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Although more highly acclaimed than it's sequel, "The Evening Star," "Terms of Endearment" is even more torpid and lethargic and less engaging.
Aurora Greenley (Shirley MacLaine), a fifty-ish widow whose only daughter Emma (Debra Winger) has recently married a jerk (Gerard DePardeau) - in her mother's opinion - has an affair with her rich and famous former astronaut neighbor. Meanwhile, she often converses with her daughter (well, argue is a better word than converse), whose decisions - and husband - Aurora does not approve of. The attenuated and irksome saga drags on and on, well-acted but not always especially well-written.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't known the ending (naturally, I saw the sequel first, which explained most of the first movie's events). Still, the ending was blatantly manifest from about halfway through the movie, and I would undoubtedly have seen it coming anyway.
"Terms of Endearment" at least deserves points for the excellent acting (especially on the part of Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger), which almost, but not quite, makes up for the sluggish movement of the movie.
My rating : 2 and a half stars
Rating: PG
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