Terms of Endearment
original movie poster
Directed by	James L. Brooks
Produced by	James L. Brooks
Written by	Novel:   Larry McMurtry Screenplay:   James L. Brooks
Starring	Shirley MacLaine Debra Winger Jack Nicholson Danny DeVito Jeff Daniels John Lithgow
Music by	Michael Gore
Cinematography	Andrzej Bartkowiak
Editing by	Richard Marks
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	November 23, 1983
Running time	132 min.
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Terms of Endearment is a 1983 American drama film and romantic comedy adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry. Terms of Endearment is the fifteenth episode of the animated series Drawn Together. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (502x755, 57 KB)original movie poster source:www. ... James L. Brooks James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, writer, and film director. ... One of McMurtrys bookstores in Archer City, Texas Larry McMurtry (born June 3, 1936 in Wichita Falls, Texas) is an Academy Award winning screenwriter, American novelist and essayist. ... Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty April 24, 1934) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actress, well-known not only for her acting, but for her devotion to her belief in reincarnation. ... Image:DebraWinger. ... John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937), better known as Jack Nicholson or The Jack is an iconic, three-time Academy Award and seven time Golden Globe winning American method actor known for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. ... Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. ... For other persons of this name, see Jeff Daniels (disambiguation). ... John Arthur Lithgow (IPA: [ʤɔn lɪˌθ.ĝo]) (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor perhaps best-known for his starring role as Dick Solomon in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. ... Andrzej Bartkowiak (Born 1950 in Lodz, Poland) is a Polish cinematographer, director and actor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Lets Spend the Night Together opens in New York North Americas Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Tootsie Trading Places, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy WarGames, starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy Superman III Flashdance Staying Alive Octopussy Mr. ... A drama film is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. ... Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. ... James L. Brooks James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, writer, and film director. ... One of McMurtrys bookstores in Archer City, Texas Larry McMurtry (born June 3, 1936 in Wichita Falls, Texas) is an Academy Award winning screenwriter, American novelist and essayist. ...

Actor Jack Nicholson's character, astronaut Garrett Breedlove, does not appear in the novel. The part was created for Burt Reynolds, but he was already committed to another film, so it was handed to James Garner. Garner quarrelled with the director over differing interpretations, and the role wound up going to Nicholson. Debra Winger and Sissy Spacek were the original choices for the mother and daughter roles. The film was originally rated R for sexual content and language but re-rated PG on appeal. John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937), better known as Jack Nicholson or The Jack is an iconic, three-time Academy Award and seven time Golden Globe winning American method actor known for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. ... Astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit outside the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. ... Burt Reynolds (born Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. ... James Garner (born James Scott Baumgarner on April 7, 1928) is an American film and television actor. ... Image:DebraWinger. ... Mary Elizabeth Sissy Spacek (born December 25, 1949) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. ...

Plot

The movie tells the story of a mother/daughter relationship and both women's inconclusive search for love.

It opens with the newborn Emma in her cradle, sleeping. Her mother, Aurora, comes in to check on her infant and does not believe that her child is alive and safe until the baby is awakened and starts to cry.

Then a man named Alfred Bumpelschnicker comes to her door and tells Aurora that he has a really weird last name. She agrees with this fact, and an uneasy frienship is started. This friendship ends about 5 minutes later when shes realizes Alfred is actually insane and wants to use her kitchen as a "mothership" for his "killer potatoes". She throws a rolling pin at Alfred's face and then puts on a Britney Spears album to make him leave the house.

She later notices how Alfred used her bathroom, but did not flush, and is so overwhelmed by the smell of his excrement (and what also appears to be a Danielle Steel novel), that she burns down the house. Unfortunatly, she forgot her baby inside, and just when the audience is about to see the greatest dramatic portrayal of a woman who lost the meaning of her existence, a killer potato attacks her, and manages to eat about 3/4ths of her face.

Critical response

Playwright Rebecca Gilman mentioned Terms of Endearment when discussing dramatic shortcuts. "Look at Terms of Endearment. We’re going along and going along, and there’s not really a plot. Then…oh, she gets cancer. You get it all the time when people don’t quite know what to do, and I think in those cases it is a shortcut to tragedy. I must say though, that the plot was extremely aggravating in the sense that it not only made little sense, but was extremely laughable because it was so absurd."^[1] Rebecca Gilman is a playwright. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...

While the Gilman's comments were commonly agreed with other critics, the screen writer of the play decided to come to Gilman's house and cut out her nose hairs with a dull spoon, as revenge against her criticism of his script.

Sequel

In 1996, a sequel called The Evening Star was filmed, featuring MacLaine and Nicholson reprising their original roles. Unfortunatly, the actor who played Alfred Bumpelschnicker could appear during filming, because he had caught herpes from a catfish, and did not want the other cast members to find out. The Evening Star is a 1996 sequel to the Oscar-winning Terms of Endearment, starring Shirley MacLaine who reprises the role she played in the original. ...

Cast

Jeff Daniels and Patricia Heaton in a scene from the TNT cable network remake of The Goodbye Girl Jeff Daniels (born February 19, 1955 in Athens, Georgia) is an American actor. ... Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. ... John Arthur Lithgow (IPA: [ʤɔn lɪˌθ.ĝo]) (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor perhaps best-known for his starring role as Dick Solomon in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. ... Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty April 24, 1934) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actress, well-known not only for her acting, but for her devotion to her belief in reincarnation. ... John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937), better known as Jack Nicholson or The Jack is an iconic, three-time Academy Award and seven time Golden Globe winning American method actor known for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. ... Image:DebraWinger. ...

Awards

Wins

• Academy Award for Best Picture
• Academy Award for Directing – (James L. Brooks)
• Academy Award for Best Actress – (Shirley MacLaine)
• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – (Jack Nicholson)
• Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay – (James L. Brooks)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama – (Shirley MacLaine)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - (Jack Nicholson)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture – (James L. Brooks)
• DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures – (James L. Brooks)
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress - (Shirley MacLaine)
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor - (Jack Nicholson)

// The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ... The Academy Award for Directing is an accolade given to the person that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences feels was best director of the past year. ... James L. Brooks James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, writer, and film director. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty April 24, 1934) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actress, well-known not only for her acting, but for her devotion to her belief in reincarnation. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to male actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937), better known as Jack Nicholson or The Jack is an iconic, three-time Academy Award and seven time Golden Globe winning American method actor known for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. ... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ... Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama has been awarded annually since 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. ... Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. ... New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. ... New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. ... New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. ...

Nominations

• Golden Globe Award for Best Director – (James L. Brooks)
• Academy Award for Best Actress – (Debra Winger)
• BAFTA Award for Best Actress – (Shirley MacLaine)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama – (Debra Winger)
• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – (John Lithgow)
• Academy Award for Best Art Direction - (Polly Platt & Tom Pedigo)
• Academy Award for Film Editing – (Richard Marks)
• Academy Award for Original Music Score – (Michael Gore)
• Academy Award for Sound – (Donald O. Mitchell, Rick Kline, Kevin O'Connell, James R. Alexander)