1983 must have been a rough year for movies, because I have no idea how this film won Best Picture. It's a slow-moving slice of life film where nothing really happens and none of the characters are very endearing. It does get a little more interesting near the end, but, for the most part, this movie isn't worth watching.

I don't get the appeal of the movie. I liked the relationships with Winger, McClaine and Nicholson, but the story seems episodic and doesn't have a clear focus and I don't know what some of the characters have to do with the movie. Why was Danny De Vito in it? I also didn't get any interest in Jeff Daniels and the children weren't given much to do. I'm not sure what's so timeless and important about the film. There are other dramas about families apart I love like Color Purple. I would've liked to know the characters more. It was told kind of abruptly.

Oh boy, get out your Kleenexes. And be sure to have an extra box on hand! I don't usually like Debra Winger, but she gives an incredible performance in the film. It's easy to see why she was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars alongside Shirley MacLaine, although it's sad that in such a contest one woman will inevitably lose. Shirley MacLaine won, largely due to the famous and often spoofed "Give my daughter her shot!" scene.Jeff Daniels, John Lithgow, and Jack Nicholson provide the male talent, and each give great performances without overshadowing the women; after all, the movie belongs to Shirley and Debra. There are a few humorous moments, but keep in mind that it's a heavy drama. Don't be fooled by the cuteness of the opening scene.I'm not going to spoil the plot, or even tell you anything about it. It's a story about a mother and her daughter, simple as that. Sometimes they get along, sometimes they don't, but they love each other more than most people love in their entire lives. Everyone—yes, I mean everyone—will bawl during this movie. If you love your mother, hate your mother, have a complex relationship with your mother (or daughter), are extremely close or wish you'd been closer—everyone will bawl. Snot sniveling, mouth drooling, can't-catch-your-breath bawl. So, if you're in the mood for that, go ahead and watch Terms of Endearment. And if you really want to sob, watch it with your mother.

When the film version of "Steel Magnolias" came out in 1989, there were plenty of people who must have commented on the similarities of that plot to "Terms of Endearment", especially since Shirley MacLaine, after winning an Oscar for that film, took on a character supporting part with two time Oscar winning Sally Field taking over the role of the long-suffering mom. Fields' M'Lynn is as far from Aurora Greenway as Debra Winger's Emma is from Julia Roberts' Shelby, but indeed, this is a film about the relationship of mothers and daughters that seems quite poignant in light of the recent Carrie Fisher/Debbie Reynolds tragedy. MacLaine's Aurora is really her first middle aged crank, moving from her eccentrics of the 1950's and 60's to what she would perfect as Ouiser Boudreaux. Aurora Greenway is a kinder, gentler version of Ouiser, but she's no wimp and she's probably even more uptight than Ouiser was. It will take a lot of drinks to kill the bug she has, and that comes thanks to the astronaut neighbor who annoys her at first with his drunken carousing but opens her up to a world of middle age sexual awakening when somehow he endears himself to her.That astronaut is Jack Nicholson, played with brassy vigor and well deserving of another Oscar. Certainly, he's fat and disgusting at times, but that's the joy of his character; He knows he's fat and disgusting, but he loves life and isn't stopping for a moment of sobriety and chastity under any circumstance. MacLaine is first seen worrying over baby Emma, assured unsuccessfully by her husband that it hasn't died of crib death, and MacLaine hardly mourns her husband without even a single tear. She tolerates Lisa Hart Carroll as Patsy, Emma's best friend, but can't stand Emma's choice for a husband to be, the handsome but prankish Jeff Daniels who stands up to MacLaine with every nasty remark she dishes out. MacLaine's Aurora is temperamental, but not without heart, and as the film unravels, she becomes a fascinating amalgamation of moods and personality traits. As for Winger, it's a very direct performance, and while MacLaine steals the film right out from under her, it is probably the real off screen animosity between the two that made them better. Dislike of any kind brings out passion, especially in actors, and in fact, they seem more like mother and daughter than Field and Roberts did in "Steel Magnolias". That film was far more colorful and flamboyant with its ensemble cast of family and friends surrounding them, but "Terms" is quite direct. John Lithgow, coming off his flamboyant role as the transgendered ex-football player in "The World According to Garp", is a pillar of quiet strength who helps Winger through some rough times involving Daniels' infidelity as she helps him deal with his own inner storm surrounding his own wife who is unable to have sex.MacLaine is of course best known for the "Give her the shot!" scene when the film takes its soap opera twist at the end, showing the strength that women have when it comes to dealing with family trauma and the undying loyalty they have for their children. It's certainly as poignant as Fields' "I wanna know why!" cry for understanding in "Steel Magnolias", and perhaps the reason Fields did not get the Oscar nomination many (including myself) felt she deserved for that was that the memory of MacLaine in "Terms of Endearment" overshadowed her. This was recently re-written as an Off Broadway play (starring Molly Ringwald!) that in light of the movie's less than stellar cult status seemed unnecessary to be done. I can't get enough of the musical theme by Michael Gore, and indeed, the script and direction by Joseph Brooks is excellent. However, after much thought, I find that "Terms of Endearment" does not hold up as the Best Picture of 1983, although I couldn't imagine anybody else winning an Oscar for Best Actress that year other than Shirley MacLaine.