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By
NICK ZEGARAC
By all accounts Debra Winger wasn't easy to get along with either on or off the set. However, before she disappeared from Hollywood she proved that she was, among other things, one hell of a good actress.
In "Terms of Endearment" she plays Emma, a newlywed, stricken with cancer and forced to grapple with the antics of her philandering husband, Flap (Jeff Daniels). The film is a potpourri of finely wrought performances and it really gets to the heart of the oddly confrontational relationship between a mother and daughter. On this occasion Emma's mother, Aurora Greenwood is played by Shirley MacLaine. As the grieving, scheming, ultra-concerned, overly protective and manipulative mother, MacLaine is superb. It's really no wonder or surprise that she took home the Oscar for this performance. Jack Nicholson costars as a has-been astronaut, Garrett Breedlove, known more for his roving eye and noncommittal, devil-may-care attitude toward the ladies than his prowess in the cockpit. His love/hate stance with Aurora blossoms into a genuinely poignant relationship as the film progresses. Danny DeVito also appears in a cameo as one of Aurora's potential suitors.
Paramount Home Video has issued this movie in anamorphic widescreen. Colors are well balanced, though details get lost in darker scenes. The characteristic of the picture, overall, is one of dated 80s quality with film grain, grit and some smearing of colors and fading of fine details. Still, it's free of pixelization, edge enhancement and shimmering artifacts. The sound is flat but nicely restored. There are no extras. |
