Brennan 0:00
You’re listening to Dodge Movie Podcast. Your hosts are Christi and Mike Dodge the founders of Dodge Media Productions. We produce films and podcasts. So this is podcast about films. Join them as they share their passion for filmmaking.

Christi Dodge 0:17
Welcome back, everybody to the Dodge Movie Podcast. This is episode 124. We are kicking off the month of July. I can’t tell you what the theme is because that’s your job. The first film is Terms of Endearment. It came out in 1983. It was James L Brooks directorial debut, we know him from Broadcast News in 87. As Good as it Gets in 97, Spanglish in 2004, he also created Room 222, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Lou Grant, Taxi, The Tracey Ullman Show, which then brought us the Simpsons.

Mike Dodge 0:56
I would sing The Simpsons theme song, but then we would have to pay.

Christi Dodge 1:01
Can we do that much?

Mike Dodge 1:02
I don’t know. We’ll find out. Broadcast News was that also Debra Winger or was that Holly…

Christi Dodge 1:08
Holly Hunter who was considered for the role of Emma.

Mike Dodge 1:14
Now this is not saying anything about the individuals involved but Holly Hunter and Debra Winger do have a very similar build in kind of look so I can see that there’s some.

Christi Dodge 1:24
Terms of Endearment stars Shirley MacLaine as Aurora Greenway, Debra Winger as the afore mentioned Emma, Jack Nicholson as Garrett Breedlove. Danny DeVito as Vernon Dahlart. Jeff Daniels is Flap Horton. What a name.

Mike Dodge 1:40
Yeah. Is that like a Southern name Flap? I’ve never heard that.

Christi Dodge 1:44
I haven’t either. And John Lithgow is Sam Burns. The DP for this Terms of Endearment was Andrzej Barowiak, and he’s an esteemed cinematographer known for his long, durable association with Sidney Lumet. He did the Verdict in 1982 Pritzi’s Honor and 85 Nuts with Barbra Streisand in 87. Twins in 88, one of your favorites Falling Down from 93 and 13 days in the year 2000.

Mike Dodge 2:15
Well, Twins had DeVito in it, and Pritzi’s Honor had Jack Nicholson, so he just kind of worked his way through the cast.

Christi Dodge 2:22
The writer for Terms of Endearment is Larry McMurtry of The Last Picture Show in 1971, Streets of Laredo in 95, and Brokeback Mountain in 2005. The synopsis for Terms of Endearment is – The film follows hard to please or we’re looking for love and her daughter’s family, family problems. The tagline for Terms of Endearment is come to laugh, come to cry, come to care come to terms.

Mike Dodge 2:50
No, thank you.

Christi Dodge 2:52
So, a couple little bits of trivia and kind of the people involved as well as casting Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine did not get along during the making of Terms of Endearment, which probably helped for the tension between Emma and Aurora. My mother and daughter I mean, like really didn’t get along like violently didn’t get it? Yes, there was Debra Winger behaved erratically on set. She was fighting a severe cocaine addiction. A little booger sugar going yeah.

At one point her and Shirley got into a shoving match that is reported as well as there’s a scene where she walked over and lifted her skirt and pass gas in Shirley’s direction. That’s pretty much on or what you think you’re right. Also, Jack Nicholson would do some crazy things like there’s a scene where she leaves her birthday dinner to go over and see if he meant he asked her out like years before and he she’s asking him if if he still is interested. And she said he would open the door in Boxer shorts, he would open the door, naked, he would open the door with a prostitute.

Mike Dodge 4:10
Classy is what you’re telling me. So can we take a moment to talk about casting?

Christi Dodge 4:16
Yeah. Then the other thing I was going to add, James Burrows settled on Shirley MacLaine because she was the only one that understood that she was the only one that saw it as a comedy. So he he tasked her with playing Aurora. Then some other people that were considered for the Jack Nicholson role were Burt Reynolds. He loved the script, but he was already already committed to Stroker Ace and Paul Newman in Harrison Ford turned down the role. While in Houston, Jack Nicholson hung out with some real astronauts to get ready for the role. And lastly, Janet Lee and Jamie Lee Curtis were considered to in their real life mother and daughter so that would have been interesting to see how they played pretend mother. Sure, yeah. Okay. What are you gonna say?

