We are so used to movies feeling fantastic and fake, that a modest, real movie like Terms of Endearment is revolutionary. There isn't a thing flashy about James L. Brooks' debut film. It's not much more than a collection of ordinary moments in the lives of one Texas family. And yet, the compiled effect of those moments, of fun, love, and profound sadness, is mesmerizing.
Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger are our anchors in the story, playing a mother and daughter who navigate various romantic, financial, and familial troubles over the course of several decades. And in all honesty, that short description covers most of the question, "what is Terms of Endearment about". Of course, there is color in the form of the supporting players in the women's lives. Jack Nicholson plays a former astronaut who woos the aging mother, and Jeff Daniels is very good as Winger's husband, a college professor and impatient father. The film lacks narrative drive. It is uncommonly patient, carefully sculpting an authentic, living world around its characters. But that relaxed composure may be its biggest strength. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry, Terms of Endearment sweeps you away into the lives of these fictional strangers.
While there is infidelity, resentment, and other tensions, the characters' relationships and conflicts are never punched up for manipulative effect, but played assiduously and naturally, creating a deeply felt connection between us and them. This is a story we can feel in our bones, because the characters feel like people we know. Even if I don't see myself in Shirley MacLaine's Aurora Greenway, or Debra Winger's Emma Horton, I recognize them as personalities. They could be my mother, my aunt, my grandma. Danny Devito could be my neighbor, Jeff Daniels could be my professor, Troy Bishop could have been my childhood friend, John Lithgow could be someone I said hello to in the hardware store. They feel real. With that accomplished, the emotions are real. From the joys, the laughs, to the heart-shattering lows there is no disconnect between what we are seeing and what we feel. This thing culminates with an emotional thunderbolt. One we see coming, but convince ourselves every step of the way can't possibly come to pass until it inevitably does. In other words, a lot like real life.
Terms of Endearment is the rare film that inspires introspection on your own life; on your own family. It puts into perspective how important familial relationships are. To finish this movie and not be inspired to forge a stronger bond with your loved ones is impossible. The grand feat of Terms of Endearment is not that it makes you cry, but that it makes you think about why you cry. Few films have hit me harder.
95/100
Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger are our anchors in the story, playing a mother and daughter who navigate various romantic, financial, and familial troubles over the course of several decades. And in all honesty, that short description covers most of the question, "what is Terms of Endearment about". Of course, there is color in the form of the supporting players in the women's lives. Jack Nicholson plays a former astronaut who woos the aging mother, and Jeff Daniels is very good as Winger's husband, a college professor and impatient father. The film lacks narrative drive. It is uncommonly patient, carefully sculpting an authentic, living world around its characters. But that relaxed composure may be its biggest strength. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry, Terms of Endearment sweeps you away into the lives of these fictional strangers.
While there is infidelity, resentment, and other tensions, the characters' relationships and conflicts are never punched up for manipulative effect, but played assiduously and naturally, creating a deeply felt connection between us and them. This is a story we can feel in our bones, because the characters feel like people we know. Even if I don't see myself in Shirley MacLaine's Aurora Greenway, or Debra Winger's Emma Horton, I recognize them as personalities. They could be my mother, my aunt, my grandma. Danny Devito could be my neighbor, Jeff Daniels could be my professor, Troy Bishop could have been my childhood friend, John Lithgow could be someone I said hello to in the hardware store. They feel real. With that accomplished, the emotions are real. From the joys, the laughs, to the heart-shattering lows there is no disconnect between what we are seeing and what we feel. This thing culminates with an emotional thunderbolt. One we see coming, but convince ourselves every step of the way can't possibly come to pass until it inevitably does. In other words, a lot like real life.
Terms of Endearment is the rare film that inspires introspection on your own life; on your own family. It puts into perspective how important familial relationships are. To finish this movie and not be inspired to forge a stronger bond with your loved ones is impossible. The grand feat of Terms of Endearment is not that it makes you cry, but that it makes you think about why you cry. Few films have hit me harder.
95/100