Ordinary People
An extraordinary motion picture, Ordinary People is an intense examination of a family being torn apart by tension and tragedy. Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore star as the upper-middle-class couple whose "ordinary" existence is irrevocably shattered by the death of their oldest son in a boating accident. Timothy Hutton is the younger son, struggling against suicide and guilt left by the drowning. Judd Hirsch is the empathetic psychiatrist who provides his lifeline to survival. Mary Tyler Moore gives a riveting portrayal of the inexplicably aloof mother. Robert Redford's achievement as director after more than twenty years as a superstar in front of the camera, earned him and Oscar®. Superb performances and masterful direction complement the award-winning screenplay, based upon the novel by Judith Guest.
Member Reviews
Saw it for the first time - farquh
This is one that I have been waiting to see for a while. I know it's history of Academy awards, and the fact that it is Redford's first directorial film, but the opportunity never presented itself for me to see it.
My local video rental shop never had it, and it's not really a 'happy sunshine' movie, and thus, I didn't know anyone who owned a copy so I was never able to borrow it!
Also, this movie's theatrical run was when I was 4 years old, so by the time I was ready to see it, it was already a rare piece to even find on television.
I will say that Timothy Hutton's performance is wonderful. There's a lot going on above and beyond what his character says, so it's surprising to see that Hutton really didn't have that memorable of a film career after winning an oscar with his first role. I will note that he won as a supporting role, which I don't understand because he and his story is the main focus of the film's plot.
I would imagine that in 1980, this kind of feature was fresh and showed 1980's audiences something that they had never seen before on film. Today, I can think of dozens of films that attempt to portray real pain of family. They do it just as well of a job telling their story as Ordinary People tells its own, but those other films will never be the 'first' to do so. Ordinary People will have that distinction to itself.Ordinary real people - RoddyPiper
The central event in two great films, Don’t Look Now and Ordinary People, is the same – the death of a child in what had been a family of four -- the first is about the effect on the parents, while in Ordinary People, the effect on the surviving child.
A member’s review powerfully expresses the personal impact of Ordinary People, saying the film made them re-experience their own adolescence and changed their perspective on life for the better. That review shows the effect that a great film can have on our lives.
This film is not about losing a brother or sister, but rather the experience of losing contact with parents and peers in adolescence. It was wrenching for me to watch the efforts of the son in this film, as he tries to find a bond with someone – anyone – to fill his menacing, visceral emptiness before it draws him over the edge.
This must be a universal experience felt to some degree by all the adolescents in our culture. Teenage suicide rates since this film appeared almost 30 years ago, are now at an all-time high, killing 1 in 13 of North American teens, a cause of death for teenagers that is second only to death by motor vehicle accident; and one has to wonder how many of their motor vehicle deaths are accidents.
A difficult but often beautiful film, for adults it brings back the heartfelt but dangerous emotions of our youth, which our own children will feel, did feel, or are feeling right now.Emotional impact of film was profound on me - deBare
Maybe it's because I grew up in a family just like the one portrayed in Ordinary People that the movie impacted me more emotionally than some of the other reviewers. When I first saw this film in the theatre some 20 years ago, I had literally no idea what to expect (which really dates me since frigging trailers no longer allow moviegoers the joy of watching a movie without any preconceived notions or plot spoilers). The movie revealed layers of my dysfunctional upbringing that allowed me to finally come to grips with some of the pain of my childhood. Obviously the hype that surrounded the movie in subsequent years may have tarnished the experience for others, but its impact on me in its theatrical release profoundly changed my perspectives on life for the better.
Member Reviews
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Saw it for the first time - farquh
This is one that I have been waiting to see for a while. I know it's history of Academy awards, and the fact that it is Redford's first directorial film, but the opportunity never presented itself for me to see it.
My local video rental shop never ...Ordinary real people - RoddyPiper
The central event in two great films, Don’t Look Now and Ordinary People, is the same – the death of a child in what had been a family of four -- the first is about the effect on the parents, while in Ordinary People, the effect on the surviving child.
A ...Emotional impact of film was profound on me - deBare
Maybe it's because I grew up in a family just like the one portrayed in Ordinary People that the movie impacted me more emotionally than some of the other reviewers. When I first saw this film in the theatre some 20 years ago, I had literally no idea what ...