Amazon.com: Picking up the story thread left by 1983's Terms of Endearment, this overwrought sequel is made palatable by Shirley MacLaine's charismatic performance, which in turn is nearly equaled by Marion Ross's role as her housekeeper. An unexpected surprise, Ross obviously was never allowed to display her range as Mrs. Cunningham on Happy Days. Returning as the vibrant Aurora Greenway, MacLaine far outshines the thin material involving the tangled and unhappy lives of her three grandchildren. The plot picks up 13 years after the death of Greenway's daughter (played by Debra Winger in the original). One of the kids is in jail; one is living in poverty. Her granddaughter, played with prickly rebelliousness by Juliette Lewis, is heading for all sorts of trouble. The plot, told in disconnected and maudlin episodic segments, often borders on the absurd. The characters screech and weep, one of them dies, then we watch others screech and weep some more. So why bother? Because it is occasionally quite witty, and MacLaine indeed shines as brightly as the evening star to which she is compared. Both movies were based on novels by Larry McMurtry. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Turgid, Episodic Mess Offers a Boisterous MacLaine But Little Else
By the time Jack Nicholson shows up for about five minutes of screen time as Garrett Breedlove, this turgid 1996 sequel to 1983's Terms of Endearment has already slogged through two deaths, a psychotherapist with an Oedipal complex, and a lot of scrapbooks. The problems with this shamelessly manipulative movie are many, and they all begin with the inevitable premise that tough Texas matron Aurora Greenway can carry on without being challenged by her feisty daughter Emma. However, without Debra Winger's earthy grit counterbalancing Shirley MacLaine's flamboyant disapproval, the story seems to work ... Read More
Rating: - movie
movie arrived quick and in excellent shape, was very pleased and will be ordering more movies.
Rating: - love the spin off of terms!
very moving and great spin off of "terms of endearment" she had a hard life as I had.
Rating: - If you loved Terms of Endearment, never watch this film
I adore Terms of Endearment, it's a movie that time and time again has never failed to touch my heart and make my cry. I have known about "The Evening Star" for a long time, but I just got around to seeing it for the first time.
While it was fortunate that Shirley MacLaine reprised her role as Aurora, the film didn't have the same chemistry that made Terms of Endearment such a memorable and much loved film. The cast was just off, with nobody except for Marion Ross delivering a much appreciated and genuine performance.
Aurora returns in The Evening Star as a woman who has ... Read More
Rating: - rainy afternoon
I bought this movie to collect and watch right after the first one and it is great how well it meshes. i recommend a rainy afternoon with a big afghan just like Aroura does and snuggle on the coach and watch them. Great movie to add to collection
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