In an attempt to catch up to 1997 by say, April 4th, my movie watching is turning into an all hands on deck mission: Oscar winners 24/7.
Which brings us to another popular winner from the 1980s; so beloved that, "Give my daughter the shot!" became a powerhouse exclamation, long before, "Show Me The Money".
Mother-daughter relationships are powerful, emotional, and at times, just plain tough. This bond has never been shown better in a movie than in Terms Of Endearment.
Shirley MacLaine plays the mother half of this equation; a crazy, over bearing piece of work, who is feared by most people on their block. Debra Winger is the perfect opposite to her madness; a cutesy daughter striving for independence, all while still holding on to the strong base of her mother.
After watching every scene these two women share together it is clear why moviegoers flocked to it back then, and why it hits home with the same emotions thirty years later.
[LOVE old movie trailers. Long, yet doesn't ruin anything]
The film follows the lives of these two ladies, holding on to their bond through death, divorce, and being separated by distance. Jack Nicholson and pre Dumb & Dumber Jeff Daniels, are the guys who come in and out of their lives, and are always enjoyable as leading men, but really, the movie belongs to the women.
Winger, with the same lovable spunk and look (those big eyes!) of Zooey Deschanel, seemed too quickly to fade from the movies, even though she is rather fantastic to watch.
MacLaine is also unstoppable. She is a frustratingly hilarious mother that won't let go, and any daughter would lose their mind. Yet Winger's character, like many daughters will attest, still continues to answer that phone every time it rings, even knowing her mother is on the other side; She drives you nuts, but there is always love.
Coming in at two and a half hours, some sections of the movie lose its charm, especially when mother and daughter are separated by distance. Although, for the most part, the magic of next door neighbor/astronaut Nicholson hitting on MacLaine (both won Best Supporting Actor awards) makes up for some of the slower sections.
Terms of Endearment still gets high marks for perfectly blending the realities of life, both the heartbreaking and ridiculous, and for superb performances by an all star cast. A good cry also never hurt anyone.
Next up: The 1980's love their bio-pics, Rock Me Amadeus!
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