Ordinary People
* * * * *
Before watching Ordinary People a while back all I can say is that I was reluctant to see it at all. I have a really hard time watching movies that date back before the nineties. Why? I don’t quite know, but I’m so used to seeing groundbreaking films filled with performances beyond belief such as those by Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Sean Penn, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Before popping the movie on my wonderful VAIO computer I knew that Ordinary People was no ordinary movie. It had garnered critical acclaim, and had gone on to win Best Picture, Director, and even Best Supporting Actor for Timothy Hutton. Why I was reluctant? Maybe this was one of those feel good movies where everything is always fine no matter the circumstances. I mean the Academy loves those don’t-worry-there-is-always-hope-everything-will-be-all-right-at-the-end kind of movies. Take Slumdog Millionaire for example, they even ignored that pointless cheesy dancing scene at the end. Not that Slumdog Millionaire is a good movie, but I’ve made my point.
So with my endless worries, and not really wanting to see the film, but not having anything better to watch or do, I put the movie on. As the movie progressed I realized that this was far from anything I had expected. There were no showy camera movements, even the performances were very real, and nothing to typical for a good performance. Nothing to flashy. The movie moved kind of slow, and was more a character study than an epic feel good story.
Ordinary People is the story of a family struggling to move on after a horrible accident. Conrad the younger of two sons struggles with depression having attempted to kill himself before. It seems impossible for him to move on after the death of his older brother, who died in a boating accident. The parents Calvin and Beth try their hardest to make life as normal as possible, and to move on. They pretend everything is fine, and merely ask Conrad to go see a therapist if he wishes to. Reluctant, Conrad goes to Berger, and soon realizes that he can’t move on unless the distance between him and his parents (specially his mother) is brought to light. The parents as hard as they try start falling away from each other, and hence the whole family becomes fractured. Soon issues come to the surface they had not talked about before.
The film is very well done, with seamless editing, and just complete invisibility. This is one film that clearly does not call attention to the craft behind making it. I loved the story, and how every character was developed. Perhaps my favorite character was that of Conrad, for I could really feel his pain, and desperately wanted to reach in and help him through it.
There is no action in this movie, no amazing special effects, nor epic soundtrack. This film is just about life, and a shitty life it was that of the characters. I would not recommend it to anyone who is seeking to be hugely entertained or that is looking for a great time. This film is completely realistic, and left for those who want to see what is like for a family struggling with a recent death of a loved one. I also would like to say, that even though Robert Redford is a hell of an actor hence what he is most know for, he too is a damn good director. Ordinary People goes down as one of the best movies I have seen in my whole life, and if you are willing to give it a try, I bet you it might just be one of your favorite too.
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