Barnes & Noble

Adapted from the novel by Larry McMurtry, Terms Of Endearment is a modern, five-hanky classic. It depicts the up-and-down relationship between a mother (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter Debra Winger) through marriage, childbirth, affairs, and tragic illness. Terms Of Endearment is driven almost entirely by dialogue and characterization, and the cast here is uniformly excellent, right down to the smallest parts. MacLaine and Winger deliver two of their best performances, and as an aging astronaut who woos MacLaine into redemptive romance, Jack Nicholson is at his most sensitive and least gimmicky. He conjures up a believable character without sacrificing any of his trademark charisma. Director James L. Brooks never lets the film veer into sentimentality or mawkishness, and his sure-handedness paid off in numerous awards, including an Oscar for Best Picture. A tearjerker with sensitivity and insight that's attuned to the rhythms of ordinary life, Terms Of Endearment is an enduring masterpiece of American film. Amy Robinson

All Movie Guide

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 into 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

Product Details

• UPC: 097361398242
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed, Repackaged
• Time: 2:11:00
• Sales Rank: 3,753

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Best Picture Academy Award Winners Collection

Features:

DVD MENU