Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) is the over-possessive widowed mother of Emma (Debra Winger), their thirty-year relationship a stormy one. When Emma marries the feckless Flap Horton against her mother's wishes and moves away to live in near-poverty with two small sons Aurora is left alone in her large lavish house with an obnoxious neighbour Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson) constantly annoying her. Garrett is a beer swigging pot-bellied over-the hill ex astronaut who delights in winding up the genteel Aurora. In an effort to restore some kind of harmony they embark on a hilarious love/hate relationship that provides scenes of perfect offbeat comedy.

I guess you are thinking this sounds like many a classic sob story somewhere along the lines of "Love Story" and later films of a similar type, but the film won five Oscars and four Golden Globe awards so what made it so special?
The comedy side took up much of the film and the chemistry between MacLaine and Nicholson sparked off some very original dialogue many of it near to the bone. Shirley MacLaine is a fine actress and the character of Aurora must have been a huge challenge to her playing at a simpering woman while her characters are normally feisty and hard-bitten.
Nicholson is always at his best when playing the lovable rogue although this was his first performance in such a genre.
James L. Brooks wrote the screenplay and directed the film, his first; maybe the newness added that special something to the film but I feel the combination of a strong cast and a brilliant script made it such a success.

For me the whole film was perfect, it made me laugh and towards the end it made me cry, as I hadn't expected the change from comedy into drama. I loved the offbeat romance and some of the scenes were visually funny as well as being witty.
Take one example; on the first date Garrett takes Aurora out for lunch. Dressed in a frilly creation totally unsuited to driving in a sports car she enters the restaurant totally dishevelled. Garrett gets very drunk and on the return journey drives along the seashore standing up and shouting "Fly me to the moon!" Tossed out of the car into the surf he laughs at Aurora when she bends over to see if he okay, "If you wanted me on my back you only had to ask" he replies.

I loved the film when I first saw it and I've seen it since many times, it never fails to entertain me. As the tag line goes, come to laugh, come to cry, come to terms. Highly recommended.