Ordinary People (1980)

Ordinary People (1980)

1980’s Ordinary People is a masterpiece. The story is about how grief can impact and tear apart a family, so this film is a very hard watch and it will most likely leave the viewer in an emotional state. That being said, this film is powerful because of the themes the movie tackles and because of four heartfelt, emotionally-driven acting performances.

 

Tragedy is something every family deals with. Someone dies, thus turning the world into pieces for families. Many families also have underlying problems that they choose to ignore or they cannot see, but are forced to confront these problems when tragedy strikes as it occurs with this one particular family, the Jarrett family. That is the whole essence of this movie, how these very real characters confront their issues.

 

By 1980, Robert Redford was a full-fledged movie star. He was in such movies like Bonnie and Clyde and The Sting. The time was ripe for Redford to make his directorial debut. I am always hesitant about actors becoming directors, but Redford shows right away that he knows how to direct and bring the best out of his actors. You generally won’t get a better directorial debut than what Redford did with this film. He was so good, he deservingly won the Academy Award for Best Director.

 

Based on a book by Judith Guest, this story tackles what it’s like to deal with grief. Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), Calvin (Donald Sutherland), and their son Conrad (Timothy Hutton) are grieving after the other son was tragically killed. Conrad is overcome with guilt because he feels like it is his fault his brother was killed, and he is prone to suicide attempts. In order to deal with his grief, he sees a therapist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch). Beth feels indifferent towards Conrad because she preferred his brother more, so it is up to Calvin to try and hold what is left of the family together.

 

This is one of the movies need to be shown in film classes when it comes to acting because every single actor brought their A-game. They really make you believe that these actors are just ordinary people, instead of well-received actors. Mary Tyler Moore, known for her work with The Mary Tyler Show, is perfectly cast. She does a great job masking her feelings behind her suburban, homebody façade. She plays the Betty Crocker type well, but you see the selfishness of her character because of her preference with her older deceased son. Timothy Hutton makes his film debut here and ended up winning an Oscar for his moving portrayal of Conrad. His character is tortured, is filled to the brim with grief and guilt, and is an outcast at school because of his suicide attempt (although he has two “girlfriends” to help him). I liked the Judd Hirsch character, Dr. Berger because of his optimistic views. His portrayal as a psychologist is one of the very few portrayals that showed the profession in a positive light at the time. Finally, Donald Sutherland delivers another winning performance as Calvin. Calvin wants to do and feel the right things, but does so in an awkward manner. Out of all the characters, his character took the saddest turn of the movie because after a lengthy marriage with this wife, he begins to question their love for the first time.

 

Ordinary People is no easy watch. The film starts with an emotional standoff between the three Jarrett family members, and it gets more emotional from there. Alvin Sargent’s script, which he adapted so well, tackled the ideas of what it means to love and how grief affects people. Each character is given a purpose in the film, and the chance to question their motives and the motives of others. It’s also a movie about change and how it can affect you for the better or for the worst. The acting is a tour-de-force and one of the better acting ensembles of 1980. Robert Redford created a movie that is slow-paced, but emotional, perceptive, and very intelligent. This film is not about actors, but about ordinary people.

 

My Grade: A-