Movie Info
Movie Name: Ordinary People
Studio: Paramount Pictures/Wildwood Enterprises
Genre(s): Drama
Release Date(s): September 19, 1980
MPAA Rating: R
A family that looks so happy together…
Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) is recovering from a suicide attempt after the death of his brother Buck. His father Calvin (Donald Sutherland) is desperately trying to hold the family together as his mother Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) seems cold and uncaring. Seeing a psychiatrist named Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch), Conrad tries to work through his problems as he begins to reclaim his life…which means reengaging at school and those around him including a girl named Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern). As Conrad gets closer to the truth of the situation, will it be too much for him to handle?
The first film directed by Robert Redford, Ordinary People is a family drama. The film is based on the 1976 Judith Guest novel and received positive reviews. The film received the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Hutton), and Best Adapted Screenplay with nominations for Best Actress (Mary Tyler Moore) and Best Supporting Actor (Judd Hirsh).
Gee, Mom…you’re making me feel great
I feel a bit sorry for Ordinary People. Despite winning Best Picture, it is often looked down on as one of the worst Best Picture choices because most felt the title should have gone to Raging Bull. Ordinary People in itself is a good film. It is a great and honest film about death and coping with death. The three core actors (plus Hirsch) all push themselves.
The movie, especially by today’s standards, feels like a made-for-TV movie. The basic premise of a family coping with the death of their son, Conrad’s survivor guilt, and his father trying to understand both Conrad and his wife’s reaction to the death while fighting to hold his family together should have just been a Sunday night picture…even in the ’80s. It has Lifetime written all over it. Redford however managed to pull the movie above the trite plot elements into something better.
What really makes Ordinary People soar is the acting. Hutton (for unknown reasons) is considered the “supporting actor” though he is the focus of the movie. He’s young and does a great job showing his struggling with Hirsh as a nice foil to his self-loathing and to push him to the realization of his problems. Sutherland also gets the short end of the stick by having the least meaty role in the film, but does a great job with what he has.
So doc…am I crazy?
The real standout in this movie is Mary Tyler Moore as the cool, cold mother. It would be easy to write her off as unfeeling, but it would also be a disservice to the character. It is such a big turn from the warm Mary Richards of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that everyone loved, and she says the thing that no mother would dare to say in her situation…it is cold and chilling which leads to a great ending which doesn’t leave the movie wrapped up nice and neat.
Should Ordinary People have won the Best Picture Award? No…Raging Bull is clearly better, but that doesn’t mean that Ordinary People wasn’t a quality film. The movie is strong, great looking, and shows some really great turns for some actors you might not expect. Give Ordinary People a chance if you like a nice drama.
