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Terms of Endearment (1983)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
9 December 1983 (USA) moreTagline:
Come to Laugh, Come to Cry, Come to Care, Come to Terms.Plot:
Aurora and Emma are mother and daughter who march to different drummers. Beginning with Emma's marriage... more | add synopsisAwards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 25 wins & 10 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(14 articles)
The Story Behind The Simpsons (From TotalFilm. 22 October 2009, 12:35 AM, PDT)
A Conversation with Danielle Harris
(From Fangoria. 17 October 2009, 2:29 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Wow more (110 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Shirley MacLaine | ... | Aurora Greenway | |
| Debra Winger | ... | Emma Horton | |
| Jack Nicholson | ... | Garrett Breedlove | |
| Danny DeVito | ... | Vernon Dahlart | |
| Jeff Daniels | ... | Flap Horton | |
| John Lithgow | ... | Sam Burns | |
| Lisa Hart Carroll | ... | Patsy Clark | |
| Betty King | ... | Rosie Dunlop (as Betty R. King) | |
| Huckleberry Fox | ... | Teddy Horton | |
| Troy Bishop | ... | Tommy Horton | |
| Shane Serwin | ... | Younger Tommy Horton | |
| Megan Morris | ... | Melanie Horton | |
| Tara Yeakey | ... | Baby Melanie | |
| Norman Bennett | ... | Edward Johnson | |
| Jennifer Josey | ... | Young Emma |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
132 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Iceland:L | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | Peru:14 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG (#27173) (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PGFun Stuff
Trivia:
Shirley MacLaine turned down the role of Diane Freeling in Poltergeist (1982) to play the Oscar-winning role of Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment (1983). moreGoofs:
Errors in geography: When Emma is standing outside the restaurant in front of the Statue of Liberty, the area behind her is obviously a set, as the city background is very distorted from what a background in the city would really look like. moreQuotes:
Aurora Greenway: [to Flap] Raising three children, working full-time *and* chasing women requires a lot more energy than you have. You know, one of the nicest qualities about you has always been that you recognized your weaknesses. *Don't* lose that quality now just when you need it the most! moreSoundtrack:
Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody moreFAQ
How does it end?Is the movie loyal to the book?
more
more (110 total)
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Wow was my first reaction to seeing the film back in February 2003. I had bought it on a whim and watched it one night when I was bored. The rest is history. Terms remains one of my favorite films and I really can't say why. Reputation has made this out to be "the ultimate chick flick" upon which every other tear-jerker is judged. But it's definitely more of a character study than a weepy mushy movie. In fact, it's anything but mushy. Where it could of been over-sentimental, it was poignant. Where it could of been boring, it was insightful. And where it could of been corny, it was tongue-in-cheek.
Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger give career performances as mother and daughter. Both characters are polar opposites and in real life the actresses despised each other, but on screen their chemistry sizzles. Jack Nicholson is his usual suave self and John Lithgow is perfect as the wimpy banker. Danny Devito also has a quirky cameo.
James L. Brooks is definitely an "actor's director". To him, the performances are clearly more important than set pieces or flashy camera work. Each of the three main performances are brilliant (especially MacLaine's). It has been decades since a movie about illness has been made like this that is so achingly real. Two scenes to look for: Aurora walking across a seedy hotel (heat-breaking) and Emma telling her mother that she's pregnant (hilarious).
Terms of Endearment is a triumph!