Evening Star is a pointless return to the tragi-comic life of Aurora Greenway, heroine of the vastly-superior "Terms of Endearment." Sequel lacks the smartly realistic writing of the original, and is full of hokey lines such as "I remember hugs... mom was big on hugs," in a failed attempt to channel some of the rich characterization of the original. Much of the acting is quite good - MacLaine is, as usual, eminently watchable, Juliette Lewis does another of her typically strong turns, and never has Marion Ross been given a better opportunity to demonstrate her surprising range. Still, credible acting and an 11th hour appearance of (an embarrassed-looking) Jack Nicholson can only do so much for this contrived mess, and one cannot help but wonder why they couldn't leave well enough alone.
Review of The Evening Star
