Best Picture: Terms of Endearment

I am attempting to watch all the Best Picture winners as part of a "35 by 35" list I made last year. I am not doing well with the list. I decided that I could start with the easy ones, the ones that required me to search what was on Netflix and press play.

I found Terms of Endearment and pressed play. The movie came out in 1983, and was awarded not only Best Picture, but also Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. People love this film, even Roger Ebert. This was one of those instances where I did not agree with the Academy or Ebert.

The film is sentimental and schmaltzy. Which is fine, it just wasn't my particular brand of sentiment and schmaltz. Mainly because I was too bored to care. We are introduced to Aurora Greenway, a supposedly career-defining character for Shirley MacLaine. It's the night before her daughter's wedding, and she tells her that she should not marry him because he essentially doesn't have life plans grand enough - just being a teacher. This is immediately forgiven in a few weeks when she apologizes.

Which brings us to the daughter, Emma. She has no backbone. She is naturally a happy, optimistic person, which is great considering the woman who raised her. And I did sympathize with her.

Aurora is entirely defined by the men in her life. Her husband died young and she has spent the intervening years surrounding herself with men she doesn't intend to do anything with, sexual or otherwise. On a whim she decides to approach her neighbor, an astronaut who has lived next to her for years. He is played by Jack Nicholson, which is all you really need to know about the character. They have some false starts, which last years, but they finally get together. Well sort of. He can't be tied down, feel accountable, etc. She doesn't become anybody until she's with him. That is lame.

Emma chooses to have an affair with a banker. She suspects her husband is having an affar, so I guess that is her justification. This storyline was just sad.

Emma later gets cancer and dies. Do I have to say Spoiler Alert if this movie has been around since I was born? And what do you know, astronaut Jack turns out to be a great guy. And Emma's husband, who is named Flap (that should've have been the reason her mom didn't want her to marry him), just gives his kids up.

The score for the film was over the top. It was as if the director, James L. Brooks, wasn't sure his audience would know what to feel. So he ratcheted up the sappy music. It was not effective. I know that directing is more than just the camera movement, but I felt he staged his movie rather lacklusterly.

I thought there was one beautiful shot: Emma says goodbye to her banker, played by John Lithgow, and when she drives away he is shot against a red neon sign. I thought it was beautiful.

I am honestly confused as to why this movie gets so much love. Maybe I had to live in the moment to get it. Maybe it was a weak year for competition. Other than The Big Chill, I'm not familiar with the other nominees. I would say you could pass on this one.

Disclaimer: I am not anti-sentimentality and schmaltz. I actually love it. This one just wasn't executed well, in my opinion.