Terms of Endearment (1983) on Netflix
Aurora Greenway, a Houston widow, keeps suitors at a distance while holding tight to her daughter Emma. Emma marries Flap Horton and moves away; Aurora takes up with neighbor Garrett Breedlove.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.4/1071,437 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes82%
Trailer
Plot summary
Aurora Greenway, a widow in River Oaks, Houston, holds her suitors at a distance and concentrates on her close but controlling bond with her daughter Emma. Anxious to escape, Emma marries college professor Flap Horton despite her mother's objections, and the two women stay in touch by telephone. Emma soon becomes pregnant, and when Flap takes a teaching position in Iowa, the family moves there. Money grows tight, and Emma calls Aurora for help. In Houston, a birthday dinner leaves Aurora feeling insulted, and she begins a romance with her next-door neighbor, the retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove. Emma, short on cash at the grocery store, meets Sam Burns, who covers the rest of her groceries.
Cast
- Betty Kingas Rosie Dunlop (as Betty R. King)
- Troy Bishopas Tommy Horton
- Shane Serwinas Younger Tommy Horton
- Megan Morrisas Melanie Horton
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Terms of Endearment (1983)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- James L. Brooks wrote the supporting role of Garrett Breedlove for Burt Reynolds, who turned it down because of a verbal commitment to Stroker Ace. "There are no awards in Hollywood for being an idiot", Reynolds later said. Harrison Ford and Paul Newman also turned down the role.
- Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger reportedly did not get along with each other during production. MacLaine confirmed in an interview that "it was a very tough shoot ... Chaotic", and that Jim "likes working with tension on the set".
- Nicholson is one of the few supporting actors ever to sweep "The Big Four" critics awards - the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics - for his Garrett Breedlove.
- The film grossed $165 million, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 1983 after Return of the Jedi, and at the 56th Academy Awards it won five of a leading 11 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for MacLaine.
- MacLaine also confirmed in an interview with USA Today that Nicholson improvised when he put his hand down her dress in the beach scene.
- While filming in Lincoln, the state capital, Winger met the then-governor of Nebraska, Bob Kerrey; the two wound up dating for two years.