Mike Dodge 5:03
Well, we’re casting, we talked about this during the film, there was a pause involved. But I, I don’t understand why people cast Jack Nicholson, as a ladies, man. And this is nothing against men, Mr. Nicholson, he’s probably very charming in person. I’m not saying I’m better looking than him, I just don’t buy him ever on screen as the the character that all the ladies swoon over other character or actors, I do buy that with just not Nicholson. He’s such a unique kind of personality, that I think for me, at least in every film, I see Jack Nicholson, not the character. But that for me that casting was odd. I know other people have cast him in that role in their films.

But it just didn’t land for me. So that was, unfortunately, that made that relationship between Aurora and Breedlove. A bit more challenging for me. Also the behavior of the character, he was a little date rapey in his behavior. And I think because I didn’t see him as charming, that came out more for me was the, the kind of, I don’t know if you’d call it a lethareo. He was really kind of an assaulter in my, in my experience, so I thought that was odd, because I don’t think that’s what the role was written for.

Christi Dodge 6:26
Now, I wonder if, because I do see where you’re getting that vibe. But I think big because this was your first viewing? Correct? Correct. And so I definitely do not want to be a misogynist apologist. Right. But I think of the time, I think this was, I don’t know, I don’t think it was that outlandish, or,

Mike Dodge 6:52
Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. I mean, if someone is an astronaut, right, they’re like a hero. They’re used to getting their way and everybody fawning over them. Right. So it probably is appropriate that he grabbed her boob. But even in the 80s I think that was a little too forward.

Christi Dodge 7:09
Well, should it be noted here that that was ad libbed? by Jack Nicholson? That was not in the script? Oh, yeah. A little salty. Yeah. So I like I said, I do not want to be an apologist. I think I just want to be careful as we talk about these movies. Sadly, when I watched in 83, it didn’t seem I mean, it read as somebody who, who takes what he wants. And so I guess, I guess the word rapey is where I’m getting hung up on. I think he was a handsey. Fellow that would have been annoying to most women. I don’t know. Are we getting in the weeds?

Mike Dodge 7:47
Well, no, it’s just he, um, he puts his hands on women without not just even consent, but we’re them even seeming like they’re into it. Right. I feel like if that was my sister daughter, he get punched? I think it was across the line, even in 83.

Christi Dodge 8:06
Well, and I guess that kind of lends to if you think of, except for Aurora, the women that he was around, they were sadly women who were used to being handled or, you know, abused, quite frankly, they weren’t quite he wasn’t dealing classy women that are women who kind of set some boundaries. They were women who didn’t set boundaries, right.

Mike Dodge 8:31
Yeah, yeah, that’s why I said I don’t think the characters unrealistic. But for me, like I just couldn’t kind of get past Nicholson being Jack Nicholson to the point where it was a character that I bought that with. So as an example in I can’t think of the film, but Alec Baldwin plays a doctor. Oh, yeah. He’s very charming and handsome. And like, I totally want him in that film. I can see that character as being bat. Suave, and he’s able to, you know, woo, the women I totally bought that. This one because I didn’t see that. This kind of hansey part really came across weird to me, where I didn’t like that character at all. And I don’t think I was supposed to hate that character, but I really did respond to that character.

Christi Dodge 9:20
Yeah, I don’t know if we’re supposed to like him. He’s definitely supposed to be a match for Aurora because she is no shrinking violet.

Mike Dodge 9:27
And she’s, she’s not that nice either. Right?

Christi Dodge 9:29
She’s very much a steel magnolia. So let’s, let’s I’m going to skip ahead. Yeah, let’s come back to cinematography because I have a lot in writing, because those first few scenes really kind of tell us who Emma and Aurora are right at 1.0 early on. Nicholson’s character is moving in and Emma is super excited. She’s sitting on the lawn, literally just watching the movers move his stuff in like a celebrity is moving in which I guess in Houston, maybe that’s what wouldn’t be considered. She’s gonna go say goodbye to her mom. And so she asked her friend to come with her and her friends like, ma’am, good. And she says, sure would be nice to have a mother that everyone liked.

Mike Dodge 10:12
I think she said that somebody likes. It was yeah, that was a great line. But wow.

