More a producer than a filmmaker, James L. Brooks nonetheless does settle down in a director’s chair every 5 to 10 years or so, and honestly, what results is often not good. Well, the early ones were good. By far, his best two films, as director, were Terms of Endearment (1983) and Broadcast News (1987). The former won him three Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay), and it was his directorial debut, so that’s certainly an achievement. Also, that movie won Best Actress ( Shirley MacLaine ) and Best Supporting Actor ( Jack Nicholson ), so it came close to winning the Big Five that year; the Big Four and a Half? Anyway, The Right Stuff also came out that year and should’ve won, like, all the Oscars, but Terms of Endearment is still good.

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