you tell me the meaning of happy
Added 10/15/2009
The moving film 'Ordinary People' details a family recovering from one son's accidental death and another son's failed suicide attempt. Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) is the teenage son, dealing with post-traumatic stress; he almost died along with his brother, whom he watched drown, and memories of his near suicide hang over him. Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), his mother, plays the perfect housewife, beautiful, active, charming, and all too practical. Calvin (Donald Sutherland), the compassionate father, is caught between his fragile son and brittle wife. We follow the parents, as they receive unhelpful advice from friends and colleagues, and Conrad, as he attempts to readjust to school life after returning from a psychiatric hospital. A psychiatrist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch), causes Conrad to confront his feelings.
Robert Redford emphasizes the pristine homes of affluent families and their amusingly mundane small talk, masking the deeper issues in these individuals' lives. The dialogue is funny, introspective, and believable. Because of the presence of a psychiatrist and a focus on intense emotional upheaval, characters delve deep into feelings. Sometimes the theories and speeches come across as dated and affected; symbols and realizations are at times overdone. Still, the film holds up remarkably well after thirty years.
The acting is all around excellent. Hutton is lovely as the awkward Conrad, internally tumultuous and outwardly tense. As the genial but passive father, Sutherland ably portrays Calvin's desire to appease his wife and aid his pained but impenetrable son. Moore is remarkable as Beth, a woman whose intense selfishness, resentment, and fear emerge as smiling, rigid perfectionism. Hirsch's is an appealing presence in a rare positive portrayal of a psychiatrist, and Conrad's teenage peers, both obtuse and guileless, are realistic.
Pachelbel's Canon comprises almost the entire, spare score. This can be grating, but other melodies are usually blessedly subtle. 'Ordinary People' ultimately suffers a touch from time and contrivance, but, overall, it a powerful, therapeutic depiction of a family striving to push through grief and depression.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Ordinary People DVD
Added 10/12/2009
Brilliant movie; Robert Redford has directed a classic. Each performance is beautifully nuanced and the story is wonderfully compelling, though very hard to watch at times. Keeping in mind that this was made a generation a go and may appear somewhat dated, you do not want to miss this moving film. The conflict and resolution are as relevant today as they were then.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Ordinary People is not your ordinary movie.
Added 7/15/2009
Ordinary People, (1980), is a four-time Oscar winning film that takes place in Chicago, IL and tells a tale that could be quite common in many a suburban household. Donald Sutherland stars as Calvin, the father who tries desperately to keep his crumbling family together. Mary Tyler Moore plays Beth, the uptight mother who is subtley tearing the family apart--an about-face of a character for her. Timothy Hutton steals the film as Conrad, the angst-ridden son who secretly believes he is responsible for his brother's death. Judd Hirsch stars as Dr. Berger, the psychiatrist who Conrad seeks out for help in dealing with the family he cannot relate to and his past, which haunts him daily.
Conrad's brother, Buck, is accidentally killed in a boating accident and because of this, Conrad attempts suicide and spends four months in the hospital afterwards. This story picks up upon Conrad's arrival back home and focuses on his family's reception of him, (which isn't exactly satisfying), and Conrad's attempt to deal with his past while getting on with his future. Beth is more focused on keeping her social calendar packed and avoiding judgments from others on her family than she is on actually keeping her family together. Conrad assumes that she hates him and that Buck was the favorite and in watching her actions toward him, the audience can only side with him. She is cold, uncaring and nothing means more to her than who she is having dinner with or where she can vacation for Christmas. Calvin tries to show his son that he cares about him and that he only wants to help, but Conrad is averse to his attention and seeks solace in Dr. Berger. Dr. Berger is one of the most likable characters in this film. Psychologists and psychiatrists tend to be better characters in films because they shed light on the problems that are happening beneath the surface. At one point, Conrad finds himself in a tense situation when a tragic event occurs and he realizes that the only way he can save himself is if he can contact Dr. Berger in time. Elizabeth McGovern shines as cheerful Jeannine Pratt, the only person Conrad's age who he can possibly trust and who can maybe save him from himself.
Timothy Hutton received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in this film and it is clear that it was well-deserved. Conrad is so riddled with angst and depression that he makes for a very believable character. One can relate to certain scenes in the movie where Conrad feels like he has nowhere to turn, like the world has turned on him and he can't find peace no matter how he tries. This movie was also Robert Redford's directorial debut and has been thoroughly praised for his direction on this film. Four oscars aren't bad for a directorial debut! The tagline for this film read, "some films you watch, others you feel." This is quite the accurate statement since no matter what you feel, whether it's hatred for Beth's ambivalence, sympathy for Conrad's troubled mind, or satisfaction with Calvin's final decision, you will feel something for this movie when it's over.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Realistic Look at a Family in Crisis
Added 5/26/2009
This movie has some interesting elements related to family and relational issues following that death of a member. There were a lot of interesting components regarding post-traumatic stress and survivor guilt. The roles of the different family members during the crisis provided a snapshot of a realistic grief situation. The therapeutic relationship between the psychiatrist and Conrad (the surviving son) was interesting to watch in terms of style in rapport building and confrontation. Overall, this is a good movie.
