Weekend Classics

Directed by first-time filmmaker Robert Redford — more than years deep into his acting career at the time — ORDINARY PEOPLE stars Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore in this intense examination of a family being torn apart by tension and tragedy. Superb performances and masterful direction complement the award-winning screenplay, based upon the novel by Judith Guest.

The Maclean brothers, Paul (Brad Pitt, in a pivotal early role) and Norman (Craig Sheffer), live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister (Tom Skerritt), the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. Robert Redford directs Norman McClean’s semi-autobiographical novel in the bucolic splendor of Montana.