Ordinary People: Difference between revisions

Ordinary People
Ordinary People
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Redford
Screenplay by	Alvin Sargent
Based on	Ordinary People; by Judith Guest
Produced by	Ronald L. Schwary
Starring	Donald Sutherland; Mary Tyler Moore; Judd Hirsch; Timothy Hutton
Cinematography	John Bailey
Edited by	Jeff Kanew
Music by	Marvin Hamlisch
Production; company	Wildwood Enterprises, Inc
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	September 19, 1980;
Running time	124 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6.2 million
Box office	$90 million

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Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford in his feature directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of a wealthy family in Lake Forest, Illinois, following the accidental death of one of their two sons and the attempted suicide of the other. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton.

Ordinary People was released theatrically on September 19, 1980, by Paramount Pictures to critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised Redford's direction, Sargent's screenplay, and the performances of the cast. The film, which grossed $90 million on a $6.2 million budget, was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 1980, and garnered six nominations at the 53rd Academy Awards, winning four: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Hutton (the youngest recipient at age 20).^[2] In addition, the film won five awards at the 38th Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Actress (Moore), Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Hutton).

Plot

The Jarretts are an upper-middle-class family in Lake Forest, a wealthy suburb north of Chicago. They are trying to return to normal life after experiencing the accidental death of their older teenage son, Buck, and the attempted suicide of their younger and surviving son, Conrad. Conrad has recently returned home after spending four months in a psychiatric hospital. He feels alienated from his friends and family and seeks help from a psychiatrist, Dr. Tyrone Berger, who discovers that Conrad was involved in the sailing accident that caused Buck's death. Conrad is now dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and is seeking help to cope with his emotions.

Conrad's father, Calvin, attempts to connect with his surviving son and understand his wife, while Conrad's mother, Beth, denies her loss, hoping to maintain her composure and restore her family to what it once was. She appears to have favored her older son and has grown cold toward Conrad due to his suicide attempt. Beth is determined to maintain the appearance of perfection and normality, and her efforts only serve to alienate Conrad further. Conrad works with Dr. Berger and begins to learn how to deal with his emotions rather than control them. He starts dating a fellow student, Jeannine, who helps him regain a sense of optimism. However, Conrad still struggles to communicate and establish normal relationships with his parents and schoolmates.

Beth and Conrad often argue while Calvin tries to referee, generally taking Conrad's side for fear of pushing him over the edge again. Tensions escalate near Christmas when Conrad becomes furious at Beth for not wanting to take a photo with him, swearing at her in front of his grandparents. Afterwards, Beth discovers Conrad has been lying about his after-school whereabouts. This leads to a heated confrontation between Conrad and Beth in which Conrad points out that Beth never visited him in the hospital; Conrad argues that if Buck had been hospitalized in his place, she would have gone to see him, to which Beth curtly replies that Buck would never have been in the hospital in the first place. Beth and Calvin take a trip to see Beth's brother Ward in Houston, where Calvin presses Beth about her evasive attitude.

Conrad suffers a setback when he learns that Karen, a friend from the psychiatric hospital, has committed suicide. A cathartic breakthrough session in the middle of the night with Dr. Berger allows Conrad to stop blaming himself for Buck's death and accept his mother's frailties. However, when Conrad tries to show affection, Beth is unresponsive, leading Calvin to emotionally confront her one last time. He questions their love and asks whether she is capable of truly loving anyone. Stunned, Beth packs her bags and goes back to Houston. Calvin and Conrad are left to come to terms with their new family situation, affirming their father-son love.

Cast

Donald Sutherland as Calvin Jarrett
Mary Tyler Moore as Beth Jarrett
Judd Hirsch as Tyrone C. Berger
Timothy Hutton as Conrad Jarrett
Elizabeth McGovern as Jeannine Pratt
M. Emmet Walsh as Salan
Dinah Manoff as Karen Aldrich
Fredric Lehne as Joe Lazenby
James B. Sikking as Ray Hanley
Basil Hoffman as Sloan
Quinn Redeker as Ward Butler
Mariclare Costello as Audrey Butler
Richard Whiting as Howard Butler
Meg Mundy as Ellen Butler
Elizabeth Hubbard as Ruth
Adam Baldwin as Kevin Stillman
Scott Doebler as Buck Jarrett

Casting

Gene Hackman was originally cast as Calvin Jarrett but then later dropped out when he and the studio could not come to a financial agreement.^[3]

A then-unknown Michael J. Fox, who had just moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, auditioned for the role of Conrad Jarrett but reportedly did not impress Redford, who flossed his teeth during Fox's audition.^[4]^[5]

Natalie Wood was also considered for the role of Beth.

Reception

Box office

The film was a box-office success, grossing $54 million in the United States and Canada^[6] and approximately $36 million overseas^[7] for a worldwide gross of $90 million.

