Ordinary People

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2:21

Ordinary People

R

Released Sep 19, 1980

2h 3m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

105 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Tormented by guilt following the death of his older brother, Buck, in a sailing accident, alienated teenager Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) attempts suicide. Returning home following an extended stay in a psychiatric hospital, Conrad tries to deal with his mental anguish and also reconnect with his mother, Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), who has grown cold and angry, and his emotionally wounded father, Calvin (Donald Sutherland), with the help of his psychiatrist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch).

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Critics Consensus

Robert Redford proves himself a filmmaker of uncommon emotional intelligence with Ordinary People, an auspicious debut that deftly observes the fractioning of a family unit through a quartet of superb performances.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

It does not want to shock you, provoke you, frighten you, intellectually stimulate you, or even teach you anything you do not already know.

Aug 8, 2022

Full Review

David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Putting it crudely, I don't think a first-time director should make such a display of his own sensitivity. What Redford reveals of the Jarretts just isn't surprising or complex enough to justify all this gravity.

Jul 15, 2022

Full Review

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

The movie is just as sanitized as the fantasy of upper-middle-class life it sets out to expose. And it’s just as empty and orderly.

Jul 15, 2022

Full Review

John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

A stunning and emotionally devastating look at a modern family, complete with a frank dissection of mental health, lead by a career defining performance from Timothy Hutton and thoughtful direction by Robert Redford.

Rated: 88/100

Oct 5, 2025

Full Review

Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

So much of the picture has been codified into pop culture cliches, it can be difficult to imagine how startling it must have seemed at the time.

Sep 28, 2025

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Akos Peterbencze

The Screen

Over four decades in, Ordinary People is still compelling and remarkable because it conveys a delicate emotional intelligence that rings true regardless of race, class, ethnicity, or gender.

Sep 23, 2024

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Jon G

A pensively moving story from director Robert Redford’s masterpiece.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

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Troy T

Classic film with wonderfully complex characters and performances. One of my all-time favorites.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme bacana, o roteiro é bacaninha, a história é meio desinteressante, as cenas são bacaninhas, mas o drama que o filme mostra é muito bom e melhora o filme.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

Full Review

David F

This is a quiet, subtle, but gripping drama about a family coming apart at the seams, even as they seem to be a fairly normal, everyday, upper middle class family to outsiders. The film does a great job of showing what all is going on beneath the surface in suburbia. A real gem of a drama.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/26/24

Full Review

CodyZamboni Z

I have no problem this movie won Best Picture over Raging Bull. Stunning, brutal, insightful, With so many true to life scenes and emotions. So well performed, Movie is perfectly cast. With a brilliant casting decision of Mary Tyler Moore. Impressive directorial debut by Robert Redford.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

Full Review

Allen F

This film is an absolute masterpiece. The writing and characters based on the book were adapted so well for this film. It was some of the most drawn out I’ve ever seen characters in a film. This is a must see film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/16/24

Full Review

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Robert Redford

Director

Donald Sutherland

Calvin Jarrett

Timothy Hutton

Conrad Jarrett

Mary Tyler Moore

Beth Jarrett

Judd Hirsch

Dr. Tyrone C. Berger

M. Emmet Walsh

Coach Salan

Ordinary People: Official Clip - Conrad's Breakthrough

0:54

Ordinary People: Official Clip - Conrad's Breakdown

0:33

Ordinary People: Official Clip - Mother and Son Photo

1:09

Ordinary People: Official Clip - We Never Had a Pet

1:07

Ordinary People: Official Clip - Mothers Don't Hate Their Sons

0:46

Ordinary People: Official Clip - Conrad Opens Up to Jeannine

1:31

Ordinary People: Official Clip - Love Ends

2:13

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Ordinary People: Trailer 1

2:21

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Synopsis

Tormented by guilt following the death of his older brother, Buck, in a sailing accident, alienated teenager Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) attempts suicide. Returning home following an extended stay in a psychiatric hospital, Conrad tries to deal with his mental anguish and also reconnect with his mother, Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), who has grown cold and angry, and his emotionally wounded father, Calvin (Donald Sutherland), with the help of his psychiatrist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch).

Director: Robert Redford
Producer: Ronald L. Schwary
Screenwriter: Judith Guest, Alvin Sargent
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Wildwood Enterprises
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 1980, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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