80s Movie Review - Terms of Endearment

Director: James L. Brooks
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 1983
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, Danny DeVito, John Lithgow

Description: Follows the hard-to-please Aurora (Shirley MacLaine) looking for love and her daughter’s (Debra Winger) family problems.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 12: A FILM THAT HAS WON AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST PICTURE
 
Review: Aurora and her daughter Emma are all by themselves after their husband/ father passes away. Emma is about to get married to Flap, a man Aurora finds not to be right for her. Flap also seems to hate Aurora. While Emma marries him, seeing that he is boorish and unfaithful, Aurora tries to live a life without her daughter. Eventually falling for her next door neighbor Garrett.

“Terms of Endearment” won 5 Academy Awards in 1984. Shirley MacLaine won for her role as Aurora and Jack Nicholson for his portrayal of Garrett. But it also took home the Best Picture Award, which I really don’t understand. Unpopular opinion, but I did not like this movie and I don’t believe it’s really that good. The fact that it has drama in it and I did not care about a single character, says enough. This is one of those Oscar-winning movies that I just can’t get behind.

Rating: 2 / 5

80s Movie Review - An Officer and a Gentleman

Director: Taylor Hackford
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 1982
Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, Louis Gossett Jr. David Keith, Robert Loggia

Description: A young man (Richard Gere) must complete his work at a Navy Flight school to become an aviator, with the help of a tough gunnery sergeant (Louis Gossett Jr.) and his new girlfriend (Debra Winger).

Review: “An Officer and a Gentleman” is seen as one of the most romantic films of the 80s. the movie has so many efficient clichés, that it’s no surprise it’s so popular: the impossible love between a man in uniform and a working girl, the choice between heart and mind.
Richard Gere, who broke through two years earlier with “American Gigolo”, really rose to the top after “An Officer and a Gentleman”. And I think every woman was in love with his character Zack Mayo, especially after that scene where he picks up Paula in the factory, wearing the white uniform. Louis Gossett Jr. got an Academy Award for his role as Sgt. Emil Foley. And well deserved.
“An Officer and a Gentleman” has a lot to offer. Good acting, strong story, classic romance, drama and a good soundtrack. I can totally understand why it’s my mother’s favorite movie. It’s actually because of her that I love this movie so much too.

Rating: 5/ 5