Ordinary People

UPC: 097360896442

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Watch With Your Teen]

Summary: Robert Redford's directorial debut ended up the 1980 Oscar winner for Best Picture. It is a simple but painfully emotional story of the disintegration of a "perfect" family. Teenager Conrad (Timothy Hutton) lives under a cloud of guilt after his brother drowns after their boat capsizes in Lake Michigan. Despite intensive therapy sessions with his psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch), Conrad can't shake the belief that he should have died instead of his brother; nor do his preoccupied parents (Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore) offer much in the way of solace. The boy is brought out of his doldrums through his romance with Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern). A winner in every respect, Ordinary People (adapted from the novel by Judith Guest) scores highest in the scenes with Mary Tyler Moore, who superbly and perceptively portrays a blinkered, ever-smiling suburban wife and mother for whom outward appearance is all that matters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null New Star of the Year - Male – null Best Director – null Best Screenplay – null Best Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Director – National Board of Review Best Picture – New York Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association New Star of the Year - Male – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Director – Directors Guild of America

Features: Widescreen version enhanced for 16x9 TVs
Dolby Digital: English mono; French mono
English subtitles
Interactive menus
Scene selection
Theatrical trailer

Ordinary People

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 08/28/2001

Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, 1 USA & territories, Canada

Runtime: 124 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
0. Scene Selection
1. "Canon In D" [:12]
2. Passing Thoughts [3:28]
3. In Control [:05]
4. Friends [8:05]
5. Holding Back [3:20]
6. Mother & Son [4:35]
7. That Which Matters [8:10]
8. Vacancy And The Dead [7:31]
9. What To Do Without Love [:31]
10. Credits [4:47]

Richard Gilliam

Ordinary People deals with the aftermath of a family tragedy. An upscale married couple (Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore) are overwhelmingly unhappy, though their social standing and repressed emotions dictate that they must not admit it to each other. They have lost one son in a boating accident, and the film focuses on their surviving teenage son (Oscar-winner Timothy Hutton) who himself is recovering from a suicide attempt. What distinguishes Ordinary People is the uncommonly convincing way in which it depicts its characters, and the superb performance of Moore. First-time director Robert Redford took home an Oscar, as did the film for Best Picture, as well as Hutton and screenwriter Alvin Sargent. Ordinary People won its Oscars over Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull, often voted the best film of the 1980s. As a result, Ordinary People has often been critically ignored despite its many outstanding qualities. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Scott Doebter  Actor 
Randall Robbins  Actor 
Jane Alderman  Actor 
Don Billett  Actor 
Allison Caine  Actor 
Marilyn Rockafellow  Actor 
Marvin Hamlisch  Composer (Music Score) 
Robert Redford  Director 
Alvin Sargent  Screenwriter 
Ronald L. Schwary  Producer 
Donald Sutherland  Actor 
Mary Tyler Moore  Actor 
Judd Hirsch  Actor 
Timothy Hutton  Actor 
Elizabeth McGovern  Actor 
M. Emmet Walsh  Actor 
Dinah Manoff  Actor 
Fredric Lehne  Actor 
James B. Sikking  Actor 
Basil Hoffman  Actor 
Quinn K. Redeker  Actor 
Mariclare Costello  Actor 
Meg Mundy  Actor 
Elizabeth Hubbard  Actor 
Adam Baldwin  Actor 
Richard Whiting  Actor 

Country: USA