Movies Like Terms of Endearment (1983)

Terms of Endearment is a 1983 comedy, drama film from James L. Brooks with a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Evening Star and Forrest Gump.

Comedy Drama

The Evening Star

1996

Continuing the story of Aurora Greenway in her latter years. After the death of her daughter, Aurora struggled to keep her family together, but has one grandson in jail, a rebellious granddaughter, and another grandson living just above the poverty line.

6.0

MagicScore

Forrest Gump

1994

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.

8.5

MagicScore

Proxima

2019

Sarah is a French astronaut training at the European Space Agency in Cologne. She is the only woman in the arduous program. She lives alone with Stella, her seven year old daughter. Sarah feels guilty that she cannot spend more time with her child. Her love is overpowering, unsettling. When Sarah is chosen to join the crew of a year-long space mission called Proxima, it creates chaos in the mother-daughter relationship.

6.3

MagicScore

The Ultimate Gift

2007

When his wealthy grandfather finally dies, Jason Stevens fully expects to benefit when it comes to the reading of the will. But instead of a sizable inheritance, Jason receives a test, a series of tasks he must complete before he can get any money.

7.6

MagicScore

The Book of Henry

2017

Susan, a single mother of two, works as a waitress in a small town. Her son, Henry, is an 11-year-old genius who not only manages the family finances but acts as emotional support for his mother and younger brother. When Henry discovers that the girl next door has a terrible secret, he implores Susan to take matters into her own hands.

7.5

MagicScore

The Piano

1993

When an arranged marriage brings Ada and her spirited daughter to the wilderness of nineteenth-century New Zealand, she finds herself locked in a battle of wills with both her controlling husband and a rugged frontiersman to whom she develops a forbidden attraction.

7.4

MagicScore

Miracle on 34th Street

1947

Kris Kringle, seemingly the embodiment of Santa Claus, is asked to portray the jolly old fellow at Macy's following his performance in the Thanksgiving Day parade. His portrayal is so complete that many begin to question if he truly is Santa Claus, while others question his sanity.

7.4

MagicScore

The Party

1980

A thirteen-year-old French girl deals with moving to a new city and school in Paris, while at the same time her parents are getting a divorce.

6.6

MagicScore

Autumn Sonata

1978

After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena, is out of the asylum and living with Eva.

8.0

MagicScore

#10

The Florida Project

2017

The story of a precocious six year-old and her ragtag group of friends whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder, possibility and a sense of adventure while the adults around them struggle with hard times.

7.4

MagicScore

#11

Mamma Mia!

2008

A spirited young bride-to-be living with her single mother on a small Greek island secretly invites three of her mother's ex-boyfriends in hope of finding her biological father to walk her down the aisle.

7.0

MagicScore

#12

Gas Food Lodging

1992

Nora, a single mother raising two teenage daughters, Shade and Trudi, waits tables at a truck-stop diner in a small New Mexico town. The beautiful and rebellious Trudi drops out of school and gets a job alongside Nora, while the younger Shade whittles away her time at Spanish movie matinees. Their lives are turned upside down when Trudi becomes pregnant and the girls' absent father returns.

6.3

MagicScore

#13

The Seven Year Itch

1955

With his family away for their annual summer holiday, a publishing executive decides to live a bachelor's life. The beautiful but ditzy blonde from the apartment above catches his eye and they soon start spending time together—maybe a little too much time!

7.1

MagicScore

#14

First Man

2018

A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

7.0

MagicScore

#15

The Midnight Sky

2020

A lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.

5.7

MagicScore

#16

How to Train Your Dragon 2

2014

Five years have passed since Hiccup and Toothless united the dragons and Vikings of Berk. Now, they spend their time charting unmapped territories. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons -- and a mysterious dragon rider. Now, Hiccup and Toothless find themselves at the center of a battle to protect Berk from a power-hungry warrior.

7.7

MagicScore

#17

Apollo 13

1995

The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.

7.4

MagicScore

#18

Monster's Ball

2001

A prison guard begins a tentative romance with the unsuspecting widow of a man whose execution he presided over.

6.8

MagicScore

#19

The Dark

2005

In an attempt to pull her family together, Adèlle travels with her young daughter Sarah to Wales to visit her father. The morning after they arrive, Sarah mysteriously vanishes in the ocean. Not long after, a little girl bearing a striking resemblance to their missing daughter reveals that she has retuned from the dead — and that Sarah has been taken to the Welsh underworld.

5.7

MagicScore

#20

The Fault in Our Stars

2014

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a patient named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

7.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Terms of Endearment?

The top films similar to Terms of Endearment by MovieMagicScore are The Evening Star (6.0), Forrest Gump (8.5), Proxima (6.3). Each shares comedy/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Terms of Endearment worth watching?

Terms of Endearment holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10 from 795 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Terms of Endearment?

Terms of Endearment (1983) is a comedy, drama film directed by James L. Brooks, starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson.

Where can I find more recommendations like Terms of Endearment?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more comedy recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Evening Star Movies like Forrest Gump Movies like Proxima Movies like The Ultimate Gift Movies like The Book of Henry Movies like The Piano

About movies like Terms of Endearment

This ranked list pairs Terms of Endearment (1983), a comedy and drama film from James L. Brooks, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Shirley MacLaine take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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