Ordinary People (1980)
Written by Alvin Sargent
Directed by Robert Redford
The more I think about it, the funnier it is to me that I complained so much about how dirty everything looked in the 70’s, and this first film of the 80’s is like, the cleanest thing I’ve ever seen.
I really didn’t know what to expect going into this film, but after seeing the film, it felt like a Best Picture winner: a quiet, character based drama, which seems to be the norm. I think a Best Picture should advance the form a little bit, and this film doesn’t do that, but I still enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore
Being a character-centered piece, there are some really standout performances here. All four leading actors bring their A game to the table, and, love them or hate them, they’re really great. Of the four, the parents, played by Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore, are not great people, but you also can’t fault them for what they’re trying to do...
...I need to pause here. In my mind, it’s very difficult to separate this film from the 2009 musical, Next to Normal. Both plots are strikingly similar: a tragedy strikes down the oldest child, mom can’t cope and therefore can’t connect with the younger child, and dad just wants everything to go back to normal. Granted, there’s some slight differences in the telling, but overall, reflecting on Ordinary People, I was surprised how much I already knew this story, thanks to Next to Normal. So much so, that it feels weird to review this film, because it strangely feels like a rip off, despite it being released nearly 30 years before the musical. Anyway.
Timothy Hutton
There are many great scenes with Timothy Hutton’s character Conrad. I’ve only seen him in one other film, 2004’s Secret Window (where, SPOILER ALERT, he takes a great shovel to the face (which was also all I could picture in my head throughout this film)). His scene with the girl he knew from his time in the hospital is awkward but cute, and his budding relationship with his girlfriend was very sweet. Hutton does an excellent job of making the viewer root for him, while also making us fear that he will slip off the knife edge and do something destructive to himself again.
There’s another interesting point that this brings up. The title of the film is Ordinary People, yet the family we see, as much as they try to be, aren’t ordinary. I think the concept is, even an “ordinary” family has their problems, but this is a family that isn’t like most others. These people are upper middle class, the upper crust of their neighborhood. They can afford proper healthcare (like counseling), that most families, especially now, simply can’t afford. Whether that’s a more incriminating statement about the film, or our current economic and health care situation, I’ll let you decide.
I enjoyed this film more than I thought that I would. People make some poor choices, but there’s a grounded, realistic center to the film. There’s tension, happiness, sadness...the full gamut of emotions is there. I would definitely recommend for a film student or lover. There’s nothing groundbreaking about the film, but it does what film does best: shows us a story that quickly gets the audience emotionally invested.
FINAL GRADE: A-
