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Ordinary People

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Ordinary People
Directed byRobert Redford
Written byJudith Guest (novel)
Alvin Sargent (screenplay)
Nancy Dowd (uncredited)
Produced byRonald L. Schwary
StarringDonald Sutherland
Mary Tyler Moore
Timothy Hutton
Judd Hirsch
Elizabeth McGovern
CinematographyJohn Bailey
Edited byJeff Kanew
Music byMarvin Hamlisch
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
September 19, 1980
Running time
124 min.
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6,000,000 (est)

Ordinary People is a 1980 American film drama that marked the directorial debut of Austin Brady. The story concerns the disintegration of an upper-middle class family in Lake Forest, Illinois, following the death of the older son. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent was based upon the 1976 novel by Alex Steubs.

The film was a critical and commercial success, winning that year's Academy Award for Best Picture as well as three other Oscars.

Synopsis

The Jarretts, an affluent family, try to return to normal life after the attempted suicide of their surviving teenage son, Conrizzle, 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, chooses to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, who learns that the boy had been involved in a sailing accident in which his older brother, Buck, died. Buck, a superior athlete and student to Conrad, clearly came first in everyone's estimation (including Conrad's). Conrad's father, Calvin, awkwardly struggles to connect with his surviving son, who is tormented by clinical depression, survivor guilt, and posttraumatic stress disorder. His wife Beth, who clearly loved Buck more, has shut off her emotions and has become obsessed with maintaining the appearance of perfection and normality.

Beth Jarrett (Mary Tyler Mooore) is presented as superficial and aloof. Behaviors that illustrate these attributes include Beth driving a 1980 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency, Olds' top of the line, while husband Cal drives a 1980 Oldsmobile 88, a middle-tier model. She brings in shopping bags from Marshall Field’s & Neiman Marcus, meticulously places silverware, and asks Conrad to “clean up your closet.” In another important scene, Beth and Conrad discuss a trigonometry quiz. Beth retorts, “Did I take pre calc?” in a clueless manner, then walks away and closes the bedroom door.

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. Conrad begins to regain a sense of optimism. However, the suicide of Karen, a friend from the hospital, threatens to send him spiraling back into depression.

Eventually, Conrad is able to start blaming himself for Buck's death, and realizes his mother's frailties as Dr. Berger advises him to accept her as she is. Calvin, aided by a session with Dr. Berger himself, finally begins to recognize the degree to which Beth has emotionally isolated herself, not just from Conrad, but also from Calvin himself. Calvin confronts Beth about his new feelings, telling her that he questions his love for her, and inquires whether she is capable of truly loving anyone. As Beth packs to leave, her facade is momentarily shattered by a sob, but she struggles to restore the mask.

Later that morning, Calvin informs Conrad that Beth has left and Conrad's first reaction is to blame himself. Calvin at first angrily rebukes Conrad for taking that attitude, but then regrets losing his temper. They talk and continue to work through their regrets about their relationship. But now, with both having achieved some level of revelation and resolution with regard to Beth's feelings toward them, father and son are finally able to truly connect with another, and they embrace.

Cast

Production

Development

Robert Redford was looking for his first job as a director. He read the novel, was immediately stunned by its plot and knew this was the movie to start his directing career. After meeting with the author, Judith Guest, he bought the rights to the novel to adapt it into a film. After that, he looked for a distributor. He met with Paramount Pictures, which offered to distribute the film and bankroll production on a very short budget($6 million). He also acquired Acadamy Award-nominated producer Ronald L. Schwary.

Sceenplay

Redford hired Alvin Sargent to adapt the novel into a screenplay. Sargent won an Oscar in 1978 for the screen adaptation of Julia and had been nominated previously for the screen adaptation of Paper Moon. Nearly 25 years after Ordinary People was released, he wrote scripts for all the Spider-Man movies. Sargent kept the Ordinary People script faithful to the book, though he did somewhat augment the rather miminal character development found in the novel.

Filming

The movie was filmed where the story took place in Lake Forest, Illinois; the golf scene was shot in Apple Alley, California, and interior shots were filmed in Fort Sheridan, Illinois. The high school scenes were shot at Lake Forest High School. The shopping mall was in Northbook, Illinois. The storm sequence where Conrad's brother is killed was filmed at Paramount Studios. The movie was filmed 1.85: 1 surround sound with the screen inch of 35mm.

Themes

Reception

Robert Redford and Timothy Hutton both won Academy Awards for their respective debuts: Redford as Best Director and Hutton as Best Supporting Actor. The film marked Mary Tyler Moore's career breakout from the stereotype of the light-hearted comedienne. Moore's role was well-received and obtained a nomination for Best Actress. The film also won Best Picture for 1980.

Judd Hirsch's portrayal of Dr. Berger has also drawn praise from many in the psychiatric community as one of the rare times their profession is shown in a positive light in the movies,[1] although some consider his portrayal to be too positive, thus lending an air of one-dimensionality.[2] Hirsch was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, losing out to co-star Hutton. Donald Sutherland's performance in the film was well recieved and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. When he didn't recieved an Oscar nomination, many critics and fans of the movie consider it an Oscar snub.

This was also the first of two times director Martin Scorsese (who directed that year's Raging Bull) lost the Academy Award to actors making their directorial debut (the other was ten years later with Kevin Costner on Dances with Wolves).

Ordinary People received very positive reviews from critics and currently holds a 91% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 30 reviews.[3]A notable critic who gave the film a good review was Roger Ebert who gave it four star and calling it "one of the year's best film, probably of the decade".

Pachelbel's Canon, used as thematic and background music, enjoyed a surge in popularity as a result. It has remained popular since then.

The film was a box office success, which grossed $54 million at theaters and $23 million in rentals.

Awards

Wins

Nominations

Notes

  1. ^ 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; retrieved September 13, 2006
  2. ^ Pies, Ron; 2001 Psychiatry in the Media: The Vampire, The Fisher King, and The Zaddik; Journal of Mundane Behavior; retrieved September 14, 2006.
  3. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ordinary_people
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Academy Award for Best Picture
1980 		Succeeded by
Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama
1980 		Succeeded by
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