Ordinary People

Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!! FOR ANY AGES AT ANYTIME!
Review: I'm pretty young. I actually wasn't born when this movie came out! But when I saw it just months ago it instantly became one of my fave movies. The observant and touching tale is that of the Jarrets an "ordinary" american family who has come across and extrordinary experience of greif when their older son dies in a boating accident in front of the eyes of their younger boy Conrad portrayed by a brilliant Timothy Hutton who's performance is near spotless. Isn't it amazing that this was his first feature film...really a troubled youth performance that will go down in film history (And it really doesn't hurt the guy that he's gorgeous.) I am very happy he went on instead of dying out young. Anyway back to the story..(I have a little thing for Hutton could you tell...one of my fave actors.) So after witnessing his brothers death Conrad is left with such guilt that he attempts suicide. The movie begins when Conrad has returned to his "ordinary" life with his mother Beth (A fantastic Mary Tyler Moore who does the cold and bitter mother perfectly) and his father Calvin (A touching and tragic Donald Sutherland) both of who are having a hard time faceing the change. It is only when Conrad begins seeing a shrink (A wonderful and empathetic Judd Hirsh...in my opinion he could have been a bit more empathetic but thats just me) that things begin to get riled up and begin to crumble. A deffinate tear jerker but one flick for any age at anytime. Totally deserving of all it's Oscars and more.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best films of all time
Review: Well, this film is easily one of the best I've ever seen. I saw it for the first time around 1981. It was odd, since i was watching with my own dysfunctional family when I was about 14. It's a film that moves you every time you watch it and you can take away something different each time. This is the mark of superb writing, acting and directing. I can't believe that this was Redford's first attempt at directing. It boggles the mind. Just the natural scenes of suburban Chicago alone are well-done.
Although Mary Tyler Moore, Sutherland and Hirch do fantastic jobs as Conrad's parents and psychiatrist, trying to get inside his head, it was Hutton's performance as Conrad that moved me most. He portrays the son left behind by a brother who died in a boating accident. When the movie begins, Conrad has just returned to "normal" after being in the hospital for months due to a suicide attempt. It is ironic that the title is "ordinary" people as this family is far from ordinary. But Hutton's performance, with both emotionality and such a sense of emptiness is one of the most vivid performances I've ever seen. What ever happened to Tim Hutton anyway ?
Mary Tyler Moore's performance of the cold Beth, who seems to still blame Conrad on her favorite son Buck's death, is impeccable. It really makes sense that you could get performances out of her and Tim Hutton of this caliber since both just lost a relative (she her son and Hutton his father) right before filming. Donald Sutherland really portrays the kind of father everyone wants, let's just admit it. He cares very much about his son ! To the point that he would visit his shrink to learn more about what he's going through. Excellent performance and I still don't know why he wasn't nominated.
I could write a short book about this film. Suffice it to say that everyone should see it, despite whether you view your family of origin as dysfunctional or not. We can all relate to certain themes: hiding feelings, being afraid to face pain, facing pain and not knowing what to do with it, loss of friendship, loss of love, "walking on eggshells" in your own home. Ordinary People is an extraordinary film !