Christi Dodge 10:17
And so it clearly tells us that Aurora is a bit of a and I think maybe we hear or a yelling for her to come in. So

Mike Dodge 10:26
I made a note that two of the first three scenes, Aurora is waking him up due to Aurora is insecurity. So yeah, we they definitely from the show don’t tell. They show us that Aurora is emotionally bound to Emma in an unhealthy way.

Christi Dodge 10:43
Yeah. And that was when she was like younger, like, versus a child, I think is a teenager. Right? And so we see that they have a very emeshed relationship. Yeah. And then when Emma goes to get married it almost it’s we don’t see the wedding. We only see her and Flap. Go to their apartment. And it’s almost like they were the only two at the wedding.

Mike Dodge 11:09
Yeah, that’s a good point. We didn’t see the wedding. And you mentioned that it could have been a courthouse. Yeah, there’s a really delightfully nasty line that Aurora says, “You’re not special enough to overcome a bad marriage.”

Christi Dodge 11:21
Yeah, she tries to talk her out of it the night before. So. And I think Emma even says, Don’t come if you can’t be happy. So then they go, they come to their home or apartment. Yeah, the phone is ringing incessantly. And Emma, Emma picks up the phone. And she says, “Leave me alone. I don’t want to talk to you now. I’m happy.”

Mike Dodge 11:45
Right? So it’s a great line to capture that relationship between them. And then there’s a point where Flap gets on the phone, or he answers the phone system. And like I just asked that you would like call later. So we see as a viewer that she calls they’re on the phone a lot. This is that again, there, like you said emeshed.

Christi Dodge 12:08
And, but there, there are like subtle moments where we see that, like, we don’t understand maybe why Emma kind of softens and treats her mom with kindness. But there are moments where she it’s almost like she just understands how insecure and lonely and dependent her mom is. And so she will kind of softened to it or, or I don’t know, given to her mom at times. I see.

Mike Dodge 12:38
So even though it was a struggle, you know, from a production standpoint, I felt like Deborah Winger’s performances, Emma did a good job of showing a daughter that still loves her mother even though her mother is really difficult to deal with. Right. One of the things that I mentioned in the film that was never clarified is where Aurora got her money, because it seemed like she had more money than Emma did.

We see that flap is a literate person. We think maybe possibly writer or he is a professor, and professors don’t make a huge amount. You we have a friend of ours who can tell us they probably make. But that’s definitely at least middle class. Right? A professor is decent. So I wasn’t quite sure how Aurora got that kind of money. And you see that breed love has definitely former astronaut level house. Right. That’s a pretty nice house and he’s got a swimming pool and everything.

Christi Dodge 13:40
Well, and Aurora isn’t too keen on sharing it. Yeah. And when asked and even one time when Emma calls her in and thinks that she’s pregnant. Aurora suggests she get an abortion, which is pretty racy for 83. Well, it’s just like for grandmother to go. Yeah, we’ve got to let’s just off the third. It was just…

Mike Dodge 14:04
Whoa. Yeah, that’s pretty. I don’t know if callous is the word but it comes close. Yeah, for a grandmother.

Christi Dodge 14:12
So the other thing I found interesting is when Lithgow comes into the picture, she’s getting groceries and I want to her as I was watching the scene. This is one of my biggest, like fears and nightmares. And I wonder if it comes from this movie. Oh, wow. is standing at the grocery line and you don’t have enough money. And so she starts pulling stuff off. And it’s cute because she bought like a five pack of candy bars. So she puts it back. And the kid says, “Mom”, and so she gets him one and then she looks down at the little brother and feels bad. She gets him to and the checker is like we’re going in the wrong direction, right with no compassion.

So Lithgow has to help her out with the grocery. I just, I think I panic almost every time. Something like this is to me. So they kind of develop a relationship. At one point, she said they meet at a restaurant and she says contemplating sin isn’t wrong. I was just so struck by that, because throughout the most of the film, she has deep affection and love for Flap. So why is she even considering an affair? But her mom, I think her mom were supposed to think that Aurora was married many times maybe interesting. We see the dad at the very beginning and then he dies. So are we to think that he just left him a ton of money?

