On Golden Pond

"When life is at its finest... when love is at its fullest..."

1981 1h 49m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🔥

91%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.6

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 529🍅91%Rotten Tomatoes●68Metacritic★7.6IMDB · 36,968

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer on golden pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the generational friction that has existed for years.

“When life is at its finest... when love is at its fullest...”

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Cast

Katharine Hepburn
Ethel Thayer
Henry Fonda
Norman Thayer Jr.
Jane Fonda
Chelsea Thayer Wayne
Doug McKeon
Billy Ray
Dabney Coleman
Bill Ray
William Lanteau
Charlie Martin
Christopher Rydell
Sumner Todd
Troy Garity
Young Boy on Jetty (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark Rydell
Writers: Ernest Thompson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mark Rydell, shot by Billy Williams. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert L. Wolfe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When life is at its finest... when love is at its fullest...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0082846 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark Rydell directs. Billy Williams behind the camera. Dave Grusin scores. Robert L. Wolfe cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 8.0× over at the box office.
245 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Mark Rydell, shot by Billy Williams. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Robert L. Wolfe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When life is at its finest... when love is at its fullest...".
8IMDB entry: tt0082846 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "daughter", "lake", "parent child relationship", "son".

The technical file

Cinematography: Billy Williams
Original score: Dave Grusin
Editing: Robert L. Wolfe
Production design: Stephen B. Grimes
Costume design: Dorothy Jeakins
Makeup / hair: Jerry Masarone
Sound: Richard Portman
Stunt coordinator: Walter Scott
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $119,285,432
Return: 795% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: On Golden Pond (1981)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 68/100
IMDB rating: 7.6/10 · 36,968 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Won 3 Oscars. 15 wins & 24 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Actor
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mark Rydell

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-01-25
★ 7/10
Can you just imagine how 15 year old Doug McKeon must have felt when he was cast in a movie with one Hepburn, two Fonda's and almost twenty Oscar nominations between them? Well nervous as he must have been, he acquits himself confidently as "Billy" arrives with his dad (Dabney Coleman) and his new girlfriend "Chelsea" (Jane Fonda) who just happens to be the daughter of the curmudgeonly old "Norman" (Henry Fonda) and wife "Ethel" (Katharine Hepburn) who have a summer home "on Golden Pond". It's clear that the relationship between father and daughter is bit strained, their vitriol is dished out with little love or affection. When "Chelsea" announces that she is to head to Europe with her beau and they want to leave the young lad behind for a month, "Ethel" likes the idea and so it's arranged. The teenager is initially a bit typically recalcitrant but after some butting of heads with "Norm" they find a common affection for chasing "Walter" out on the lake. From here on in, it's all a bit predictable but it's the chemistry between Fonda and Hepburn that shines here. Two old professionals imbuing their characters with a sort of charming crustiness that's embedded in a true love that they convey delicately and frequently quite sarcastically. The photography, indeed the whole location scenario, complements the simplicity of the story admirably and it's one of those films that reminds you of just what a real star was. It also introduces the slightly less decorous phrase "suck face"! The musical scoring is a bit soporific and plinky-plonky, but that's a nit-pick of a classy piece of cinema that even the most cynical would have to raise a smile at.

Production companies