Ordinary People is an Academy Award-winning 1980 American motion picture drama and the directorial debut of Robert Redford. The story is about the disintegration of an upper middle class  family inLake Forest, Illinois, following the death of the oldest son. It was based upon the 1976 novel by Judith Guest.

The film was a critical and commercial success, winning that year’s Academy Award for Best Picture and various other major film awards.

The Jarretts, a family from Chicago’s North Shore, try to return to normal life after the attempted suicide of their teenage son, Conrad, who has recently come home following a four-month stay in a psychiatric hospital. Alienated from his friends and family, Conrad, having left the hospital, must still see a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, who learns that the boy had been involved in a sailing accident that killed his beloved older brother, Buck. Buck, a superior athlete and student to Conrad, clearly came first in everyone’s estimation (including Conrad’s). Calvin Jarrett, the father, awkwardly struggles to connect with his surviving son, who is tormented by clinical depression, survivor guilt, and post-traumatic stress disorder. His wife Beth, who clearly loved the dead son more, has shut off her emotions and vulnerability and has become obsessed with maintaining the appearance of perfection and normality.

As Conrad successfully works with Dr. Berger and learns to allow himself to have feelings, he starts dating Jeannine, a kind and nonjudgmental girl from his school choir, and begins to regain a sense of optimism. But the suicide of a friend from the hospital threatens to send him spiraling back into depression.

Finally, Conrad is able to stop blaming himself for Buck’s death, and the boy realizes his mother’s frailties–and Dr. Berger advises him to accept her as she is. Calvin, aided by some sessions with Dr. Berger himself, realizes that he no longer loves Beth. As Beth packs to leave, her facade is momentarily shattered by a sob, but the mask returns.

Robert Redford and Timothy Hutton both won Academy Awards for their respective debuts: Redford as a director and Hutton as an actor. The movie marked Mary Tyler Moore’s career breakout from the stereotype of the light-hearted comedienne. The film also won Best Picture.

Ordinary People

delete reply philsgal7759 wrote on Mar 2, ’08 A great movie I haven’t seen it in years

edit delete reply lauritasita wrote on Mar 2, ’08 I wasn’t used to seeing Mary Tyler Moore in such a serious role.

delete reply redheadgirl4 wrote on Mar 3, ’08 I didn’t realize this film had won so many Oscars. It’s such a sad, sad movie, but so brilliant! Thanks for the reminder of a great movie, I think I’m going to watch this one again soon!

delete reply starfishred wrote on Mar 3, ’08 Missed this one that was about the time we left america to come east hehehehe.

edit delete reply lauritasita wrote on Mar 3, ’08 The acting was great.

delete reply vickiecollins wrote on Mar 4, ’08 I watch this movie a long time ago, but remember it still. I remember that I hated Beth, even thought she was played by Mary Tyler Moore, who I had never seen play anything by “mary sunshine” type roles before this one. I also seem to remember thinking or believing at the time that the mother, Beth was really a very fragile person…who had managed to keep the worst of her neurosis hidden as long as Buck was alive. With Buck’s death, she retreated even further into a coldness that as I remember was her tendency. Regardless, I found Beth not very likeable even thought I did manage to drench up a little sympathy after some thought but mostly I felt sorry for her husband and son. Of course some of my reaction could have been due to my own issues with my own mother, which speaks to the fact that a movie like this one often touch parts of our own lives..which is why we react to them.

delete reply nicholasjv wrote on Mar 4, ’08 This was a dark and melancholy movie. I haven’t seen it again after watching it the first time time round. I must hunt it out and see it again. Thanks for participating in Movie Monday, Laurita!

delete reply fluffyj wrote on Mar 24, ’08 I’ve seen this, and I found it to be a very interesting movie. I found the story of recovery absorbing. Not the kind of movie I usually like to watch, but this was excellent.