Mike Dodge 15:45
Well, it’s interesting you said because as I read the relationship with Lithgow’s characters it, Sam, is that right? Yes, Sam, is she was looking for attention and affection. That Flap was gone all the time. And he had these excuses. But the way it was shot is, as a viewer, I felt like they were fishy excuses. And it was almost like

Christi Dodge 16:12
Do you think Emma had suspicions?

Mike Dodge 16:15
Yeah, I kind of feel like now I’m not saying this. I don’t have a lot of experience. But I’ve heard the theory that the other person always knows because there’s like things one suspects. And so I felt like in this case they definitely came across was that Emma was suspicious of his behavior. Maybe this is realistic. It isn’t, I think to me, but maybe some people, but it was like she both did love still love Flap and wanted him to be the father and the husband and all that. But she also needed Sam.

That’s why she didn’t want to leave. Then she of course discovers that Flap is really just following his girlfriend to this other college. That’s why she gets really upset and makes that delightful scene in the middle of campus. Which when I was at college, we never had any of those scenes.

Christi Dodge 17:07
Nothing fun like that. And that was a real housewives moment. Yeah, what? So at the same time that she’s kind of connecting with Sam. Aurora decides to finally I think Aurora has always been intrigued by Garrett. And so when it’s so weird that she had this birthday party with all these other basic her doctor they were all suitors. Yeah, but that’s so inappropriate for your doctor

Mike Dodge 17:35
To want to get in your pants and and not professional.

Christi Dodge 17:38
So it was like was the doctor there to make sure that those other no I the way it landed to me was she invited every all the candidates to single bench. Yeah, exactly. And so the so she’s kind of wanting to have a partner and so at the same time, and so then she’s getting with Garrett. And there’s the infamous scene where they drive out in the water. which one she threw him in the water everything else after that was all ad libbed.

Mike Dodge 18:06
I have to say I really couldn’t get past the fact that they ruined that Corvette. Saltwater is horrible for vehicles.

Christi Dodge 18:19
Were pretty much or anything. Yeah, but it’s like total debt car. I’m just gonna round out what I had. Then, you know, the climax of this film is Emma get sick. It’s interesting because the very beginning I noticed when she first leaves home, Emma kisses, who we think is just the housekeeper but I think was housekeeper slash nanny because she kisses her on the lips. She I don’t even think she kisses Aurora. Her name is Rosie. Then when we find out that Emma has breast cancer, Aurora says “Rosie our girls in trouble”. So I think that Aurora leaned on Rosie to kind of maybe do more of the affection in the you know, kind of in a maternal way than Aurora couldn’t do.

Mike Dodge 19:12
it. Like when you mentioned that I realized that Rosie has a hair color and complexion closer to Emma than Aurora does. Hmm.

Christi Dodge 19:22
You’re writing another movie. Okay. Okay. So anything else in the writing that you want to talk about before I go into?

Mike Dodge 19:29
Well, I thought it was interesting. That flap was all over the map linguistically. At one point, he says to Emma, you’re my sweet s gal, which maybe is a term of endearment. But later he he uses the word Quisling. And I have literally never heard another person use that word before and I was stunned that Yeah, he did.

Christi Dodge 19:54
Here we are to think that he is very literate because when they first come back to that apartment. There’s just tons and tons and tons of paperbacks stacked all over that place.

Mike Dodge 20:05
Yeah, but Quisling So tip of the cap to McMurtry or whomever because I learned that word in high school and I’ve never heard it since. So, good job. And there’s a line from Patsy, which again, probably landed.

Christi Dodge 20:23
Her best friend.

Mike Dodge 20:25
She says it was so interesting dating Jews after the divorce. And I just feel like nowadays they wouldn’t put that line of dialogue in the film, but she had moved I think to La so that was that was why she was talking about that. So yeah, it was interesting. You mentioned that James L. Brooks considered this a comedy. I wouldn’t. I consider it a drama. There were a few humorous II moments but I wouldn’t consider it a comedy. I think it was a drama and it was fine for what it was. It wasn’t overly a tear jerker, but it was, you know, this dramatic story of Emma, her life, birth to death.

