February 01, 2022
'Ordinary People'
Welcome to F'ed Up Family February, a new series in which we'll dive into dysfunctional family movies that are all rewatchable in their own unique way. To start, The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin dive into the 1980 Best Picture Academy Award-winning drama 'Ordinary People,' starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton, and directed by Robert Redford.
Cast
Timothy Hutton as Conrad Jarrett
Donald Sutherland as Calvin Jarrett
Mary Tyler Moore as Beth Jarrett
Judd Hirsch as Dr. Berger
Elizabeth McGovern as Jeannine Pratt
M. Emmet Walsh as Coach Salan
Adam Baldwin as Stillman
Dinah Manoff as Karen
Directed by: Robert Redford
Written by: Alvin Sargent
Notes
- Part of 'Fucked Up Family February' five-week special series on The Rewatchables.
- Mallory considers this one of her favorite movies of all time; she watched it four times in one weekend in 11th grade.
- Bill argues this movie paved the way for modern indie films – people realized they could make relationship-driven dramas without big stars.
- Sean views it as a 'bridge movie' between the end of New Hollywood (Heaven's Gate) and the more constrained prestige films of the 1980s.
- Pauline Kael's savage review called it a 'prestigious TV movie' and described Mary Tyler Moore as 'a WASP witch whose face is so tense you expected to crack.'
- One of the first movies to dramatize therapy seriously – directly influenced Good Will Hunting's therapy scenes.
- Redford instructed cast and crew not to interact with Timothy Hutton on or off set to make him feel isolated like his character.
- Redford saw Mary Tyler Moore walking alone on a beach in Malibu looking sad, which inspired him to cast her.
- Natalie Wood wanted the Beth role; when Redford cast Moore instead, they never spoke again.
- Donald Sutherland and Robert Redford give conflicting accounts of why the final Calvin/Beth breakup scene was re-filmed.
- The novel by Judith Guest alternates narration between Cal and Conrad only – Beth is always seen through their eyes.
- $6.2 million budget, made ~$90 million at the box office.
- Nominated for 6 Oscars, won 4: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay (Alvin Sargent), Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton).
- Donald Sutherland was not nominated despite arguably being the anchor of the film.
- Conrad describing depression: 'It was like falling into a hole and keeps getting bigger and you can't escape. All of a sudden it's inside and you're the hole.'
- Bill's wife pointed out: the brother Buck was an amazing swimmer with tons of trophies, yet he was the one who drowned.
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“Ordinary People is an intelligent, perceptive and deeply moving film.”
Ebert: 'It's not often we get characters who face these kind of challenges on the screen, nor directors who seek them out.'
Most re-watchable scene
- Beth in Buck's room / the trig quiz scene – Beth waves Conrad off the hutch like he's a dog.
- The party scene and car ride home – Calvin accidentally reveals Conrad is seeing a therapist.
- The family photo scene – escalating fight over the camera ('Give her the goddamn camera').
- Beth finds out Conrad quit the swim team – escalates to 'Buck never would have been in the hospital.'
- Calvin returns from his first therapy session – 'What difference did it make what I wore to Buck's funeral?'
- The 'Why did you let go?' / 'I hung on' climactic therapy breakthrough scene.
- The final breakup scene – 'We would have been all right if there hadn't been any mess.'
What aged the best?
- The subtle ways they showed Conrad's depression in the first 15 minutes.
- Evil Mary Tyler Moore as a casting choice.
- Elizabeth McGovern – went on to Downton Abbey.
- Psychiatrist/therapy portrayed seriously in movies – this paved the way.
- The performances across the board.
- The fashion/sartorial vibe – 'basically like a chic Yellowstone.'
- Late 1970s/early 1980s movies set in Chicago and Chicago suburbs.
What aged the worst?
- Pachelbel's Canon in D Major is now the default wedding song – strange association with this dysfunctional family movie.
- Donald Sutherland's Best Actor snub / no nomination.
- The shock value of Mary Tyler Moore as the evil mom has faded since nobody under 40 knows how beloved she was.
- Timothy Hutton's career trajectory after this – peaked early, 'the Vince Carter of his generation.'
- 'Good Will Hunting' shamelessly borrowing the therapy-scene structure from this movie.
Casting what-ifs
- The studio wanted Robert Redford himself to play Calvin; he declined.
- Gene Hackman was cast as Calvin but dropped out over a financial disagreement.
- Richard Dreyfuss was Redford's first choice for Dr. Berger but was 'having a nervous breakdown.'
- Donald Sutherland was originally approached for the psychiatrist role but asked to play the husband instead.
- Natalie Wood wanted to play Beth.
- Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, and Rob Lowe were all in the same generation auditioning for similar roles.
Best "that guy"
- M. Emmet Walsh as the swim coach – 'in the first ring of the That Guy Hall of Fame.'
- Adam Baldwin as Stillman.
- Dinah Manoff as Karen (the hospital friend).
Re-casting couch
- All three hosts passed – wouldn't touch the cast.
- Richard Dreyfuss could have worked as Dr. Berger if available.
Apex Mountain
- Robert Redford: Yes. Won Best Director and Best Picture, still one of the most bankable actors. Founded Sundance Institute in 1981.
- Timothy Hutton: Yes. Won the Oscar with his first movie at age 20.
- Mary Tyler Moore: No. Her apex was the TV show era.
- Donald Sutherland: Possibly, but 'JFK' might be his personal apex.
- Judd Hirsch: Yes. On Taxi and in 'Ordinary People' simultaneously.
Picking nits
- The dead child's perfectly preserved room as a movie gimmick.
- Buck was an amazing swimmer with tons of trophies and he was the one who drowned.
- Beth packs a suitcase and takes a cab in the middle of the night – where was she going with no Internet in 1980?
- Adam Baldwin is too beefy to be a believable swimmer.
- 'Can you not save French toast?' – Beth throws perfectly good French toast down the disposal.
Half-assed (internet) research
- Barry Diller greenlit the film over Katzenberg/Eisner's objections at Paramount.
- The final breakup scene was re-filmed months later; conflicting accounts from Redford and Sutherland.
- 'Ordinary People' was the 52nd most challenged/banned book in schools/libraries (1999-2009).
- Elizabeth McGovern was at Juilliard and given special permission to be in the film.
- Oscars were postponed because Reagan was shot; the ceremony and NCAA title game were on the same night.
Sequel, prequel, prestige TV or untouchable?
Could be remade as a 10-episode series – more HBO Max or Showtime than Netflix.
(Probably) unanswerable questions
- Is this a better movie with Gene Hackman as the dad?
- What college did Conrad end up attending?
- Does Beth start dating her golf pro within nine months of moving to Houston?
What memorabilia would you want (or not want!) from the movie?
- Bill: Timothy Hutton's jacket from the last hour of the movie.
- Mallory: Lake Forest Scouts swim team merch / varsity jacket.
- Sean: Ward's pool that he's so proud of.
Who won the movie?
Robert Redford – he directed the movie, won Best Director and Best Picture, and was the biggest movie star on the planet.