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Ordinary People
1980 124 min United States of America R 16+
★8.3
Drama
Director: Robert Redford
🎭 Based on
«Ordinary People»
byJudith Guest
Trailers
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Description
Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.
Budget:
$6M
US Gross:
$54.77M
Worldwide:
$54.77M
Starring
Donald Sutherland
Actor
Mary Tyler Moore
Actor
Judd Hirsch
Actor
Awards
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Director
Golden Globe 1981
— Breakthrough of the Year
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Picture (Drama)
BAFTA 1982
— Best Actress
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Picture (Drama)
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Screenplay
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Supporting Actor
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Picture
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Director
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Actress
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Supporting Actor
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Adapted Screenplay
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Actress (Drama)
Key opinion
Ordinary People is widely regarded as a masterful, emotionally resonant directorial debut that explores the fragility of the American middle-class family. While some critics find the slow, dialogue-heavy pace to be dull or overly methodical, most viewers praise the film for its raw, non-sensationalized approach to grief and its powerful, nuanced performances.
| Acting | Timothy Hutton's performance is a standout, widely cited as an intense, masterfully realized depiction of teenage trauma. | |
| Direction | The direction successfully avoids Hollywood sentimentality, creating an immersive, documentary-like study of family dysfunction. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is praised for its realistic, character-driven focus on the breakdown of communication within a household. | |
| Emotion | The film's emotional impact is profound for some, who find it a deep and haunting look at grief, while others find the experience detached and flat. | |
| Pacing | The slow, contemplative pacing is viewed by many as essential to the story's gravity, whereas detractors feel it makes the film dull and overlong. |