Christi Dodge 21:03
Oh, you’re right, because we did dry into his baby. So cinematography, that it was very well lit. Most scenes. Yeah, were nicely but and then there was a great shot. Aurora and Garrett are sitting in the gazebo in her backyard. And it’s almost like they obviously removed the back wall off the gazebo because at one point we see it we see Aurora sitting in all by herself.

The gazebo is enclosed. It’s not a very open gazebo. The only really open on one side like the door is. So they obviously but there’s this great shot where we see it from inside the gazebo facing out and so the doorway of the gazebo creates like a nice framing. And then Garrett and Aurora are looking at each other so it’s nice profiles. And then you see her house in her beautiful garden in the back. I just it was a shot I enjoyed.

Mike Dodge 21:57
Yeah, you mentioned lit I noticed the catch lights in Emma and Patsy’s eyes when they were token it up before the wedding. And there’s some interesting shot composition in blocking. Aurora and Emma have the conversation before the wedding where she says don’t even bother coming. And they both sit crisscross applesauce on furniture. And to me that’s odd. I rarely see people sit on furniture like that they’ll sit that way on the floor, but not in furniture.

Christi Dodge 22:27
I think that was to evoke how young she was.

Mike Dodge 22:30
But then later, Emma is sitting on the floor. And Shirley MacLaine walks into frame and then squats down to get into frame and I thought that was very interesting that instead of following her and then dropping to see Emma, they just focus on Emma and Aurora had to move herself into frame. And they did some neat framing with things.

I didn’t note the gazebo framing but there’s also a window framing when Aurora and Emma are talking and the first son is playing in the backyard. So there is one shot I noticed that the restaurant when Breedlove takes Aurora to to the restaurant. It felt to me like Aurora sat next to him for the shot. Which didn’t land like a natural. I think if if this was your first date with a woman you would sit on the opposite side of the table from him not right next to him.

Christi Dodge 23:24
When they weighed the very first time they went out

Mike Dodge 23:27
Yeah, when they went out to the restaurant. It was before the Corvette in the ocean surf the other day, opposite one another. I made a note that they sit next to each other around the corner of the table not opposite. Oh, that could be wrong.

Christi Dodge 23:42
Because there are people who go to that restaurant and ask for the Terms of Endearment table

Mike Dodge 23:46
Would listeners call in and let us know if I got that one wrong.

Christi Dodge 23:51
Because I well I can look up the scene. Okay, but it’s also fun for the listeners to getting started. Yes, we’re trying to listener engagement. You were talking about that? That scene where they’re driving back. I thought it was good editing because we go from Emma going with Sam because they want to go to a restaurant out of town so they’re not seen and then cut from them being in the car to Aurora driving with Jack where he’s driving with his feet or he’s not driving at all and she’s driving anyway.

Mike Dodge 24:26
Yeah, like he stood up and I think he was steering with a foot and she was she was using her foot but yeah, I did make a note. Do not steer with your feet. Okay,

Christi Dodge 24:37
We don’t want to step on the driving review. Right? Another way that we are informed of the characters is Aurora is always put together as far as her hair and makeup and clothing. And Emma is almost always just like a mess. You know, a dirty shirt and our hair is all you know, ski-wa-gee and her clothes was don’t really match and then auroras house is nice and clean thanks to probably Rosie and Emma’s always living in kind of like squalor.

Mike Dodge 25:10
Yeah, I think also, the highlight kind of the difference in build because Debra Winger is so petite, and Shirley MacLaine is of what you would say a more of a normal size. So I think you see more baggy clothes on Debra Winger than you do on Aurora. But then when Emma goes to New York with Patsy, they make a note that like her friends are dressed nicer. And so Emma feels a little like the Country Mouse, right.

Christi Dodge 25:41
Then I just took note, when we were in any of the car scenes in one scene, once again not trying to step on a driving review, but the kid at once in one scene, the kid just looked like he was just like free rein in the back seat, which I do remember. Then another scene he was in the front seat in the type of high carseat, I remember where the bar comes over your head, like in a in a roller coaster ride. That was pretty much a maybe they put a buckle on you, but it was minimal.

Mike Dodge 26:15
No, you know, I’m really torn on this one. Because we did grow up like that we survived just fine. It was fun, rolling around in the back of a station wagon, or sliding on the bench seat to slam your sister into the door on a turn. But then also from a safety perspective. I’d be happier if everybody was in five point harnesses, so I’m really kind of torn on that one.

