Ordinary People
★ ★★
I really had to keep in mind the era in which this film was made in. It's not uncommon now to see portrayals of mental health issues and suicide. But for 1980, this topic had to be uncharted territory for the film industry. Psychiatry is seen as innovative therapy and the film even addresses the current use of shock therapy. That said, being in new territory, makes the film seem like an after school special that you could commonly find in the '80s. Timothy Hutton is asked to carry a lot as a young actor, and it shows at times, but thankfully the material is anchored down by a stellar cast. Donald Sutherland is terrific as a sympathetic dad and I was particularly blown away by Mary Tyler Moore. She brings tremendous depth and complexity to a character who is, unfortunately, let down by its own script. Her hardened shell is mistaken as an antagonist to the plot when this story needed no such thing. I always wanted to check out this movie because it won Best Picture. There are some tremendous acting scenes that will draw you in, but I don't know if the attached big names (including director Robert Redford) are what really brought in the praise. And when I looked up to see that it beat out Raging Bull for the top prize, I knew this is a movie that will be lost in time.