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Ordinary People the movie
Added 4/24/2009
This is one of the few movies that I can honestly say gives the book justice, and even exceeds the book. I really enjoyed this movie, and I would recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of the book, or anyone who is intrested in a heartfelt story of trying to deal with tragedy and coming out the other side.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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you tell me the meaning of happy
Added 10/15/2009
The moving film 'Ordinary People' details a family recovering from one son's accidental death and another son's failed suicide attempt. Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) is the teenage son, dealing with post-traumatic stress; he almost died along with his brother, whom he watched drown, and memories of his near suicide hang over him. Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), his mother, plays the perfect housewife, beautiful, active, charming, and all too practical. Calvin (Donald Sutherland), the compassionate father, is caught between his fragile son and brittle wife. We follow the parents, as they receive unhelpful advice from friends and colleagues, and Conrad, as he attempts to readjust to school life after returning from a psychiatric hospital. A psychiatrist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch), causes Conrad to confront his feelings.
Robert Redford emphasizes the pristine homes of affluent families and their amusingly mundane small talk, masking the deeper issues in these individuals' lives. The dialogue is funny, introspective, and believable. Because of the presence of a psychiatrist and a focus on intense emotional upheaval, characters delve deep into feelings. Sometimes the theories and speeches come across as dated and affected; symbols and realizations are at times overdone. Still, the film holds up remarkably well after thirty years.
The acting is all around excellent. Hutton is lovely as the awkward Conrad, internally tumultuous and outwardly tense. As the genial but passive father, Sutherland ably portrays Calvin's desire to appease his wife and aid his pained but impenetrable son. Moore is remarkable as Beth, a woman whose intense selfishness, resentment, and fear emerge as smiling, rigid perfectionism. Hirsch's is an appealing presence in a rare positive portrayal of a psychiatrist, and Conrad's teenage peers, both obtuse and guileless, are realistic.
Pachelbel's Canon comprises almost the entire, spare score. This can be grating, but other melodies are usually blessedly subtle. 'Ordinary People' ultimately suffers a touch from time and contrivance, but, overall, it a powerful, therapeutic depiction of a family striving to push through grief and depression.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Ordinary People DVD
Added 10/12/2009
Brilliant movie; Robert Redford has directed a classic. Each performance is beautifully nuanced and the story is wonderfully compelling, though very hard to watch at times. Keeping in mind that this was made a generation a go and may appear somewhat dated, you do not want to miss this moving film. The conflict and resolution are as relevant today as they were then.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Ordinary People is not your ordinary movie.
Added 7/15/2009
Ordinary People, (1980), is a four-time Oscar winning film that takes place in Chicago, IL and tells a tale that could be quite common in many a suburban household. Donald Sutherland stars as Calvin, the father who tries desperately to keep his crumbling family together. Mary Tyler Moore plays Beth, the uptight mother who is subtley tearing the family apart--an about-face of a character for her. Timothy Hutton steals the film as Conrad, the angst-ridden son who secretly believes he is responsible for his brother's death. Judd Hirsch stars as Dr. Berger, the psychiatrist who Conrad seeks out for help in dealing with the family he cannot relate to and his past, which haunts him daily.
Conrad's brother, Buck, is accidentally killed in a boating accident and because of this, Conrad attempts suicide and spends four months in the hospital afterwards. This story picks up upon Conrad's arrival back home and focuses on his family's reception of him, (which isn't exactly satisfying), and Conrad's attempt to deal with his past while getting on with his future. Beth is more focused on keeping her social calendar packed and avoiding judgments from others on her family than she is on actually keeping her family together. Conrad assumes that she hates him and that Buck was the favorite and in watching her actions toward him, the audience can only side with him. She is cold, uncaring and nothing means more to her than who she is having dinner with or where she can vacation for Christmas. Calvin tries to show his son that he cares about him and that he only wants to help, but Conrad is averse to his attention and seeks solace in Dr. Berger. Dr. Berger is one of the most likable characters in this film. Psychologists and psychiatrists tend to be better characters in films because they shed light on the problems that are happening beneath the surface. At one point, Conrad finds himself in a tense situation when a tragic event occurs and he realizes that the only way he can save himself is if he can contact Dr. Berger in time. Elizabeth McGovern shines as cheerful Jeannine Pratt, the only person Conrad's age who he can possibly trust and who can maybe save him from himself.
Timothy Hutton received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in this film and it is clear that it was well-deserved. Conrad is so riddled with angst and depression that he makes for a very believable character. One can relate to certain scenes in the movie where Conrad feels like he has nowhere to turn, like the world has turned on him and he can't find peace no matter how he tries. This movie was also Robert Redford's directorial debut and has been thoroughly praised for his direction on this film. Four oscars aren't bad for a directorial debut! The tagline for this film read, "some films you watch, others you feel." This is quite the accurate statement since no matter what you feel, whether it's hatred for Beth's ambivalence, sympathy for Conrad's troubled mind, or satisfaction with Calvin's final decision, you will feel something for this movie when it's over.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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