Terms of Endearment (1983)

Written & Directed by James L. Brooks

I feel like this review is a tad bit more spoiler-filled than normal, because I have some thoughts, but also this film is 36 years old, so...spoiler alert? I guess?

Right to the point: I liked Terms of Endearment WAY more than I really should have. Now, I want to be clear: this isn’t one of my favorites. It’s not going to get THAT great of a final score. I have a lot of problems with it, and boy are we going to talk about them. But still...I found myself consistently engaged, and even intrigued by the film.

Shirley MacLaine losing her mind at the hospital nurses

I want to start with the performances and get them out of the way. Terms of Endearment stars Shirley MacLaine as a Shirley MacLaine-esque character, haughty and demanding and, occasionally, downright mean. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before (honestly, you could compile scenes from this film and Steel Magnolias and it’d probably be very difficult for someone unfamiliar with either to discern that the scenes are from different movies). I will admit that her “GIVE MY DAUGHTER THE SHOT” scene was pretty great, and is probably what snagged her the Best Actress Award (Hollywood loves to hurl awards at actors losing their damn minds at full volume). The other actors are there, but this is MacLaine’s piece, so stay in your lane, everybody else. I don’t have much else to say about Debra Winger and Jack Nicholson, who are great, I guess, but don’t shine nearly as bright (Winger does sell the cancer victim thing pretty well, though).

I DO have things to say about Jeff Daniels. First, in a film that doesn’t have a traditional antagonist (I guess mother and daughter are antagonists to each other?), it sure seems like they’re making Jeff Daniels be that role. There is never once any redeeming quality mentioned about him, and it doesn’t take long for him to commit the single biggest offense a man can in this type of film: cheat on his wife. Sure, he could murder half the town, but cheat on his wife? WORSE MAN ALIVE.

(No, he doesn’t murder half the town, it’s just an example. But, think about what kind of movie THAT would be!)

Jeff Daniels and Debra Winger

Seriously though, what exactly is so wrong with him? Literally everybody seems to hate him (even Debra Winger, who is, you know, MARRIED TO HIM. ALSO DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE HYPOCRISY OF HIM MAYBE CHEATING ON HER, SO THAT GIVES HER THE RIGHT TO ACTUALLY CHEAT ON HIM AND HE’S DEMONIZED BUT SHE’S STILL A SAINT AND EVEN HER OWN MOTHER IS SUPPORTING THIS AND I JUST DON’T GET ANY OF IT AND OKAY CHRIS CALM DOWN IT’S JUST A MOVIE). This all crescendoes to the climax of the film, when Winger, dying of cancer, has to make a choice as to who her kids will live with after she’s gone, and Jeff Daniels, THE FATHER OF SAID CHILDREN, is only ONE OF THREE OPTIONS. In what universe does this take place? I mean...I’m not a legal expert, but my gut instinct tells me that this shouldn’t even be a question. Why is this not a question? BECAUSE I’VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS, AND THE IDEA OF IT IS INSANE. HE. IS. THEIR. FATHER. How in the world do Grandma or the best friend who pops up like four times in the film have any sort of valid claim to the children over THEIR OWN FATHER?

If you can’t tell, my brain is currently exploding in sheer flabbergasted rage.

Moving on. The construction of the film is also bizarre. It feels very much like a Lifetime Made-For-TV Movie (which...let’s be honest. Is it not?). The film constantly fades out, then fades back in on a different scene, almost as if the film is already building in its commercial breaks for when they DO air it on Lifetime. It makes the whole thing seem very episodic, to the point that I think if one were to play a drinking game based on the number of “episodes” in the film, it’s an excellent way to get sloshed. Finally, there’s a credit for music by Michael Gore, who pretty much just wrote a single, five-minute cue for the film, because it’s literally the only music in the film. Just the same track. Over and over. BECAUSE IT’S LIKE THE THEME SONG OF THE SHOW. Or, movie. See my point??

Despite ALL these problems, I was still invested much more than I should have been. I’m still not entirely sure why. It’s not great. It’s not even all that good. But, damn it, I was invested all the way through.

Also, why is the older son such a jerk?

FINAL GRADE: C-