Terms of Endearment

A woman (Debra Winger) deals with a struggling marriage and an overprotective mother (Shirley MacLaine).

Terms of Endearment is a classic tearjerker updated with modern sensibilities. To that end it succeeds, but watching the film you can’t help but feel like you’re supposed to relate to these characters and situations more than you actually do.

There’s a lot of good here. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger are great in the leads, both believable in every way, Jack Nicholson is perfect in a supporting turn as MacLaine’s ex-astronaut neighbor, and director James L. Brooks gives the whole film a very lived-in feel. Yet, you can’t shake the fact that the film is all one big, calculated setup for a cryfest ending. The intrusive score, the desperate situations, all feel just a little too forced, too deliberate.

That said, your mileage with Terms of Endearment will depend largely on how predisposed you are to enjoy the genre. Some will go for it in a big way and be swept away by its emotional current, while others will likely feel detached due to the perceived manipulations.

In the end though, whether it pulls you in or not, you likely won’t feel burned. The all-round good performances (especially Nicholson) and great production make this worth a look, although if it doesn’t grab you, once will be enough.