Christi Dodge 26:36
And then it was kind of shocking to me. I’ve gotten so used of not only in real life, but in TV and film. You have your own room, generally, back in the day used to share it with maybe one other person. And poor Aurora is dying of cancer, and she’s got to share a room with three people in the hospital.

Mike Dodge 26:59
Well, yeah. I gotta say, I don’t I don’t really know in 83 what the state of the art was in hospitals. That’s a good point.

Christi Dodge 27:06
I just thought how just be horrible. Especially imagine sharing a room and Aurora comes to visit your roommate. Emma. Yeah, it would not be pleasant. But I love it. How she hangs the Renoir in the hospital. Yeah.

Mike Dodge 27:23
And she’s even rude to the poor workmen are trying to hang this painting.

Christi Dodge 27:29
Right, right. It felt a little cold. Oh, yes, this kind of writing but it felt a little cold when the doctor is like, Okay, so the, the drug we are trying on you didn’t work. So you’ll need to make some arrangement.

Mike Dodge 27:40
But I think actually, that’s fairly realistic because a lot of physicians are they struggle with their bedside manner. They’re very unemotional.

Christi Dodge 27:51
Okay, fair point. Right in on the doctor.

Mike Dodge 27:58
No, I mean, Doctor Gillingham is not like that. But one of our actor friends does work practicing being sick to let doctors practice their bedside manner. And she reported that a lot of them struggle. Okay, so it’s not just me.

Christi Dodge 28:14
Was there any head trauma in this film?

Mike Dodge 28:16
Yeah, there’s a little bit near the end of the film, Aurora chokes and then slaps Tommy. So that was like, me, the oldest son.

Christi Dodge 28:26
Oh, wait, does does she slap him as a result of the choking though?

Mike Dodge 28:30
She first chokes him and then she slaps

Christi Dodge 28:32
Oh, she chokes him.

Mike Dodge 28:33
Yeah.

Christi Dodge 28:34
She chokes her grandson.

Mike Dodge 28:36
That’s according to justice.

Christi Dodge 28:37
I remember the slap.

Mike Dodge 28:38
It’s like outside the hospital I believe after.

Christi Dodge 28:41
Oh, I know. You’re what your talking about. Yeah. Oh my gosh, that’s right. That was a horrible scene.

Mike Dodge 28:45
And then there’s also I didn’t detect specific head trauma, but Aurora reacts poorly to Breedlove’s drunken boob grabs, and there is a little beating that went on there.

Christi Dodge 28:59
Maybe some drowning some light drowning some light drowning?

Mike Dodge 29:04
Was there smoochy smoochy smoochy smoochy. There. There were a couple of smooches so at her birthday party. Some guy I think it’s the doctor and then burnin gives her a kiss at 49 minutes. Breedlove kisses her in the water at one hour. And then Sam kisses me goodbye at one hour 32

Christi Dodge 29:23
And then before that we had to have gotten kissing of Emma and Flap or after they got married.

Mike Dodge 29:31
That would make sense, but I didn’t make a note of it. And I don’t remember them specifically smooching. They were laying in the bed together, but I don’t remember specifics smooch.

Christi Dodge 29:40
Okay. How about a driving review? We’ve been we’ve been teasing this interview episode.

Mike Dodge 29:46
So I want to say that there’s really not early on when it’s when Emma is young. There’s a nice 1946 Chrysler that was a really nice car there. Breedlove drives two cars. We do see him with the 67 Jaguar X k e. And that is a pretty swanky car for its era. And then later he drives this 78 Silver Stingray Corvette, which actually makes a lot more sense for an astronaut. The Corvettes are very popular with astronauts. He has some fun time girls, and they show up with a 66 Lincoln Continental lot like Dax’s. So I think he should be a fan at least of that scene. And I was thinking what young woman drives that car.

That’s a pretty Lincoln Continental was the top end car that’s not a cheap car. And at the time of this film was about 17 years old, but it looked in good repair so I’m not sure what’s going on. Maybe that was daddy’s car. I noticed that Flap must have been in okay because he had a 72 Plymouth theory station wagon it’s we’re in a station wagon. And but that is great that Sam drives this just horrible brown 78 Pontiac Catalina. I mean, that just says boring. But I did make a note that you should never steer with your feet. Kids. Use the hands to intent the things with the opposable thumbs.

