Terms of Endearment poster

1983·132 min·Released

Terms of Endearment

“Come to laugh, come to cry, come to care, come to terms.”

Drama
Comedy

Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find reasons to live a joyful life.

7.1(834 votes)

Popularity3

Videos

Terms of Endearment (1983) Original Trailer [FHD]

Cast & Crew

Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine

Aurora Greenway

Debra Winger

Debra Winger

Emma Greenway Horton

Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson

Garrett Breedlove

Danny DeVito

Danny DeVito

Vernon Dahlart

Jeff Daniels

Jeff Daniels

Flap Horton

John Lithgow

John Lithgow

Sam Burns

Lisa Hart Carroll

Lisa Hart Carroll

Patsy Clark

Betty King

Betty King

Rosie Dunlop

Huckleberry Fox

Huckleberry Fox

Teddy Horton

Troy Bishop

Troy Bishop

Tommy Horton

Shane Serwin

Shane Serwin

Younger Tommy Horton

Megan Morris

Megan Morris

Melanie Horton

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CinemaSerf

Written on 6/24/2022

I hated the story, let's get that out of the way first. This film is about character acting at it's best, though, and Shirley MacLaine ("Aurora") and Jack Nicholson ("Garrett") bring us charisma and entertainment in spades which thankfully rescues the really pedestrian plot from abject mediocrity. Since her birth, "Aurora" has fussed over her daughter "Emma" (Debra Winger) and upon the death of her husband, settles down to a rather vicarious existence living life through her daughter, her husband "Flap" (Jeff Daniels) and their children. She is a strong willed woman, with love that can be gentle and kindly, or that can be rude and interfering with much of the frequently sardonic humour emanating from her disinclination to let them live their own lives. Next door we find "Garrett", a somewhat disreputable womaniser. A former astronaut who trades well on his erstwhile status, but who takes a bit of a shine to "Aurora" - and that's another source of lively comedy as the two clash with engaging regularity. The last hour descends rather quickly into melancholy, though, as the young "Emma" has to deal with her own problem husband, and an illness that starts to focus the attention from all concerned onto what really matters with their relationships. MacLaine is always good with these rough-round-the-edges roles and here there is plenty of chemistry on the sparing occasions in which she and Nicholson feature. Sadly, for me anyway, the rest of this hovers way too close to melodrama and though at its best it is really good, for the most part I was rather underwhelmed by the family antics that underpinned so much of the (over-long) story.

Media

James L. Brooks | Best Director for 'Terms of Endearment' | Behind the Oscars Speech

James L. Brooks | Best Director for 'Terms of Endearment' | Behind the Oscars Speech

Terms of Endearment (1983) Original Trailer [FHD]

Terms of Endearment (1983) Original Trailer [FHD]

James L. Brooks on TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

James L. Brooks on TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

Coming soon to video

Coming soon to video

James L. Brooks ‪Wins Best Director: 1984 Oscars

James L. Brooks ‪Wins Best Director: 1984 Oscars

Terms of Endearment - Trailer

Terms of Endearment - Trailer