Terms Of Endearment (1983)

The film follows the often rocky but loving relationship between a mother (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter (Debra Winger) over a 30 year period. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry (THE LAST PICTURE SHOW) and adapted for the screen and directed by James L. Brooks (BROADCAST NEWS). A critical and commercial hit, this comedy (or should I say dramedy?) smoothly transitions to tearjerker without any awkward moments. I find its best picture Oscar win dubious but there's no denying the acting is first rate and what holds the movie together. MacLaine (in an Oscar winning performance), Winger and Jack Nicholson as a debauched ex-astronaut (also earning an Oscar) show why they are among the most admired actors of their respective generations and their cumulative chemistry is off the charts. They're so good, you don't mind that you're being manipulated. You laugh, you cry, what's not to like. A sequel would arrive some 13 years later. With Jeff Daniels, John Lithgow, Danny DeVito and Lisa Hart Carroll.