • BEACHBUNNI
    February 22, 2011
    BEACHBUNNI
    "Terms of Endearment" is most definitely a romantic comedy but one with a difference. It will make you laugh, smile, and fall in love with the characters, but it will also keep you watching through the way the various relationships grow, the performances from Debra Winger, Shirl... read moreey MacLaine and Jack Nicholson manage to make not just the ending but the whole movie very watchable
  • ajv2688
    January 14, 2011
    ajv2688
    A fantastic drama which stars a bunch of great actors, this is one of my favourite dramas ever. I highly recommend it.
  • SirPant
    September 22, 2009
    SirPant
    This is such a sad and beautiful film, it makes me cry like a girl every time I watch it. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger are just brilliant together. Brilliant!
  • fernandorafael
    August 10, 2009
    fernandorafael
    I have to admit I was expecting something completely different. The name and the cover led me to believe I was in for a schmaltzy chick flick. Thankfully, it wasn't. TERMS OF ENDEARMENT is a funny comedy with its dose of heartache. The real merit of the film lies in James L. Broo... read moreks's ability to interweave such clashing elements.

    Shirley MacLaine is pitch-perfect as neurotic mom, Aurora. Dysfunctional mother-daughter duo is complete with a fantastic performance by Debra Winger. As usual, Jack Nicholson is pretty darn awesome, this time as retired astronaut/womanizer Garrett. MacLaine and Nicholson's banter is pure gold.
  • SarahG1988
    June 24, 2009
    SarahG1988
    Review coming soon....
  • movieguru12
    June 2, 2009
    movieguru12
    I really enjoyed this movie. It had great acting and a great storyline. The acting who stood out to me was that of Jack Nicholson. He did a phoneomenal job as did Shirley MacLaine, and Debra Winger.
  • 76Majikat
    May 27, 2008
    76Majikat
    Not the usual type of film that I would go for, but this really is a film worth watching and quite unique in it's genre.

    Debra Winger plays a great part in this emotional story and unusual to see Jeff Daniels in a serious part (looking very young I might add).

View All Terms of Endearment Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel
February 20, 2009
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

Its quirky rhythms and veering emotional tones are very much its own, and they owe less to movie tradition than they do to a sense of how the law of unintended consequences pushes us ceaselessly throu... Full Review

James Harwood
February 20, 2008
James Harwood, Variety

Brooks' dialog is wonderful throughout and all the characters carry off their assignments beautifully, even down to Danny De Vito and Norman Bennett as MacLaine's other suffering suitors. Full Review

Dave Kehr
December 17, 2006
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

[Writer-director James L. Brooks] has television in his soul: his people are incredibly tiny (most are defined by a single stroke of obsessive behavior), and he chokes out his narrative in ten-minute ... Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The most remarkable achievement of Terms of Endearment, which is filled with great achievements, is its ability to find the balance between the funny and the sad, between moments of deep truth and oth... Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

A funny, touching, beautifully acted film that covers more territory than it can easily manage. Full Review

Randy White
January 2, 2011
Randy White, Common Sense Media

Glossy, funny, and packs a real emotional wallop. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 16, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The tragi-comedy never made me reach for my hankie, never tickled my funny bone and it never found a way into my heart. Full Review

February 20, 2008
Film4

This hugely successful tear-jerker boasts some magnificent on-screen chemistry between Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine. Full Review

February 20, 2008
Empire Magazine

No-wonder Jack was so keen to land this role. It was simply perfect for him. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
December 22, 2006
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger are fantastic as a mother and daughter who individually face life's challenges and end up stronger because of it. Full Review

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    • Aurora Greenaway: Would you like to come in?
    • Garrett Breedlove: I'd rather stick needles in my eyes.
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Terms of Endearment Trivia

  • In what movie does jack nickelson come to the aid of shirley mcClain when her daughter is dieing of cancer?  Answer »
  • Oscar winner for Best Picture of 1983:  Answer »
  • What movie was about a mother and her daughter who ends up having an affair with a man she meets at the grocerie store, and latter on ends up dying of cancer?  Answer »
  • Famous dialogue from the film Terms of Endearment: Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson): ...You got me into this so you're going to have to trust me on this one; we're going to need ALOT of drinks... Aurora (Shirley MacLaine): To break the ice? What is Jack's memorable response?   Answer »
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