Overview
A poignant exploration of love and loss between a mother and daughter, navigating life's complexities with humor and heart.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- heartbreaking
- quiet evening
- mother daughter viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a smartly scripted and exceptionally well-acted classic tearjerker that balances high comedy with devastating emotion.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Aurora's sharp, difficult humor and Garrett's comic interludes coexist with Emma's illness and the family's grief.
Aurora's controlling but devoted relationship with Emma drives the film's central emotional conflict.
Emma's cancer and the family's changing reasons to keep going shape the drama's emotional stakes.
Aurora's relationship with retired astronaut and neighbor Garrett Breedlove brings unexpected intimacy and renewal.
Films like Terms of Endearment, and why
Steel Magnolias
shared mother daughter relationship, emotional family drama, and tearjerker sensibility
The Bridges of Madison County
shared intimate domestic drama, romantic complication, and strong female performances
Little Miss Sunshine
shared comedy drama balance, complicated family bonds, and emotionally cathartic storytelling
Ordinary People
shared multiyear family drama, parent child tensions, and bittersweet emotional payoff
Movie Details
- Director
- James L. Brooks
- Release Date
- 1983-11-20
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (862)
Cast
- Shirley MacLaine
- Debra Winger
- Jack Nicholson
- Danny DeVito
- Jeff Daniels
- John Lithgow
- Lisa Hart Carroll
- Betty King
- Huckleberry Fox
- Troy Bishop
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Terms of Endearment about?
- A fiercely loving mother and her independent daughter struggle through romance, parenthood, illness, and loss while discovering that devotion rarely looks the way either expects.
- What is Terms of Endearment like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Terms of Endearment as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Terms of Endearment violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Terms of Endearment.
- What did critics think of Terms of Endearment?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a smartly scripted and exceptionally well-acted classic tearjerker that balances high comedy with devastating emotion.
- Which films are like Terms of Endearment?
- Films with a similar feel include Steel Magnolias, The Bridges of Madison County, Little Miss Sunshine, and Ordinary People.
- How long is Terms of Endearment?
- Terms of Endearment runs 132 minutes.
- Where can I watch Terms of Endearment?
- In United States, Terms of Endearment streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
