It’s amazing to think that at one time Debra Winger’s possible career could have been in jeopardy thanks to a car accident that took her eyesight for 10 months and caused a cerebral hemorrhage. If not for the stunning recovery she made someone else would have been standing in her spot and the audience would have never known just how great she could be. Throughout the years she’s definitely had her ups and downs but she’s had a lot of great roles that have turned her into a cinema legend in her own time. The movies that have shown her in the best light are those that we’ve managed to cement in our minds as movies that a lot of people feel are great on a very personal level. The great thing about Debra Winger’s movies is that a lot of them do have a lot of feeling and a lot of genuine emotion that help to accentuate her talents as an actress.
Here are some of her best movies.
5. Forget Paris
Mickey and Ellen are made for each other quite obviously, but work has a way of keeping people apart no matter how well they get along and how right for each other they are. Eventually they do end up hitting a rocky road along their marriage, but as they continue to fragment they still realize that they’re meant to be in each other’s lives despite everything that’s happened. One way or another they end up missing each other and coming to the idea that no matter what’s going to happen they will make it work and will find a way to be together in a way that transcends a marriage or a meeting of hearts.
4. Radio
It’s not easy to be the spouse of a dedicated coach no matter what sport it is since the most committed coaches will be there for their team as much as their spouses want them to be there for their family. Added onto this movie is the fact that Radio is something of a handful at times since he comes into their lives in a way that is hard to deny and is impossible to say is anything but positive. Based on a true story, this movie is something that you can’t help but feel for each minute no matter that it didn’t seem to capture a lot of attention. Something about the dynamic between Radio and every life he touches is simply inspiring.
3. Urban Cowboy
This is one of those movies that likely wouldn’t be made now since the content would likely be labeled as intense misogyny and would be seen as way too controversial since Sissy and Bud fought the most over her desire to ride the mechanical bull, which seems kind of silly now but made a decent plot back then. But when she and Bud have a serious falling out and she went to Wes for support it was just fuel for the fire since it caused Bud to grow even angrier and to seek out another woman. While the movie is considered to be one of her better entries, and for good reason, it definitely would raise a few eyebrows today.
2. Terms of Endearment
It’s kind of difficult to have an overbearing mother that doesn’t like your husband and doesn’t even try. Of course when your husband turns out to be kind of a sleaze it’s also just as hard to admit that your mother was correct. The worst part about her husband is that he’s not even around when she’s on her deathbed and her kids have no real father figure to look up to since he’s not man enough to stick around. But as the mother begins to soften throughout the movie it becomes evident that the kids might actually be in good hands. It’s a sad story to be honest but one that still has hope at the end.
1. An Officer and a Gentleman
It’s appalling to think that women back in the day would actually try to trap a military man because they figured that they would lead a comfortable life. But let’s be honest and say that the men in the movie didn’t really come off any better since Mayo was pretty much a jerk for a good chunk of the story and his buddy was, well, a lovestruck fool that crumbled under pressure. It was only when Mayo stood to lose everything and everyone that he cared about that he started coming around, and Debra’s character was one of the biggest reasons that Mayo finally started to develop into a decent human being.
Quite honestly she’s still a good actress and seeing her show up now and again is a treat since she’s still got that fiery, independent spirit that made her so popular in the past.
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