The Evening Star

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Jeff M This movie is an absolute textbook example of a sequel being inferior to its predecessor in literally every way possible. 1983's TERMS OF ENDEARMENT was a culture phenomenon that swept the Oscars. While I feel it was a tad bit overrated, it's still a beautiful showcase of blending comedy and drama featuring magnificent performances (especially Debra Winger) and memorable characters. This sequel feels like the sitcom from hell, with broad characterizations, comic scenarios that feel like a laugh track is missing, and maudlin moments of supposed drama that induce eye rolls rather than tears. In a movie full of unforgivable performances, the bottom of the barrel belongs to Juliette Lewis as granddaughter Melanie. When Lewis is on fire like in CAPE FEAR and HUSBANDS & WIVES, she is electrifyingly original - here she drowns under the mediocrity. Writer/director Harling is the man who created STEEL MAGNOLIAS, another movie that suffers under the lead balloon of cliche and manipulation, though not nearly bad as this one. Even a last minute reunion of MacLaine and Jack Nicholson toward the end doesn't work. Marion Ross (Mrs. Cunningham from HAPPY DAYS) has a couple nice moments as Aurora's long time housekeeper, but that's about it. If nothing else, this will surely make you appreciate the original TERMS OF ENDEARMENT a heckuva lot more. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/24 Full Review steve d The cast does a good job, but there wasn't much story left to tell. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Pointless and meandering. The melodrama of Terms but Shirley McClaine has no worthy foil to bring spark and bite to the screen as she did with Debra Winger. In 2019, not worth the time to revisit aside from seeing the all star cast who all went on to bigger and better projects. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/01/19 Full Review Audience Member Shirley MacLaine should have won another Oscar for this sequel also! I have no idea why it didn't make even the budget at the Box Office. It was a Christmas movie of 1996. It had to have been bad timing. This gem of a film is so tucked away that I never knew it existed until Netflix came along! Now I bought the DVD and buy the merchandise of the movie on Ebay. This script and the actors are perfection! This is my favorite movie. I don't watch Terms of Endearment like I watch this one. Such a GREAT movie! BRAVO! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member I have neglected my life. Aurora Greenway has gotten much older since we saw her in Terms of Endearment and she has sense raised her daughter's kids and they are now getting to the age of moving out. She deals with an internal divide to ensure her grandchildren's safety and happiness versus living to be happy herself. "You can love them but you can't live their life." Robert Harling, writer of the screen plays for Steel Magnolias, Soapdish, The First Wives Club, and Laws of Attraction, delivers The Evening Star in his directorial debut. The storyline for this film was very well written and contains great dialogue and fantastic character development. The acting was also first rate as the cast includes Shirley MacLaine, Bill Paxton, Juliette Lewis, Jack Nicholson, Scott Wolf, Ben Johnson, and Miranda Richardson. "You didn't come here just to talk." I came across this film while reviewing Jack Nicholson films on Netflix. This was a very well done sequel to Terms of Endearment. Shirley MacLain reprises her role perfectly and provides a solid conclusion to the Aurora Greenway character. I strongly recommend the original and this pictures. "You're so fucking fired." Grade: B Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Sad, really, that the wonderful characters from Terms of Endearment were reduced to sitcom cliches. However, if you think of this movie as independent of its predecessor, it's a fairly humorous sitcom. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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