Ordinary People

"Everything is in its proper place... except the past."

1980 2h 4m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 726

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.

“Everything is in its proper place... except the past.”

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Cast

Donald Sutherland
Calvin Jarrett
Mary Tyler Moore
Beth Jarrett
Judd Hirsch
Dr. Berger
Timothy Hutton
Conrad Jarrett
M. Emmet Walsh
Swim Coach
Elizabeth McGovern
Jeannine Pratt
Dinah Manoff
Karen
Fredric Lehne
Lazenby

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Redford
Writers: Alvin Sargent
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 9.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Redford, shot by John Bailey. 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 Marvin Hamlisch. 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 Jeff Kanew 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

Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Everything is in its proper place... except the past.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0081283 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Redford directs. John Bailey behind the camera. Marvin Hamlisch scores. Jeff Kanew 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 9.1× over at the box office.
246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Robert Redford, shot by John Bailey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jeff Kanew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Everything is in its proper place... except the past.".
8IMDB entry: tt0081283 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 20 themes, including "chicago, illinois", "depression", "post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)", "drowning".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Bailey
Original score: Marvin Hamlisch
Editing: Jeff Kanew
Costume design: Bernie Pollack
Makeup / hair: Joel Israel
Sound: Bill Varney
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $54,766,923
Return: 913% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Ordinary People (1980)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
National Board of Review Award for Best Film
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Director
Academy Award for Best Picture

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

Also by

Robert Redford

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-12-30
★ 7/10
Potent drama with Hutton, Sutherland, Moore and Hirsch A family in an affluent neighborhood north of Chicago tries to recover after a tragedy. Timothy Hutton plays the troubled son who gets help from a therapist (Judd Hirsch) while Donald Sutherland & Mary Tyler Moore play the seemingly okay parents. “Ordinary People” (1980) was Robert Redford’s debut movie in the director’s chair and it was a huge success. The story is two-pronged: It’s a coming-of-age drama about the anxious son at home, school, therapy and his relationships with the fairer sex, as well as a marital drama about the parents. This was Hutton’s first theatrical movie, but you wouldn’t know that by his powerhouse performance, which is on the level of Brando. It’s interesting how simple, realistic drama can be more compelling than some overblown “blockbuster” with an explosion every five minutes. Winsome Elizabeth McGovern is a highlight as one of the girls the son dates. On the negative side, the storm sequences are pretty artificial, reminiscent of a TV flick, and the story almost drowns in its unrelenting drama in the last act (I said “almost”). The film runs 2 hours, 4 minutes, and was mostly shot in suburbs north of Chicago, e.g. Lake Forest and Highland Park. GRADE: B

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