THE EVENING STAR

The film has real dramatic strengths. Its cast works well together, the family story is emotionally forceful, and Marion Ross gives the supporting role of Rosie unusual power. The material explores family conflict, grief, forgiveness, and the consequences of foolish choices.

But the content rating is −3, and that settles the family decision. The film includes strong sexual and pagan elements, profanity, nudity, smoking, alcohol, drugs, and children born out of wedlock. Its worldview also treats personal problems as matters of self-analysis and self-determination rather than submission to God.

You may find the family drama moving, but this is one to skip rather than bring into your home or conscience.

Aurora Greenway is an older, relentless grandmother trying to manage the troubled lives of her three grandchildren. One grandson is in prison on a drug possession charge. Another lives with the mother of his child. Her granddaughter leaves Rice University to live with an unfaithful boyfriend.

As Aurora struggles with her grandchildren, her rival Patsy, and the attractive Jerry, she looks back over the choices that shaped her family and her own complicated life.

Three stars means this is a capable film with genuine emotional force, though its story is complicated and jumbled. Robert Harling’s adaptation is described as heart-wrenching, on a par with the original Terms of Endearment.

The cast is a clear strength. The characters work together well, and Marion Ross gives Rosie a surprisingly powerful presence. Shirley MacLaine is supported by a talented ensemble, though Aurora’s self-centered personality dominates the film.

The film presents a pagan worldview in which personal problems are solved through self-analysis and self-determination. Aurora is headstrong, liberated, admired, and often insensitive to the people closest to her. The story observes the consequences of foolish choices, but it does not provide a distinctly biblical framework for repentance or moral renewal.

The movie also contains strong feminist elements. Aurora’s independence and control are celebrated, while the male characters are portrayed as shallow, single-minded, and weak in her presence. The film’s sexual relationships and children born out of wedlock further reflect a view of intimacy detached from biblical marriage.

The film does recognize family loyalty, grief, forgiveness, and the lasting consequences of personal decisions. Scripture, however, warns that self-directed wisdom can lead us away from life: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

This is a well-acted, emotionally powerful family drama, but its −3 content rating and pagan, sexually permissive worldview make the answer plain: SKIP IT. There are better choices for your family and your conscience.