ORDINARY PEOPLE
A film review by Walter Frith
Copyright 1997 Walter Frith
Comments on this review may also be sent to wfrith@icom.ca
In the motion picture industry it's not easy to win an Academy Award for your first effort on screen, especially if you hapen to be the film's director but that's exactly what happened to Robert Redford as his emotional and psychological drama 'Ordinary People' walked away with additional Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton), Best Screenplay Adaptation (Alvin Sargent based on Judith Guest's novel) and the most distinguished prize, Best Picture of 1980.
The film starts off simple, almost non-effective and tells the story of an upper class family whose struggle to stay together is constantly tested after the eldest son dies at sea in a boating accident. Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore portray the parents and Timothy Hutton is their only remaining son who was on the boat with his elder brother who died. Hutton's character develops a mind bending trauma based on self created guilt and a confusion of conscience and seeks help from a psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch) for his problems.
As 'Ordinary People' progresses there is a steady deterioration of the relationship between Moore and Hutton as their mother and son relationship takes a turn for the worst every time they are forced to be close together as one example points out when the family is visiting other relatives for a gathering and Hutton stands with his arms folded in front of his body when near his mother as she feels uncomfortable about having a picture taken with her son because deep down, there is unjust resentment towards him for the accident previously mentioned.
'Ordinary People' becomes a fascinating and grand character study each minute more its on screen and concludes with what is a debatable ending of whether or not the characters involved can truly get on with their lives in an 'ordinary' fashion. One of the truly stunning and deeply moving films of the 1980's.
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