James L. Brooks directs Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger and Jack Nicholson in this razor sharp weepie about a domineering mother and her quirky daughter’s long distance relationship when the latter gets married and leaves the state. 

I know Jack Nicholson’s boorish retired astronaut should be secondary to the powerhouse female leads but I enjoyed all his trademark bad behaviour more than the loosely defined mother-daughter dynamic. Not an unworthwhile Oscar whore. It has wit, edge and uncertainty but unless you want a good, manipulative cry then Jack is only reason to come back for seconds.

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