I could not take my eyes off "Ordinary People", a brutally honest look at moving on after tragedy. Robert Redford pulls no punches, minces no words, and doesn't sugarcoat a single, painful scene as the story of a suburban family and the secrets they share unfolds.
Athletic, popular Buck Jarrett was the town's Favorite Son... and clearly a favorite son of his mother, WASP-ish Beth (Mary Tyler Moore, boldly playing against type). But when Buck dies during a boat accident, he is survived by his insecure, mild mannered brother Conrad (Timothy Hutton), who incurs Beth's passive aggressive wrath. While meek father Cal (Donald Sutherland) struggles to keep the peace, Conrad seeks the help of a hard nosed psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch) and begins his journey of recovery from survivor's guilt and learns that pain in life is always better than the alternative.
What makes "Ordinary People" stand out from other movies is the fact that it shows, rather tells. That, combined with Moore's peerless performance, reveals how little Beth thinks of poor Conrad. Take a breakfast scene, for instance, where Conrad refuses the French toast Beth makes for him. While Beth chatters on about her plans, she roughly shoves the French toast down the garbage disposal, saying, "You can't save French toast!" Or a devastating scene that takes place late on a school night. Conrad's light is on when he should be asleep... and Beth breezes by his room without so much as a glance. It is powerful stuff.
This is one of the best cast ensemble dramas I've ever seen. Hutton rightly won an Academy Award as the damaged Conrad. He bravely goes through torturous emotional scenes that threaten to tear your heart to shreds. Sutherland is also sympathetic as Cal, a man who has to choose between saving his son or his marriage. Moore, however, owns this movie. I wanted to write off Beth as simply a villain... but I just couldn't. This is a woman who believes in hiding ugly emotions, in placing reputation over familial love, and who flies off on vacation when things get rough. Yet Moore makes Beth someone who, at one time, might have been a truly lovable person, but allowed that part of her to die along with her son. Hirsch is darkly humorous as the rough edged Dr. Berger, and a young Elizabeth McGovern is appealing as a sweet classmate Conrad shows an interest in.
"Ordinary People" is a complex film that refuses to point fingers or go for easy answers, but reveals how there are no happy endings in life; rather, precious moments of joy we should savor in spite of, and because of, the pain.
Athletic, popular Buck Jarrett was the town's Favorite Son... and clearly a favorite son of his mother, WASP-ish Beth (Mary Tyler Moore, boldly playing against type). But when Buck dies during a boat accident, he is survived by his insecure, mild mannered brother Conrad (Timothy Hutton), who incurs Beth's passive aggressive wrath. While meek father Cal (Donald Sutherland) struggles to keep the peace, Conrad seeks the help of a hard nosed psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch) and begins his journey of recovery from survivor's guilt and learns that pain in life is always better than the alternative.
What makes "Ordinary People" stand out from other movies is the fact that it shows, rather tells. That, combined with Moore's peerless performance, reveals how little Beth thinks of poor Conrad. Take a breakfast scene, for instance, where Conrad refuses the French toast Beth makes for him. While Beth chatters on about her plans, she roughly shoves the French toast down the garbage disposal, saying, "You can't save French toast!" Or a devastating scene that takes place late on a school night. Conrad's light is on when he should be asleep... and Beth breezes by his room without so much as a glance. It is powerful stuff.
This is one of the best cast ensemble dramas I've ever seen. Hutton rightly won an Academy Award as the damaged Conrad. He bravely goes through torturous emotional scenes that threaten to tear your heart to shreds. Sutherland is also sympathetic as Cal, a man who has to choose between saving his son or his marriage. Moore, however, owns this movie. I wanted to write off Beth as simply a villain... but I just couldn't. This is a woman who believes in hiding ugly emotions, in placing reputation over familial love, and who flies off on vacation when things get rough. Yet Moore makes Beth someone who, at one time, might have been a truly lovable person, but allowed that part of her to die along with her son. Hirsch is darkly humorous as the rough edged Dr. Berger, and a young Elizabeth McGovern is appealing as a sweet classmate Conrad shows an interest in.
"Ordinary People" is a complex film that refuses to point fingers or go for easy answers, but reveals how there are no happy endings in life; rather, precious moments of joy we should savor in spite of, and because of, the pain.