"Ordinary People" was the star of the 1981 Academy Awards. Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Redford), Best Screenplay (Alvin Sargent), Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton, in his first cinema film).
But there was immediate griping afterwards, which has continued ever since. "Raging Bull" should have won Best Picture, naysayers said. It is true that "Raging Bull" is an excellent film. But "Ordinary People" is one of the best films ever made, and well deserved its Academy Awards. Indeed, I know of only one film that won Best Picture that is clearly better: "Casablanca". "Schindler's List" and "Chinatown" are about equal in quality to "Ordinary People."
While "Ordinary People" is an outstanding film,
it is not a popular one. Action dregs such as
"The Beastmaster" series get more showings on
television. It is easy to see why many people
(men, in particular) would prefer to watch
"Raging Bull". It's more entertaining watching
Robert De Niro play a boxing champion than
watching Timothy Hutton struggle with depression.
But a film shouldn't be judged by how happy it
makes you feel. "Ordinary People" may be
difficult to watch, but that only adds to its
quality: it faces truths that people do not want
to see.
"Ordinary People" is the story of a troubled
upper-middle-class family. Timothy Hutton is the
guilt-ridden son who survived a boating accident
that killed his brother, and who has recently
been released from a hospital after a near-fatal
suicide attempt. Mary Tyler Moore is his mother,
who has repressed her grief and hostility towards
her son, yet tries to pretend that life can go on
as before. Donald Sutherland is her husband, who
finds himself caught in the middle between wife
and son, wants to keep both, but is powerless to
repair the shattered family.
There's also an excellent supporting cast. Judd
Hirsch is Hutton's psyciatrist, who seeks to pry
Hutton out from his emotional shell. Elizabeth
McGovern is Hutton's love interest, and M. Emmet
Walsh is his disbelieving swimming coach. (97/100)
Devastated by the loss of their older son well-to-do suburban couple Calvin Donald Sutherland and Beth Mary Tyler Moore are trying to rebuild their li...More at Family Video
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