Terms of Endearment (1983)

Into every life comes its portion of sadness. The amazing thing, a miracle actually, is that universal melancholy can be presented in a dignified, humorous manner that is uplifting, humanizing, inclusive, and also quite darn entertaining, all of which and greater are achieved by Terms of Endearment (1983). The conflicted love between a mother and a daughter, cancer, and premature death, with sidebars on infidelity and divorce, are the center points of this ultimately, and unlikely, feel-good flick. Mortality: You can’t live with it, at least not forever, but as long as the specter of inevitable death is being held at bay, clasp those loved ones who share and lighten your burden of diminishing expectations tight to your bosom.