53rd Academy Awards · 1981
Ordinary People
Directed by Robert Redford
“Everything is in its proper place... except the past.”
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The story
Beth, 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.
What critics & audiences say
Tomatometer90%Fresh#57 of 98 winnersIMDb7.758K votes#54 of 98 winners
Metacritic86/ 100#40 of 93 winners
TMDB7.4/ 10
Famous lines
A little advice about feelings, kiddo; don't expect it always to tickle.
Feelings are scary. And sometimes they're painful. And if you can't feel pain, then you're not going to feel anything else, either.
Dr. Berger: And what was the one wrong thing you did? …
Conrad: I hung on. I stayed with the boat.
Conrad: You woulda visited Buck if he was in the hospital.
Beth: Buck would have never been in the hospital!
You know, I think this can be saved. It's a nice clean break.
We would have been alright, if there hadn't been any mess. But you can't handle mess. You need everything neat and easy. I don't know, maybe you can't love anybody.
It's like falling into a hole and it keeps getting bigger and bigger and you can't get out. And then all of a sudden, it's inside … and you're the hole.
Listen, don't take refuge in one-liners like "you're the doctor". Okay? Because that pisses me off.
Let's have a great Christmas. Let's have … a great year. Let's have the best year of our whole lives.
You can't break the ball. Can't break the floor. Can't break anything in a bowling alley.
Quotes via Wikiquote
Fun facts
- A then-unknown Michael J. Fox auditioned for the role of Conrad but reportedly failed to impress Robert Redford, who flossed his teeth during the audition.Wikipedia · Casting
- Timothy Hutton won Best Supporting Actor for his first film role, becoming the youngest recipient of the award at age 20.Wikipedia · Introduction
- In 2025, Pope Leo XIV shared that Ordinary People is one of his favorite films.Wikipedia · Critical reception
- The film's prominent use of Pachelbel's Canon, a piece that had been relatively obscure for centuries, helped usher it into mainstream popular culture.Wikipedia · Critical reception
- Gene Hackman was originally cast as the father, Calvin Jarrett, but dropped out when he and the studio couldn't reach a financial agreement; the role went to Donald Sutherland.Wikipedia · Casting
- Natalie Wood was considered for the cold mother Beth, but the part went to Mary Tyler Moore, whose Oscar-nominated performance broke her away from her beloved sitcom personas Laura Petrie and Mary Richards.Wikipedia · Casting
- Ordinary People was Robert Redford's directorial debut, and it won him the Academy Award for Best Director as well as Best Picture.Wikipedia · Introduction
- Although his co-stars were nominated, Donald Sutherland was overlooked by the Academy, which Entertainment Weekly has called one of the biggest acting snubs in Oscar history.Wikipedia · Critical reception
- Judd Hirsch's Dr. Berger drew praise from many in the psychiatric community as a rare positive film portrayal of their profession; Hirsch lost the Oscar to his co-star Timothy Hutton.Wikipedia · Critical reception
- Elizabeth McGovern made her breakthrough as Conrad's love interest, receiving special permission to film while she was still attending Juilliard.Wikipedia · Critical reception