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Redford’sfilmoneyearbest“ORDINARY PEOPLE”People’ is — Cast: Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Judd Hirsch, Adam Baldwin, Elizabeth McGovern. Screenplay by Alvin Sargent based on Judith Guest’s novel. Produced by Ronald L. Schwary. Directed by Robert Redford. A ParamountPictures release. Rated R. ★ ★ ★ ★by Dann GireHerald film criticRobert Redford’s announced plans to direct his own feature film provoked little more than a cool reaction fromHollywood and the general public. After all, who was he? A pretty-boy superstar who wants to be a big-time director.For years, Redford has remained an underrated actor of intelligence, sensitivity and insight, all qualities that distinguish his directorial debut, “Ordinary People.”“Ordinarv Peo-Lyrical and moving, “Ordinary pie” takes a hard but sympathetic look at a Lake Forest family under attack on two fronts. It is buckling under outside pressure from its upper-middle class environment, yet it’s exploding from interpersonal pressure within.“Ordinary People” is rare moviemaking and easily one of the best films of 1980. But to spurt volumes of superlatives would not do it justice. Redford’s film is deceptively quiet and subtle, avoiding the fireworks display or hyper-pitched soundtracks of big-budget special effects vehicles.BASED ON Judith Guest’s bestselling novel, Redford's film opens with peaceful images of the seemingly se-Movie GuideDann Gire, Film criticFAMILY CONFLICT. Donald Sutherland and Mary emotional calamity in Robert Redford’s Ordinary Tyler Moore play Calvin and Beth, typical North People,” a powerful and sensitive movie that should Shore parents who find themselves on the verge of figure prominently in the Academy Awards this year.rene North Shore as a chorus sings joy- rad (Timothy Hutton), is consumed byTHE TALENTS of Sutherland,ously. Layer by layer, the placid mask is removed, revealing a “normal” fam- and was forced t ily unknowingly in the throes of an chiatric hospital.guilt. He has tried to commit suicide Moore and newcomer Hutton (the latespendemotional holocaust.IN LAKE Forest High School, Con-actor Jim Hutton’s son) never have been put to better use than by Redford here. Sutherland’s multi-dimensionalCalvin and Beth (Donald Sutherland rad struggles to survive in the shadow father integrates well with Moore’s su-and Mary Tyler Moore) are the Lake of his brother’s memory. It’s hard, and perficially cool mother. Hutton’s per-Forest parents, trying to cope with a he knows he needs help, help he silent- formance as the emotionally-torn Con-bitter memory of their older son's accidental death.ly asks for at home but doesn’t get. Exercising a mature judgment, herad is electric. Look for AcademyCalvin is the diligent and loving hus- seeks counseling from a perceptive but the whole production.heapedband/father who plods along, wanting everything to be “all right,” ergo it is. ueiermines 10 orBeth is the chic, in-control woman, sees in the youth.untidy psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch) whoturmoilNever a hair out of place. Never the “wrong” words spoken.booksadapted to the screen for vast rewrites“Ordinary People” paints a depressing yet hope-filled portrait of the family. It’s the “Kramer vs.1980. Bring Kleenex.I usually don’t advise ignoring theKramerrp. „ to change both tone and content of the rating of a motion picture, but for “Or-e a lenated younger brother, Con- story. “Ordinary People” stays re- dinary People,” I do. The film was un-’.'.v-XittOP.w.v.v • •«•»* • -markably faithful to its source and proves itself a rare example of powerful story-telling.It would have been easy to make the psychiatrist the hero, fixer of emotional wounds, etc. In most “commercialized” pictures he might have been. Butfairly slapped with an R because of a four-letter word for intercourse that crops up during several emotional confrontations.Parents shouldn’t be afraid to take their mature teen-agers to see this important film. The profanity is an in-“Ordinary People” is anything but or- trinsic part of the script and is neverdinary. The cliches, the obvious story- exploited.lines and the Hollywood phoniness are absent, as is the happy ending. We feel as though we’ve lived with a family being strangled by its own inability to see the causes of its problems.“Ordinary People” opens today atWoodfield in Schaumburg, Yorktown in Lombard, Golf Mill in Niles, Cfid Or-Skofaetheaters.
Newspaper Details
Arlington Heights Daily Herald Suburban Chicago
Arlington Heights, Illinois, US
Fri, Sep 26, 1980
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Rotten T.
USA 19 Jul 2022
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