Let’s use those. And then lastly, I noticed that when she comes back, and Patsy has moved back to town Patsy’s driving a Jaguar XJ 12, which shows that Patsy’s husband is doing quite well. Yes.

Christi Dodge 31:23
And that was interesting, too, that Patsy and an Emma never really seem to be in the same socio economic class once she left Aurora. I guess you could say that they probably were when she lived with Aurora but then but yet they remained friends throughout which I think you know, I mean is a testament and I think when you when you grow up with somebody and you’re and you’re just such good friends that that can you know, I thought that was sweet that that Patsy didn’t just kind of dump her basically.

Mike Dodge 32:00
And we see when when Emma goes to visit her Patsy in New York that she really does keep her around. She’s She’s nice to her. Isn’t treating her poorly,

Christi Dodge 32:11
Okay, shall we go to the numbers?

Mike Dodge 32:13
Let’s go to the numbers. Okay,

Christi Dodge 32:14
I’m going to kick it off with my award section. First to say that Shirley MacLaine and Deborah were were both nominated for 1980 threes Best Actress Oscar, and it went to MacLaine. And on her way to the podium, she reportedly whispered to Winger, “half of this belongs to you” to, which Winger replied.” I’ll take half.”

Mike Dodge 32:36
Yeah, they were good buddies. It sounds like.

Christi Dodge 32:42
And then, just as an aside, Jack Nicholson holds the record for the highest number of Oscar nominations. So the film won best picture that year. And then like I said, Shirley one for Best Actress Jack Nicholson, one for Best Actor, Best Director went to James L. Brooks, and they got many other nominations that year, surely, and Jack won the Golden Globe.

James, won a Writers Guild and Directors Guild Award. So that’s it was a good award season for them. The budget for this film was $8 million. It made domestically 108.4 Pretty much worldwide because they either they weren’t tracking worldwide numbers or the worldwide market wasn’t as broad or it wasn’t getting reported. Because when I look up older movies, oftentimes the domestic and worldwide are the same and adjusted for inflation today, that would be like a film making $303.7 million.

Mike Dodge 33:43
So I am stunned that it got that many awards at the box office. I think this film is okay. But it’s just okay to me. I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t consider this, you know, like AFI top when?

Christi Dodge 33:57
Oh my god, I bet it is on the AFI’s list.

Mike Dodge 33:59
Yeah, I’m sure. Yeah, I’m a little different here. And it’s not because it’s got Tom Cruise in it because he’s not in it.

Christi Dodge 34:06
No, but I don’t think it’s your type of movie. I mean, this is one of the best like, yeah, I would say this is I bet you it’s in the top 25 but it’s way too long. At two hours. 12 minutes?

Mike Dodge 34:21
Yeah, easily. 30 minutes needs to be cut out of this film. It’s like I said it’s a fine film, but I don’t think it’s a fantastic film. Not to me at least.

Christi Dodge 34:29
It got a 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb which is high for IMDb for IMDB. 81% of the critics love it and 83% of audiences love it.

Mike Dodge 34:41
Yeah, again, y’all might be right you’re seeing some I’m not.

Christi Dodge 34:45
It’s rated PG it was originally an R but I believe they cleaned it up a bit to get that PG rating. And like Mike is struggling with it. It has it is listed as a comedy drama, and it is from Paramount Pictures. All right. It was also filmed in Houston, Nebraska, Kansas City, a couple scenes in New York. That does it for Terms of Endearment, our first film kicking off the month, month of July. This month you have five chances, five clues to figure out what the theme is. Please write us or text us at 971-245-4148. Or you could let’s see, you can email Christi@DodgeMediaproductions.com. And all of that will be in the show notes. So have a great week everybody and never forget

Mike Dodge 35:39
Dodges never stop and neither do the movies.

Brennan 35:42
Thanks for listening to Dodge Movie Podcast with Christi and Mike Dodge of Dodge Media Productions. To find out more about this podcast and what we do, go to dodgemediaproductions.com. Subscribe, share, leave a comment and tell us what we should watch next. dodges never stop and neither do the movies.