A previous comment indicated that "Terms of Endearment" (1983) ended present-day for that time and that with this one picking up in 1988, why was Melanie so grown? Well, what I understood was that dates were not necessarily expressed in "Terms" and that Debra Winger's character had actually died in 1973 - with fifteen years added to Melanie's age of three when her mother died, that would account for her being a college freshman in 1988. Marion Ross was NOT in the original movie - another actress had played Rosie. Nor was Miranda Richardson. But I was annoyed that Ms. Ross was not even nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal in this film - she deserved it and then some!