Directed by Robert Redford (his directorial debut) and released in 1980, Ordinary People is one of those movies I had heard many great things about, but never got around to watching. Well, I came across the Blu-Ray for a decent price and as I have been on an early 80s movie kick lately, I picked it up and I was excited to watch it.
How to Download Ordinary People
Ordinary People was released on September 19, 1980. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. We also recommend that you watch Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
The Movie Review
I would also learn that this movie cleaned up at the Academy Awards. It was nominated for six Academy Awards and won four of them, including the Best Picture award. One of the main things I had heard about Ordinary People was that Mary Tyler Moore gives an epic performance and you can now add me to the many, many people who think that.
Let me tell you, this is pretty brutal stuff and it delivers gut punch after gut punch and I cannot think of another character I have felt as sorry for as Conrad Jarrett. Conrad is played by Timothy Hutten and he is the youngest son of Calvin and Beth, played amazingly by Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore.
The Emotional Impact of Ordinary People
The Jarrett family is on the surface your typical American suburban family from the 80s, but behind closed doors, things are not good. Their eldest son, Buck was killed in a tragic sailing accident and Conrad has blamed himself so much, that he attempted suicide. Causing him to spend several weeks in a psychiatric hospital.
The Struggles of Conrad Jarrett
Conrad returns home and things are super frosty and tense with his mother Beth. Beth is very cold towards Conrad, who is trying to find his place in the family. Conrad is trying hard and is talking through his problems with a therapist as he tries to move forward with his life. It is so heartbreaking to see Conrad try so hard and get moments of happiness here and there only for reality to smack him in the face.
These smacks in the face tend to come from Beth. Mary Tyler Moore is amazing as Beth, I truly hated her and by the end of the movie, I was like good riddance, Conrad and Calvin are better without you. While Beth is cold, distant and mean, Carter tries so hard to be there for his son and the relationship between Conrad and Carter is one of the warmest parts of the movie.
The Award-Winning Performances in Ordinary People
What really makes Ordinary People such a captivating movie is the performances. Timothy Hutton at just 20 years old won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award and Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore were nominated for a bunch of awards too with Mary Tyler Moore winning the Best Actress award at the following year’s Golden Globes award. You forget you are watching a movie and feel like you are watching real people and that is why you get so invested in the story here.
Why You Should Download Ordinary People
Out of all the 80s movies that I missed, Ordinary People hit me the hardest. This is one of the best dramas I have seen in a very long time and even though this is from 1980, the story and message are just as powerful today. I can see myself watching this again at some point and I will be interested to see if the hard hits are a little softer the second time around.
