Terms Of Endearment 4K UHD Review
“Terms Of Endearment” remains a moving family drama.
Based on the novel by James McMurty, 1983’s “Terms Of Endearment” revolves around a widowed mother (Aurora) and her daughter (Emma) who live in Houston, Texas. For her entire life, Emma has been a bit smothered by her mother. Now, as an adult, Emma is looking to live her own life and marry a college professor (Flap) and have children. The uptight Aurora doesn’t approve and seems to struggle with loneliness, aging and becoming a grandmother.
Aurora has several suitors, but doesn’t commit to any of them until she develops a bond with her retired astronaut neighbor Garrett. Garrett is a bit of a womanizing sleaze, but he’s prone to surprising Aurora.
Emma, meanwhile, moves to Iowa with Flap where she eventually becomes a mother to 3 children. Her relationship with Flap deteriorates though as both Emma and Flap cheat on one another. Emma’s life takes yet another turn when she gets some shocking and tragic news (no spoilers here).
Written and directed by James L. Brooks, the Academy Award Best Picture winning “Terms Of Endearment” is very much the type of drama-comedy that only Brooks can pull off. The longtime filmmaker has developed his own brand of down-to-earth movies that delicately blend romance, family stories, drama and comedy together. One can argue that the movie becomes downright manipulative in the third act, but Brooks makes it work. Ultimately, this is a heartfelt and tear jerking story about a mother and a daughter (who becomes a mother) traversing the often messy, but often joyful thing called life.
As with any Brooks movie, the movie lives and dies by its cast as his stories are very much character centric pieces. The cast is stacked from top to bottom with the likes of Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, Debra Winger, Jeff Daniels, Danny DeVito, and John Lithgow. MacLaine is at her best here as Aurora. She really makes the role her own. We all know Nicholson is one of the best actors and it’s no surprise that he shines here as Garrett. Debra Winger tends to not get as much press as MacLaine and Nicholson, but she’s the soul of the movie. There’s something very charming and authentic about the way she plays Emma.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: Widescreen 2160p. How does it look? This is an impressive 4K upgrade that offers up crisp image clarity.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Expect a clean 5.1 track.
Extras (On The Blu-ray):
* Blu-ray
* Digital copy
* Theatrical trailer
* “Filmmaker Focus With James L. Brooks”- A new interview.
* Commentary by James L. Brooks, producer Penney Finkelman Cox and production designer Polly Platt.
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