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The Evening Star (1996)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 3/15

EvSt
3/15: As much as I hate Shirley MacLaine, she gives a good performance in The Evening Star, the sequel to Best Picture Winner Terms of Endearment which netted her an undeserving Oscar win for Best Actress.

However, most of the original cast don't come back. Only Miranda Richardson is a welcome substitute for Lisa Hart Carroll as Patsy who was Emma's best friend. Her character's competition with Aurora is the best part of the film which has nothing much else going for it.

A big mistake is omitting Jeff Daniels from the cast because his character is the father of the family and doesn't come across to me as a bad guy. Bill Paxton's character is a big creep who's too much of an oddball as compared to the likes of Aurora's people. For the most part, he serves as an excuse for Aurora to show off her sexual prowess.

Juliette Lewis is awful and has the worst performance of anybody. Emma's sons are poorly developed and forgettable. There's no sympathy for the one who spent time in prison, and I'm never told why he's there.

Throughout, knowing Jack Nicholson would return, I kept asking myself, "Where's Jack? Where's Jack?" Finally, he shows up, throws in his two cents, and leaves, adding nothing of substance. Ben Johnson, an excellent actor for decades, is wasted in what's the final film of his career before passing away not long afterwards.

The movie should've ended with the scene of Aurora scattering her maid's ashes on the beach because that's as a perfect ending as it can be. Instead, director Robert Harling decides to prolong the stay by showing Aurora's family through the passage of time as she ages and finally dies (good riddance anyway) to illustrate the accomplishment of having a family.

All in all, The Evening Star feels more or less the same as Terms of Endearment, but many characters aren't developed enough for me to care about.