Ordinary People

9/19/19802h 4m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Everything is in its proper place... except the past. ~

Overview:

Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.

Director:

Robert Redford

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$6,000,000.00

Revenue:

$54,766,923.00

Key words:

chicago, illinois
depression
post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)
based on novel or book
suicide attempt
middle class
dysfunctional family
grief
bereavement
psychiatrist
guilt
grieving
survivor's guilt
loss of son
hopeful
sincere
tragic
mother son conflict

Cast

Donald Sutherland

~ as ~

Calvin Jarrett

Mary Tyler Moore

~ as ~

Beth Jarrett

Judd Hirsch

~ as ~

Dr. Berger

Timothy Hutton

~ as ~

Conrad Jarrett

M. Emmet Walsh

~ as ~

Swim Coach

Elizabeth McGovern

~ as ~

Jeannine Pratt

Dinah Manoff

~ as ~

Karen

Fredric Lehne

~ as ~

Lazenby

James B. Sikking

~ as ~

Ray Hanley

Basil Hoffman

~ as ~

Sloan

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

Wuchak
Written 4 year(s) ago
7
Potent drama with Hutton, Sutherland, Moore and Hirsch

A family in an affluent neighborhood north of Chicago tries to recover after a tragedy. Timothy Hutton plays the troubled son who gets help from a therapist (Judd Hirsch) while Donald Sutherland & Mary Tyler Moore play the seemingly okay parents.

“Ordinary People” (1980) was Robert Redford’s debut movie in the director’s chair and it was a huge success. The story is two-pronged: It’s a coming-of-age drama about the anxious son at home, school, therapy and his relationships with the fairer sex, as well as a marital drama about the parents.

This was Hutton’s first theatrical movie, but you wouldn’t know that by his powerhouse performance, which is on the level of Brando. It’s interesting how simple, realistic drama can be more compelling than some overblown “blockbuster” with an explosion every five minutes.

Winsome Elizabeth McGovern is a highlight as one of the girls the son dates.

On the negative side, the storm sequences are pretty artificial, reminiscent of a TV flick, and the story almost drowns in its unrelenting drama in the last act (I said “almost”).

The film runs 2 hours, 4 minutes, and was mostly shot in suburbs north of Chicago, e.g. Lake Forest and Highland Park.

GRADE: B