Ordinary People

Ordinary People is a rather ordinary movie. Perhaps a controversial opinion considering this film was named Best Picture by the 1980 Academy Awards.

It's a drama about an affluent New England family trying to cope with the death of the eldest son.

The performances are all excellent, especially Timothy Hutton as the youngest son & brother of the deceased member, struggling in school and sent to a Jewish psychiatrist to overcome his grief.

It may well be a solid adaptation of Judith Guest's tearjerker novel, but perhaps the drama would've been more powerful had the family been less well-heeled and more like "ordinary people".

Robert Redford does a decent job turning from Hollywood leading man to director, but I honestly can't believe this was named Best Film of 1980 over Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull.