The Turning Point

PG

Released Nov 14, 1977

1h 59m

Drama

List

63%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Forced to give up ballet after becoming pregnant, Deedee (Shirley MacLaine) moved from New York to Oklahoma to raise a family with her husband (Tom Skerritt). When her old friend and fellow ballerina, Emma (Anne Bancroft), comes to town with her dance company and invites Deedee's daughter, Emilia (Leslie Browne), to join, Deedee is both excited for her daughter and nostalgic for her past life as a dancer. Jealousy and regret rise to the surface as Deedee copes with her buried dreams.

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Critics Consensus

The Turning Point is a handsomely-made resuscitation of Old Hollywood melodramas with a compelling duo at its center, but the formulaic script keeps this story from realizing its symphonic potential.

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Jeff M

This movie shares the unfortunate distinction with one other motion picture - 1985's THE COLOR PURPLE - of having the most Oscar nominations (11 to be exact) without a single win. Well, in this case, I think the film was very lucky to have gotten as many nominations as it did. I have mad respect for most if not all involved in this production both in front of and behind the camera, but it just didn't work for me. At its core, this is basically a 1940s women's picture - something rare in the 70s and even rarer in modern times. I was rooting for it, I really was, but the spark never caught fire. My basic problem is that I didn't care for any of these characters, and their consistent complaining and unhappiness grew rather tiresome after awhile. Dancers Mikhail Baryshnikov and Leslie Browne both received supporting Oscar nominations, but while their moves on stage are predictably riveting, neither performance feels awards-worthy in any way. Brown, in particular, seems very uncomfortable in any scene that doesn't involve dance. The two leading ladies are dependably strong, particularly Bancroft, but I didn't feel compelled by either performance. There are TONS of ballet scenes here, so depending on your love of the art form, this may be an advantage or a hindrance. It's well made, but I expected more based on the pedigree and awards attention.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

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steve d

A powerful story and a never ending line of great performances.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

You're going to disappointed by a really stupid ending.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

My goodness! It is wonderful to find a film that I love and I loved everything about this film from the performances, to the writing, to the visuals and especially the catfights. Director Herbert Ross had two major hits in 1977 what with the delightful The Goodbye Girl (1977) also being nominated for Best Picture. Of the two I would call this film superior as it explores the issues that women face in deciding whether to have a family or commit to a career in a way that is entertaining and heartwarming. Watching screen legends Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft come together with a screenplay worthy of their talents is an absolute pleasure and both shine playing polar opposite characters. So-called ‘Women's pictures' made a comeback in the late 1970s with An Unmarried Woman (1978) and Girlfriends (1978) but this was the premiere example of the genre. Retired ballerina DeeDee Rogers, Shirley MacLaine, quit dancing decades ago in order to become a mother with her devoted husband Wayne, Tom Skerritt, who is also a former dancer. She encounters her longtime friend Emma Jacklin, Anne Bancroft, when the family goes to see the ballet company she used to work for perform. Jacklin became a respected professional and won the role in ‘Anna Karenina' that she and Rogers had been competing to play but has no real personal life and regrets the fact that she never had her own children. Rogers still resents Jacklin for encouraging her to have children and believes that she did this maliciously to prevent her from obtaining the role. The women fight over Rogers' daughter Emilia, Leslie Browne, whom Jacklin mentors in an effort to fill the void of not having a daughter while Rogers reminisces about missed opportunities. Eventually the resentments between Jacklin and Rogers come to a head but in the end all is resolved and both women come to terms with the decisions they have made about the direction of their lives and careers. MacLaine brings the warmth and resentfulness that would make her so great in Terms of Endearment (1983) to this film but she isn't just a watered down Aurora Greenway, she also gets to be a woman grappling with the difficulties of marriage and jealousy over the achievements of her best friend. We see the inner conflict of Rogers through MacLaine's every action as she carries a sadness around with her in almost every scene and this is what makes the climactic argument between herself and Jacklin such a cathartic moment. All of the repressed anger and hurt that she has held inside over the years is released and MacLaine makes the most of her big moments as she is deliciously uninhibited when tearing down her best friend. Bancroft is equally brilliant as she is convincing as a woman desperate to keep her position at the top as well as someone worthy of respect. She is more resigned in the final argument but even when Bancroft doesn't get the opportunity to scream and gesticulate with her hands she lets you know exactly how her character feels. It is the chemistry between the two that makes the film work so well as they are mesmerizing as individuals but dynamite when they are together. This is a credit to both actresses as most performers with their charisma would attempt to overpower one another but fortunately Bancroft and MacLaine play each scene perfectly. The film is also able to view the issues it deals with realistically as it doesn't present us with the fairytale ending of Emilia having a successful romantic relationship and career but instead shows that she can be a professional success while ending a difficult relationship. I appreciated the fact that while Rogers and Jacklin will always be slightly wistful for what they could have had, as we all are, they recognize that we would have been disappointed by having each other's lives and made the right choice. Female friendship has also rarely been portrayed with as much intimacy as is seen in this film as we recognize that these two will always be bound together despite the terrible things they have said and done to one another. For any woman this is sure to be a film that they can relate to and when actresses as brilliant as MacLaine and Bancroft are bringing these complicated ladies to life it's difficult to turn away.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

jona i

Lovely, reflective dance soap opera

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Beautiful movie. Lovely to see Barishikov's dancing and personality.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

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Herbert Ross

Director

Shirley MacLaine

Deedee

Anne Bancroft

Emma

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Yuri

Leslie Browne

Emilia

Tom Skerritt

Wayne

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91%

79%

Norma Rae

69%

78%

Conrack

68%

67%

Taps

73%

70%

Julia

94%

90%

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

One is reminded anew of the satisfaction to be derived from waiting for something to be done the right way.

May 9, 2017

Full Review

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

You yield to The Turning Point relucantly, knowing well that it is conning you -- with sentiment, with flamboyance, with sheer slickness.

Jan 30, 2012

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

For a film ostensibly dedicated to physical grace, Ross's images are unforgivably clumsy.

Jan 30, 2012

Full Review

Alison Fell

Spare Rib

All is resolved in laughter and kisses, with both women accepting their different lives in a way which I think we're supposed to see as mature. It was certainly far too cosy for me.

Sep 22, 2021

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The conflicts and melodrama are too straightforward and anticipated to have an impact beyond the closing credits; it's a superbly-acted yet tragically small picture.

Rated: 7/10

Aug 31, 2020

Full Review

Donald McLean

Bay Area Reporter

The role of Deedee gives Shirley MacLaine her best role in many a year and she is superb. Anne Bancroft as Emma is stunning, and when the two women team up for a 7-minute confrontation scene, the screen almost shoots sparks.

May 29, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Forced to give up ballet after becoming pregnant, Deedee (Shirley MacLaine) moved from New York to Oklahoma to raise a family with her husband (Tom Skerritt). When her old friend and fellow ballerina, Emma (Anne Bancroft), comes to town with her dance company and invites Deedee's daughter, Emilia (Leslie Browne), to join, Deedee is both excited for her daughter and nostalgic for her past life as a dancer. Jealousy and regret rise to the surface as Deedee copes with her buried dreams.

Director: Herbert Ross
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 1977, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2017
Runtime: 1h 59m