• The 1983 drama Terms of Endearment was adapted by writer-director James L. Brooks from a novel by Larry McMurtry. It follows the lives of mother and daughter Aurora and Emma Greenway, played respectively by Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger. The film won 5 Academy Awards, including Best Actress (for MacLaine), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture of the Year.

• 1. Starring: Danny DeVito, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, John Lithgow, Debra Winger, Jeff Daniels
  2. Release date: November 23, 1983
  3. Run time: 131 mininutes
  4. Budget: $15 million
  5. Won 5 Academy Awards and 4 Golden Globes

• Background

  The role of astronaut Garrett Breedlove, for which Jack Nicholson won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, does not appear in the original McMurtry novel. The part was initially written for Burt Reynolds, and was offered to James Garner and Harrison Ford as well, before being given to Nicholson.

• The Evening Star

  The 1996 sequel to Terms of Endearment, based on McMurtry's follow-up novel The Evening Star, catches up with Aurora Greenway (still played by MacLaine) 15 years after the events of the original film. Nicholson reprises his role for the film as well, which focuses on Greenway's relationship with her grandchildren. Evening Star is the only film directed by Robert Harling, who wrote the movie Laws of Attraction and the play Steel Magnolias.

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