The strength of affection

Terms of Endearment (original title in English: Terms of Endearment) is a comedy film American drama, based on Larry McMurtry's novel of the same name, directed, written and produced by James L. Brooks, and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels and John Lithgow. The film covers 30 years of the relationship between Aurora Greenway (MacLaine) and her daughter Emma (Winger).

The film received eleven Academy Award nominations, winning five: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Other Media for Brooks; Best Actress for MacLaine and Best Supporting Actor for Nicholson. At the Golden Globe Awards, it won Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Actress - Drama for MacLaine, Best Supporting Actor for Nicholson, and Best Screenplay for Brooks.

Plot

Widowed Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) keeps various suitors at arm's length, focusing instead on her close but controlling relationship with her daughter Emma (Debra Winger). Eager to escape her mother, Emma marries young college professor Flap Horton (Jeff Daniels), then moves away and has three children. Despite their frequent bickering and difficulties getting along, Emma and Aurora have a bond between them that cannot be broken, and they keep in touch by phone.

Emma and Flap soon run into financial and marital difficulties. Emma has trouble managing the children and the home, and both she and Flap have extramarital affairs. Emma increasingly relies on her mother for emotional support. Meanwhile, the reclusive Aurora overcomes her repression and begins a romance with her neighbor, retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson).

The Horton family moves from Houston, Texas, to Des Moines, Iowa, and finally to Nebraska, ostensibly to help Flap's career, but mostly so he can be close to his girlfriend. Emma is diagnosed with cancer, which becomes terminal. Aurora stays by Emma's side through her treatment and hospitalization, even as she deals with her own grief after Garrett ends her relationship. The dying Emma shows her love for her mother by entrusting her own children to her care. After Emma's death, Garrett reappears in family life and begins to bond with Emma's young children.

Cast

Production

James L. Brooks wrote the supporting role of Garrett Breedlove for Burt Reynolds, who turned the role down due to a verbal commitment he had made to appear in Stroker Ace. "There are no awards in Hollywood for being a jerk," Reynolds later said of the decision.

Exterior shots of Aurora's home were filmed at #3060 Locke Lane, Houston, Texas. Larry McMurtry, writer of the novel on which the screenplay was based, had received his master's degree from Rice University, just three miles from the house.

Exterior shots of locations intended for Des Moines, Iowa; Kearney, Nebraska and Lincoln, Nebraska were all filmed in the last mentioned. Many scenes were filmed on or near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. During filming in Lincoln, Debra Winger began a two-year relationship with then-Nebraska Governor Bob Kerrey.

MacLaine and Winger did not get along during production. MacLaine confirmed in an interview that "it was a very tough (...) chaotic (...) shoot (Jim) likes work with tension on the set".

On working with Nicholson, MacLaine said, "Working with Jack Nicholson was crazy," but that his spontaneity may have contributed to his performance. smoothies we work together. You know the old milkshakes they used to show every time they went to see the Ice Follies. They had this elderly man and woman, who were in their 40s at the time, and they had a little too much weight around their waists and moved a little slower. But they danced so elegantly and in sync with each other that the audience just relaxed and sighed. That's the way it works with Jack. We both know what the other is going to do. And we don't socialize or anything. It's amazing chemistry, wonderful.” MacLaine confirmed in an interview with USA Today that Nicholson improvised when he ran his hand down her dress in the beach scene.

Reception

Ticket office

Terms of Endearment was a commercial success. In its opening weekend, it grossed $3.4 million, making it the second most viewed film; and in its second weekend, when it grossed $3.1 million, it moved to No. 1 at the box office. Three weekends later, it went to number one again, with $9,000,000, having a wide release. For four weekends, it stayed at number one at the box office, falling to number two in its tenth weekend. In the film's 11th weekend, it went to number one (for the sixth and final time), grossing $3,000,000. The film grossed a total of $108,423,489 in the United States.

Criticism

Overall, the film was well-regarded by critics, holding an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus: "A classic, Terms of Endearment isn't shy about tug at your heartstrings, but it's so well acted and intelligently written that it's almost impossible to resist'. Roger Ebert gave the film a rating of four out of four stars, calling it "a wonderful movie"; and stating, "There is nothing I would change, and I was elated by the freedom it provides to go from the high comedy of Nicholson's best moments to Debra Winger's performance in the final scenes". Gene Siskel, who gave the film a rave review, correctly predicted on its release that it would win the 1983 Academy Award for Best Picture. In his movie guide, Leonard Maltin gave the film a rare four rating. stars, calling it a "wonderful blend of humor and angst," concluding that the film was "consistently offbeat and unpredictable, with exceptional performances from all three stars."

Awards and nominations

Oscar Awards

At the 56th Academy Awards, Terms of Endearment earned eleven nominations in nine categories, due to the fact that it had two nominations for "Best Actress" and "Best Supporting Actor", ultimately winning five of them. It marked the first Oscar for MacLaine, who had received five previous nominations without winning, including one for Best Documentary Feature.

Golden Globe Awards

Other awards

At the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Terms of Endearment won Best Picture, Best Actress for Shirley MacLaine and Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson. For its part, the National Society of Film Critics awarded Debra Winger for Best Actress and the Directors Guild Award for Best Director was awarded to James L. Brooks.

Shirley MacLaine was nominated for Best Actress at the 1984 BAFTA Awards.

Sequel

In 1996, Robert Harling directed the sequel The Evening Star, starring MacLaine and Nicholson. However, it turned out to be a critical and commercial failure.