Genuine grief is hard to capture in a story. It doesn’t manifest itself in obvious ways, and it isn’t summed up in a single moment or by a defining emotion. Grief can be life-altering, just as it is for these Ordinary People. But Calvin and Beth and their youngest son Conrad aren’t exactly ordinary. The Jarretts are an upper-middle-class White family, living in the suburbs of Chicago while struggling with the recent death of their older son Buck. At a glance, things seem to be somewhat under control. That’s because this family “talks around” every issue, never asking or answering a direct question about anything important. They discuss dinner parties, golf, school exams, their friends, wine, and sewing buttons on shirts. They circumvent weightier subjects with the expert skill of a slalom skier, particularly Beth (Mary Tyler Moore in a brilliant and chilling performance). This continuous dodging and deflection is destroying Conrad (Timothy Hutton in his Oscar-winning debut), who can’t come to grips with the loss of his idolized brother.
Having spent time in a mental institution following a suicide attempt, Conrad is back in school again for his senior year, doing all he can to convince everyone that he’s okay now, because that’s what they want to believe for him. That’s what they want to hear. But Conrad is a lost soul who wakes up sweating from panic attacks in the middle of the night, still reliving those final moments with Buck, the boat accident, and Buck’s death from drowning.
Conrad’s father Calvin (Donald Sutherland in a difficult, underrated performance) is supportive and optimistic to a fault. The Jarretts thought they were just fine before this tragedy struck. As long as everything was smooth sailing, they could navigate through life without a need to dig deeper and face their problems head-on. Of course, they weren’t doing well at all, and Buck’s death exposed the damage accumulated from pushing everything relevant aside. For one thing, Beth doted on Buck. He was their golden boy with infinite promise. As a family unit, they shared happy times together, but Beth didn’t pay much attention or show any one-on-one affection to her younger son Conrad.
The truth comes out in stages—a peeling away of layers, which occurs for the most part in a modest psychiatrist’s office. With great reluctance, and at the gentle insistence of his father, Conrad agrees to try therapy. For me, these bi-weekly face-offs between Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch, also Oscar-nominated) and Conrad are the best scenes in the film.
Conrad wants to be more in control of his life—a driving factor that gets him past the door. Dr. Berger tells him he isn’t big on control, especially after witnessing how detached Conrad is. One of my favorite odd exchanges of dialogue happens early on, and it isn’t played for laughs. It’s a genuine response, which makes it all the more telling.
Dr. Berger asks Conrad, “Did you have any trouble finding the place?”
He replies, “Not yet.”
They work through his repressed emotions and misplaced anger over several weeks, and we learn that Conrad blames himself for Buck’s death—so does his mother, although not out loud. Beth does articulate it in the novel by Judith Guest but not in the Oscar-winning screenplay by Alvin Sargent. I find it more in character that she never says it. A year has passed since the sailboat capsized during a sudden, violent storm on Lake Michigan. Conrad was alone with his brother at the time, begging him to hold onto the wreckage, but Buck grew tired. After an exhausting struggle, he let go. Conrad thinks he should have been the one who drowned instead of his brother. Buck was the strong one, the hero, the favored son in the eyes of his family. Dr. Berger believes that Conrad was, in fact, stronger than Buck.
Several breakthroughs occur as a result of Conrad’s sessions with Dr. Berger. He begins to date a sweet girl from school named Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern in her first screen role), and they share some beautiful and honest scenes together. There are notable setbacks as well, particularly after Conrad learns the tragic news about his friend Karen (Dinah Manoff). She was released from the psychiatric hospital around the same time he was. They kept in touch, and he thinks she’s doing really well until her parents inform him that she has taken her own life.
As Conrad becomes stronger, his mother Beth grows even more distant and colder toward him, something Calvin witnesses firsthand. He voices his concern over her utter lack of compassion, which sends her into a fury. They drift further apart as a couple, and when Calvin sees Conrad hug his mother with sincere acceptance and forgiveness, Beth freezes, unable to return the sentiment. The look in Calvin’s eyes at that moment is clear; their marriage is over. Later that night, he confesses he’s not sure if he loves her anymore. True to form, Beth turns and walks away without emotion. She climbs the stairs to their room and removes a suitcase from the closet before she crumbles from shock. Mary Tyler Moore, sweetheart of primetime sitcoms, plays against type here and delivers a stunning, Oscar-nominated performance.
Ordinary People is guided by Robert Redford, occupying the director’s chair for the first time in his stellar career. You would never guess he’s a novice from the expert way he handles this production, and he rightfully won an Oscar for his effort. The issues faced by the Jarretts are relevant today. Families still “talk around” important subjects. They repress and dismiss their feelings of grief and anger. This film was the second Best Picture in a row to deal with domestic issues, something that might seem modest by comparison to the larger scope of prior winners. They pack no less of a dramatic punch, however.
Ordinary People
Director | Robert Redford |
Primary Cast | Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton, M. Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth McGovern, Dinah Manoff, Fredric Lehne, James B. Sikking, Adam Baldwin |
Familiar Faces | M. Emmet Walsh from Midnight Cowboy |
Firsts | Robert Redford’s film debut as a director, film debuts of Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth McGovern, youngest winner of Best Supporting Actor in history (Timothy Hutton) |
Total Wins | 4 (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor: Timothy Hutton, Screenplay: Adapted) |
Total Nominations | 6 (Picture, Director, Actress: Mary Tyler Moore, Supporting Actor: Judd Hirsch, Supporting Actor: Timothy Hutton, Screenplay: Adapted) |
Viewing Format | DVD |