Critical reception

Ordinary People received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 90%, based on 105 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Robert Redford proves himself a filmmaker of uncommon emotional intelligence with Ordinary People, an auspicious debut that deftly observes the fractioning of a family unit through a quartet of superb performances."^[8]

Roger Ebert gave it a full four stars and praised how the film's setting "is seen with an understated matter-of-factness. There are no cheap shots against suburban lifestyles or affluence or mannerisms: The problems of the people in this movie aren't caused by their milieu, but grow out of themselves. ... That's what sets the film apart from the sophisticated suburban soap opera it could easily have become."^[9] He later named it the fifth best film of the year 1980; while colleague Gene Siskel ranked it the second best film of 1980.^[10]

Writing for The New York Times, Vincent Canby called it "a moving, intelligent and funny film about disasters that are commonplace to everyone except the people who experience them."^[11]

The film marked a career breakout for Mary Tyler Moore from the personalities of her other two famous roles: Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Moore's nuanced portrayal of the mother to Hutton's character was highly acclaimed, and earned her a Best Actress nomination.^[12] Donald Sutherland's performance as the father was also well received and earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Despite his co-stars receiving nominations, Sutherland was overlooked for an Academy Award, which Entertainment Weekly has described as one of the biggest acting snubs in the history of the awards.^[13]

Judd Hirsch's portrayal of Dr. Berger was a departure from his work on the sitcom Taxi, and drew praise from many in the psychiatric community as one of the rare times their profession is shown in a positive light in film.^[14] Hirsch was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, losing out to co-star Hutton. Additionally, Ordinary People launched the career of Elizabeth McGovern who played Hutton's character's love interest, and who received special permission to film while attending Juilliard.

The film's prominent usage of Pachelbel's Canon, which had been relatively obscure for centuries, helped to usher the piece into mainstream popular culture.^[15]

Analysis

Julia L. Hall, a journalist who has written extensively about narcissistic personality disorder, wrote in 2017 upon Moore's death that she "portrays her character's narcissism to a tee in turn after turn."^[16] She praised Moore for taking such a career risk so soon after having played such a memorable and likable character on television, "scaffolding gaping emptiness with a persona of perfection, supported by denial, blame, rejection, and rage."^[16]

Accolades

The film was nominated for six Academy Awards (winning four), including the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (for Hutton) in his first film role.^[12]

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	Best Picture	Ronald L. Schwary	Won	^[17]
	Best Director	Robert Redford	Won
	Best Actress	Mary Tyler Moore	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Judd Hirsch	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Timothy Hutton	Won
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alvin Sargent	Won
British Academy Film Awards	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Mary Tyler Moore	Nominated	^[18]
British Academy Film Awards	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Timothy Hutton	Nominated	^[18]
Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures	Robert Redford	Won	^[19]
Golden Globe Awards	Best Motion Picture – Drama		Won	^[20]
	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama	Donald Sutherland	Nominated
	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama	Mary Tyler Moore	Won
	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Judd Hirsch	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Timothy Hutton	Won
	Best Director – Motion Picture	Robert Redford	Won
	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture	Alvin Sargent	Nominated
	New Star of the Year – Actor	Timothy Hutton	Won
Japan Academy Film Prize	Outstanding Foreign Language Film		Nominated
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Film		Won	^[21]
	Best Director	Robert Redford	Won
	Best Supporting Actor	Timothy Hutton	Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Timothy Hutton	Won	^[22]
Nastro d'Argento	Best Foreign Director	Robert Redford	Nominated
National Board of Review Awards	Best Film		Won	^[23]
	Top Ten Films		Won
	Best Director	Robert Redford	Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Actress	Mary Tyler Moore	2nd Place	^[24]
National Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Timothy Hutton	2nd Place	^[24]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Film		Won	^[25]
	Best Director	Robert Redford	Runner-up
	Best Actress	Mary Tyler Moore	Runner-up
	Best Supporting Actor	Timothy Hutton	Runner-up
Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium	Alvin Sargent	Won	^[26]

Home media

Ordinary People was released on DVD in 2001.^[27] It was released on Blu-ray in March 2022, featuring a 4K restoration of the film.^[28]

