Part of Weekend Classics: Robert Redford
Directed by first-time filmmaker Robert Redford — more than years deep into his acting career at the time — ORDINARY PEOPLE is an intense examination of a family being torn apart by tension and tragedy. Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore star as the upper-middle-class couple whose “ordinary” existence is irrevocably shattered by the death of their oldest son in a boating accident. Timothy Hutton is the younger son, struggling against suicide and guilt left by the drowning. Judd Hirsch is the empathetic psychiatrist who provides his lifeline to survival. Mary Tyler Moore gives a riveting portrayal of the inexplicably aloof mother. Robert Redford’s achievement as director (see also A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (35mm)) earned him an Oscar. Superb performances and masterful direction complement the award-winning screenplay, based upon the novel by Judith Guest.
“The very real achievement of Robert Redford…is that the Jarretts become important people without losing their ordinariness, without being patronized or satirized…. Mr. Redford's appreciation for his actors is apparent, but it is also disciplined. ORDINARY PEOPLE doesn't look like any director's first movie…. The film's manner is cool, gentle, reserved. It never forces the emotions. It watches them erupt and allows us to make of them what we will.” —Vincent Canby, New York Times (Sep 19, 1980) “Each character in this movie is given the dramatic opportunity to look inside himself, to question his own motives as well as the motives of others, and to try to improve his own ways of dealing with a troubled situation…. It’s not often we get characters who face those kinds of challenges on the screen, nor directors who seek them out. ORDINARY PEOPLE is an intelligent, perceptive, and deeply moving film.” —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (Jan 1, 1980) “Redford does not disappoint. He is one of those rare filmmakers who instinctively know how to tap an actor’s hidden resources.” —Kathleen Carroll, New York Daily News (1980) “A powerfully intimate domestic drama, ORDINARY PEOPLE represents the height of craftsmanship across the board. Robert Redford, well-suited for Donald Sutherland‘s role, stayed behind the camera to make a remarkably intelligent and assured directorial debut…. It’s an actors’ picture, but in addition to his sensitive touch with the players Redford keenly evokes the darkly serene atmosphere of Chicago’s affluent North Shore and effectively portrays this WASP society’s predilection for pretending everything is okay even when it’s not.” —Todd McCarthy, Variety (Sep 17, 1980)
