Retro-review: "This is my moment"

 

SPECIAL MOTHER'S DAY RETRO-REVIEW: 1983's "Terms of Endearment," starring Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson. Written and directed by James L. Brook (from the novel by Larry McMurtry).

THE PLOT: Emma (Winger) is the rebellious daughter to Aurora (MacLaine), a stuffy, emotionally distant mother who disapproves of her daughter's husband (the always great Jeff Daniels) and life. It takes Emma's illness -- and an affair with her neighbor (Nicholson) -- for her motherly instincts to finally kick in.

MAYBE YOU REMEMBER: A sequel -- "The Evening Star" -- was released in 1996, with MacLaine and Nicholson returning to play their roles from "Endearment." The movie was a dud both with critics and the box office.

SURELY YOU CAN'T FORGET: The supporting cast was simply amazing -- even the bit parts played by Danny DeVito and John Lithgow. But Nicholson stole the show as the raunchy, retired astronaut "Garrett Breedlove," a character that didn't even exist in the novel. But believe it or not, he wasn't the first pick for the role. Burt Reynolds, James Garner and Harrison Ford all were in line in front of Nicholson, who won an Oscar for his work.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID: "This is a wonderful film. There isn't a thing that I would change, and I was exhilarated by the freedom it gives itself to move from the high comedy of Nicholson's best moments to the acting of Debra Winger in the closing scenes." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times.

WHY WE STILL LOVE IT TODAY: You could drop this movie into any decade, and it would still make you sob like a baby before the final credits role. That's the magic of director James L. Brooks. But don't discount the chemistry of a handful of actors -- Winger, Lithgow, DeVito and Daniels -- who at that moment in time were just discovering how great they could be.

TOP 5 "MOM" QUOTES FROM TERMS OF ENDEARMENT:

5. "OK, you're allowed to say one mean thing to me a year. That'll do until you're 10."

4. "Grown women are prepared for life's little emergencies."

3. "My daughter is in pain. I don't understand why she has to have this pain."

2. "Impatient boys sometimes miss dessert!"

1. "This is my moment."

Comments

[Carla]

While yes, It is a MUST to have a box of Kleenex by my side when I watch this movie... I love Jack Nicholson in this movie... he provides more than a few chuckles!!

Happy Mom's Day!!

[jane]

Oh, how I love this movie. There is not one false note in the whole thing. And all the scenes at the hospital... I'm getting weepy just thinking about it.

Jack: "You're gonna need a lot of drinks."
Shirley: "To break the ice?"
Jack: "To kill the bug you have up your a**."

[Spears]

I don't own it either. But Times film critic Steve Persall does, and he lent to to me when I wrote the "80 Years of Oscars" trivia quiz for tampabay.com.

I ended up rewatching most of the movie while searching for the perfect quote to use. I know the movie by heart, so it's hard to pick something obscure enough for a quiz.

[Marissa]

I've never been able to watch this movie more than once. I watched it with my father in the theater. He nearly had to carry me from the theater. The experience was deeply personal and painful. I suppose I might manage watching it now, but I choose not to risk it.

[Mike in Austin]

Never seen it. Netfilx.

[Bassnote]

I'm in the minority. I'm not a fan. Love Jack, hate Shirley, and completely indifferent about Winger.

[Walter Cox]

Steve questioned the presence of a heart and soul in my body when I admitted I never cried at the end of "Field of Dreams." I bawled like a little girl when I first saw the end of this movie one Saturday morning on HBO....at the age of 23.

[Emily]

I just love this film. I can remember being babysat while my parents went to the movies to see it. I watch this whenever it is on pay tv. Jack Nicholson is great in it and so is Debra Winger, who would have to be one of the great American Actresses and really undervalued.