References

^ Harmetz, Aljean (May 30, 1981). "Pryor and Alda Proving Stars Still Sell Movies". The New York Times. p. 1.10. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
^ "Academy Awards: Best Director Facts and Trivia". filmsite.org. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
^ Wuntch, Philip (November 14, 1985). "Gene Hackman Happy with his Career Despite 'Honorable Disappointments'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
^ Lang, Brent (May 11, 2023). "Michael J. Fox Looks Back on Hollywood Triumphs, Setbacks and Why 'Parkinson's Is the Gift That Keeps on Taking'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
^ Late Night with David Letterman. October 23, 1985. NBC. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VmnP-tSI-4 Archived June 20, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
^ Ordinary People at Box Office Mojo
^ Watkins, Roger (April 29, 1981). "CIC Sights a $235-Mil Global Windfall". Variety. p. 3.
^ "Ordinary People (1980)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1980). "Ordinary People review". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
^ "Siskel and Ebert Top Ten Lists (1969–1998)". innermind.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
^ Canby, Vincent (September 19, 1980). "Redford's Ordinary People". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Siegel, Scott and Barbara (1990). The Encyclopedia of Hollywood.
^ "25 Biggest Oscar Snubs Ever: Donald Sutherland, Ordinary People". Entertainment Weekly. March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ Martin, Linda B. (January 25, 1981). "The Psychiatrist in Today's Movies: He's Everywhere and He's in Deep Trouble". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2006.
^ Fink, Robert (2010). "Prisoners of Pachelbel: An Essay in Post-Canonic Musicology". Hamburg Jahrbuch. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Hall, Julie L. (February 11, 2017). "Remembering Mary Tyler Moore as the Chilling Narcissist Mother in 'Ordinary People'". The Narcissist Family Files. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
^ "The 53rd Academy Awards". oscars.org. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "Film in 1982". awards.bafta.org. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "Redford Wins Directors' Prize". The New York Times. March 17, 1981. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "1981 Golden Globe Awards". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "KCFCC Award Winners – 1980-89". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. December 14, 2013. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
^ "6th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". lafca.net. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "1980 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ Maslin, Janet (January 7, 1981). "'Melvin and Howard' is Chosen as Best Film". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "Ordinary People' Wins N.Y. Film Critics' Award". The Pittsburgh Press. December 31, 1980. p. 7. Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ O’Neil, Tom (March 2001). "And the Winners Were..." Written By. WGA. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ Redford, Robert (April 25, 2017), Ordinary People, retrieved July 30, 2022
^ "Ordinary People (Paramount Presents) Blu-ray Review | High Def Digest". bluray.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

External links

Ordinary People at AllMovie
Ordinary People at Box Office Mojo
Ordinary People at IMDb
Ordinary People at Rotten Tomatoes
Ordinary People at the TCM Movie Database
Ordinary People at Metacritic

[pryor-1] Harmetz, Aljean (May 30, 1981). "Pryor and Alda Proving Stars Still Sell Movies". The New York Times. p. 1.10. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.

[2] "Academy Awards: Best Director Facts and Trivia". filmsite.org. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[3] Wuntch, Philip (November 14, 1985). "Gene Hackman Happy with his Career Despite 'Honorable Disappointments'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.

[4] Lang, Brent (May 11, 2023). "Michael J. Fox Looks Back on Hollywood Triumphs, Setbacks and Why 'Parkinson's Is the Gift That Keeps on Taking'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.

[5] Late Night with David Letterman. October 23, 1985. NBC. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VmnP-tSI-4 Archived June 20, 2024, at the Wayback Machine

[mojo-6] Ordinary People at Box Office Mojo

[7] Watkins, Roger (April 29, 1981). "CIC Sights a $235-Mil Global Windfall". Variety. p. 3.

[RT-8] "Ordinary People (1980)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2024.

[9] Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1980). "Ordinary People review". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.

[10] "Siskel and Ebert Top Ten Lists (1969–1998)". innermind.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.

[11] Canby, Vincent (September 19, 1980). "Redford's Ordinary People". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2018.

[Siegel-12] Siegel, Scott and Barbara (1990). The Encyclopedia of Hollywood.

[13] "25 Biggest Oscar Snubs Ever: Donald Sutherland, Ordinary People". Entertainment Weekly. March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[psychiatrist-14] Martin, Linda B. (January 25, 1981). "The Psychiatrist in Today's Movies: He's Everywhere and He's in Deep Trouble". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2006.

[prisoners-15] Fink, Robert (2010). "Prisoners of Pachelbel: An Essay in Post-Canonic Musicology". Hamburg Jahrbuch. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2020.

[Hall-16] Hall, Julie L. (February 11, 2017). "Remembering Mary Tyler Moore as the Chilling Narcissist Mother in 'Ordinary People'". The Narcissist Family Files. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.

[17] "The 53rd Academy Awards". oscars.org. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[18] "Film in 1982". awards.bafta.org. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[19] "Redford Wins Directors' Prize". The New York Times. March 17, 1981. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[20] "1981 Golden Globe Awards". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[21] "KCFCC Award Winners – 1980-89". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. December 14, 2013. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2021.

[22] "6th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". lafca.net. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[23] "1980 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[24] Maslin, Janet (January 7, 1981). "'Melvin and Howard' is Chosen as Best Film". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[25] "Ordinary People' Wins N.Y. Film Critics' Award". The Pittsburgh Press. December 31, 1980. p. 7. Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[26] O’Neil, Tom (March 2001). "And the Winners Were..." Written By. WGA. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[27] Redford, Robert (April 25, 2017), Ordinary People, retrieved July 30, 2022

[28] "Ordinary People (Paramount Presents) Blu-ray Review | High Def Digest". bluray.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

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v t e Robert Redford
Filmography Awards and nominations
Films directed	Ordinary People (1980) The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) A River Runs Through It (1992) Quiz Show (1994) The Horse Whisperer (1998) The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) Lions for Lambs (2007) The Conspirator (2010) The Company You Keep (2012)
Sundance	Sundance Film Festival Sundance TV Sundance Institute Wildwood Enterprises, Inc
Family	Lola Van Wagenen (first wife) Amy Redford (daughter)

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
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