Terms of Endearment
High‑maintenance mother Aurora hunts for true romance while her estranged daughter Emma battles a crumbling marriage, forcing the pair to confront family wounds and find joy before time runs out.
“Come to laugh, come to cry, come to care, come to terms.”
Synopsis
Aurora, a woman with high standards, is seeking genuine love, while her daughter struggles with problems in her own marriage. As they navigate their respective challenges, they support each other and discover ways to embrace a more joyful life.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 51+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Richard MarksShot by Andrzej BartkowiakScored by Michael GoreDesigned by Polly Platt
Box Office
1983 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 14× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$108.4M
US & Canada: $108.4M — 100% of worldwide · International: $260 (0%)
Opening weekend: $3.5M — 3% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Peak 260 theaters
Also known as
- Zeit der Zärtlichkeitde
- La fuerza del cariñoes
- Tendres Passionsfr
- Voglia di tenerezzait
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Cast & Crew
51 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Shirley Maclaine
as Aurora Greenway
Debra Winger
as Emma Horton
Jack Nicholson
as Garrett Breedlove
Danny Devito
as Vernon Dahlart
Jeff Daniels
as Flap Horton
John Lithgow
as Sam Burns
Lisa Hart Carroll
as Patsy Clark
Betty King
as Rosie Dunlop
Huckleberry Fox
as Teddy Horton
Troy Bishop
as Tommy Horton
Shane Serwin
as Younger Tommy Horton
Megan Morris
as Melanie Horton
Supporting cast
31Tara Yeakey
as Baby Melanie
Norman Bennett
as Edward Johnson
Jennifer Josey
as Young Emma
Kate Charleson
as Janice
Tom Wees
as Dr. Budge
Paul Menzel
as Dr. Maise
F William Parker
as Doctor
Amanda Watkins
as Meg
Buddy Gilbert
as Dr. Ratcher
David Wohl
as Phil
Shelley K Nielsen
as Nurse
Bette Croissant
as Nurse
Charles Beall
as Rudyard's Employer
Lelise Folse
as Doris
Sharisse Baker Bernard
as Lee Anne
Judy Dickerson
as Checkout Girl
Devon O Brien
as Lizbeth
Dana Vance
as Victoria
Alexandra O Karma
as Jane
Nancy Mette
as Woman at Party
Holly Holmberg Brooks
as T.J.
Lear Levin
as Jack Stern
Albert Brooks
as Rudyard Greenway (voice)
Lanier Whilden
as Patsy's Mother
Helen Stauffer
as Flap's Secretary
Barbara Balik
as Woman
Michelle Watkins
as Woman
John C Conger
as Moving Man
Sandra Newkirk
as Mrs. Johnson
Elaine Mcgown
as Herself
Mary Kay Place
as Doris (voice)
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
1Other crew
7Parents Guide
AI Personalities
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Where to watch
Live · bot-verified- Paramount+Stream
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