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Ordinary People
on DVD (1980)
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| Starring: |
Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth McGovern, M. Emmet Walsh |
| Director: |
Robert Redford |
| Studio: |
PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time: |
119 mins |
| Certificate: |
 |
| User collections: |
Reel Classics, Academy Award Winners: Best Picture |
| Genres: |
Drama |
| Languages: |
English |
| Dubbed: |
French, German, Italian, Spanish |
| Hearing-impaired: |
English |
| Subtitles: |
Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish |
| Released: |
02/12/2002
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| Also Available on: |
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Brief synopsis of Ordinary People
Devastated by the loss of their older son, Calvin (Donald Sutherland) and Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), a well-to-do suburban couple, are trying to rebuild their lives after their younger son, Conrad (Timothy Hutton), attempts suicide. While Beth, who always favored the elder son, retreats into an icy, emotionless shell, Calvin tries to draw Conrad back into the family and into life as a teenager. Conrad sings in the choir and returns to the swim team, but both his brother's death and his own experiences traumatize him. Conrad reluctantly begins therapy sessions with Berger (Judd Hirsch), which allow him some respite from the unbearable grief and guilt he carries with him. As Conrad makes strides, Calvin realizes that he no longer knows his wife and is both saddened and angered by how seemingly emotionless she has become. A classic portrait of family life in the face of tragedy, Robert Redford's award-winning directorial debut is moving and thought provoking. Based on the novel by Judith Guest, the film features the debuts of Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth McGovern as well as outstanding performances from Moore and Sutherland.
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Related
Critics Reviews
Radio Times
A critically acclaimed blockbuster in its time, Ordinary People won four Oscars, including best film and best director for Robert Redford, stepping behind the camera for the first time. There is one truly great performance from Mary Tyler Moore as the thin, elegant, golfing and social-mixing mother strung tighter than a piano wire, and she is ably assisted by Donald Sutherland and Timothy Hutton, who won a best supporting actor Oscar. Even though there is something very pat about Redford's exposition of the seemingly cosy middle-class family simmering with unconscious angst after the death of a son, and the movie has appeared more banal and obvious with the passage of time, this is still an auspicious directorial debut that stands as one of the first films to deal intelligently with the role of therapy.
Halliwell's Film Guide
An actor's piece which on that level succeeds very well, and accurately pins down a certain species of modern American family.
Time Out
Any movie starring the all-American dream mum Mary Tyler Moore as a neurotic, domineering mother, papering over the...
Read more on www.timeout.com
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