Day 15: Ordinary People

Ordinary People: 1980: Winner of the 53rd Academy Award

Starring:

CastDonald Sutherland as Calvin Jarrett

Mary Tyler Moore as Beth Jarrett

Timothy Hutton as Conrad Jarrett

Judd Hirsch as Dr. Tyrone C. Berger

Elizabeth McGovern as Jeannine Pratt

M. Emmet Walsh as Coach Salan

Dinah Manoff as Karen Aldrich

Fredric Lehne as Lazenby
 

Ordinary People , was only a book when I read it. I never thought it could be a movie, of course I was 13 and what the hell did I know. Anyways I have sort of been putting off watching this movie because I didn’t want to shatter any illusions I had when I was reading the book. However I was remarkably pleased, they delivered the story like the book and the emotions I had only read about were now being acted and with such simplicity that I fell for it. This is one of the movies I want to own. I have already added it to my to get pile. It made me cry. I don’t know if it’s because I just had my cousin die, and kinda compared my godmother’s reaction to Mary Tyler Moore’s character but it just hurt when she couldn’t love Conrad. It hurt that she never tried to love him and that she cared only of herself and called everyone out on their selfishness. Truly liked this, must watch, with a box of Kleenex.

It also won awards for:

Academy Award for Directing - Robert Redford


Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - Timothy Hutton

Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay - Alvin Sargent