The Evening Star
(Paramount Pictures)Director: Robert Harling
Producers: David Kirkpatrick, Polly Platt, Keith Samples
Co-Producer: Dennis Bishop
Screenwriter: Robert Harling from a novel by Larry McMurtry
Director of Photography: Don Burgess
Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Bill Paxton, Juliette Lewis, Miranda Richardson, Ben Johnson, Scott Wolf, George Newbern, Marion Ross, Mackenzie Astin, Donald Moffat, Jack Nicholson
QUICK REVIEW: It's no TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. Of course, you don't expect that from a sequel. Still, Shirley MacLaine remains appealing as the outspoken, outrageous but vulnerable Aurora Greenway. A surprise plus is Marion Ross as Aurora's loyal, supportive housekeeper. The actress who will forever be identified as Richie Cunningham' s mom shows an admirable range in a dramatic role without slipping into melodrama -- not an easy task since the script invites overacting. The plot revolves around Aurora's search for the perfect love, with a number of comic subplots involving things like a May/December romance with Bill Paxton and a love/hate relationship with Miranda Richardson. Juliette Lewis turns in her usual believable "young person with an attitude" role, although she needs to get cast in another kind of role REAL soon. It's a film with interesting characters and a good heart, but it doesn't know how to end and it's too long. See it if you're in a patient mood.
Rating (on a four-star scale): 
Interview with Shirley MacLaine.
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