File:OrdinaryPeople.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Ordinary People
Sign in to save1980 film by Robert Redford
OverviewAI-generated
Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford. The cast includes Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, and Judd Hirsch. The screenplay was written by Alvin Sargent, Judith Guest, and Nancy Dowd, based on a work by Judith Guest. John Bailey served as the director of photography, while Jeff Kanew was the film editor. Ronald L. Schwary produced the film, which was distributed by Paramount Pictures and Netflix.
The movie has a runtime of 124 minutes and is presented in English. Its narrative is set in Illinois and focuses on a dysfunctional family. Marvin Hamlisch composed the music. The film received the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The tagline for the film is "Everything is in its proper place... except the past."
Synthesized by Vinony from 41 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, TMDb, IMDb, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Film · TMDB
7.4Beth, 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.
Cast
- Donald Sutherland as Calvin Jarrett
- Mary Tyler Moore as Beth Jarrett
- Judd Hirsch as Dr. Berger
- Timothy Hutton as Conrad Jarrett
- M. Emmet Walsh as Swim Coach
- Elizabeth McGovern as Jeannine Pratt
Themes
- chicago, illinois
- depression
- post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)
- based on novel or book
- suicide attempt
- middle class
- dysfunctional family
- grief
- bereavement
- psychiatrist
This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
Key facts
- Directed by
- Robert Redford
- Screenplay by
- Alvin Sargent
- Based on
- Ordinary People , by Judith Guest
- Produced by
- Ronald L. Schwary
- Starring
- Donald Sutherland , Mary Tyler Moore , Judd Hirsch , Timothy Hutton
- Cinematography
- John Bailey
- Edited by
- Jeff Kanew
- Music by
- Marvin Hamlisch
- Production company
- Wildwood Enterprises, Inc
- Distributed by
- Paramount Pictures
- Release date
- September 19, 1980 ( 1980-09-19 )
- Running time
- 124 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Budget
- $6.2 million
- Box office
- $90 million
via Wikipedia infobox
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film, the first feature directed by Robert Redford. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of a wealthy family in Lake Forest, Illinois, after one son dies in an accident and the other attempts to die by suicide. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton.
Released to theaters by Paramount Pictures on September 19, 1980, Ordinary People met commercial and critical success. The film grossed $90 million on a $6.2 million budget. Reviewers praised Redford's direction, Sargent's screenplay, and the performances of the cast. The film was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 1980, and had six nominations at the 53rd Academy Awards, winning four: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Hutton (the youngest recipient at age 20). In addition, the film won five awards at the 38th Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Actress (Moore), and Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor (Hutton).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ordinary People” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.