James L Brooks' multi-Oscar-winning film about the volatile relationship between the over-bearing Aurora (Shirley Maclaine) and Emma (Debra Winger), the daughter who cannot wait to escape her clutches. The story covers 30 years, and ranges from Emma's late-teens, her marriage to Flap Horton (Jeff Daniels), Aurora's difficulties facing her new role as a grandmother, and her relationship with Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson), an ex-astronaut who is constantly searching for excitement in his life. The story then moves toward a tragic, tear-jerking conclusion, as Emma discovers that she has cancer.