Ordinary People film review

Review

Cast & crew

Ordinary People

(1980)

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. SH

Contains swearing.

Tell us what you think
Email us at rtfilmcomments@bbc.co.uk to tell us what you think of this film. Your comments may appear in Radio Times magazine.

Running time

118min

Country of origin

Genre

Drama

Original language

English

Screenplay

Alvin Sargent, from the novel by Judith Guest




awards information


	Award	Category	Name	Nominee/Winner

	Academy 1980	Actor in a Supporting Role	Timothy Hutton	Winner
	Academy 1980	Actor in a Supporting Role	Judd Hirsch	Nominee
	Academy 1980	Actress in a Leading Role	Mary Tyler Moore	Nominee
	Academy 1980	Best Picture		Winner
	Academy 1980	Directing	Robert Redford	Winner
	Academy 1980	Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium)	Alvin Sargent	Winner
	BAFTA 1981	Best Actress	Mary Tyler Moore	Nominee
	Golden Globe 1980	Best Director Motion Picture	Robert Redford	Winner
	Golden Globe 1980	Best Motion Picture Drama		Winner
	Golden Globe 1980	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Motion Picture	Timothy Hutton	Winner
	Golden Globe 1980	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama	Mary Tyler Moore	Winner