Ordinary People

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2:21

Ordinary People

R

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

Aug 8, 2022

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

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Jul 15, 2022

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.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Jul 15, 2022

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.

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John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Oct 5, 2025

88/100

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.

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Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

Sep 28, 2025

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.

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Akos Peterbencze

The Screen

Sep 23, 2024

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.

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Michael D

@MichaelX 4 days ago

Hot on the heels of watching a Mary Tyler Moore documentary, we watched this 1980 masterpiece, Robert Redford’s directorial debut and winner of four Oscars including Best Picture. If you knew MTM only as a beloved screen comedienne, her performance here as Beth Jarrett, an icy, emotionally armored mother for whom grief must never be displayed, let alone discussed, is genuinely shocking in the best possible way. Donald Sutherland is heartbreaking as the good-natured father caught between wife and son; Timothy Hutton’s Oscar-winning turn as the guilt-ridden Conrad is extraordinary; and Judd Hirsch as the unorthodox psychiatrist is quietly wonderful. They simply don’t make films like this anymore: patient, intimate, deeply felt and quietly devastating character studies that trust the audience to keep up. We had our phones down, and paid full attention. You’ll come out on the other side better for having given yourself over to great art so completely.

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Tim S.

@RottenTim May 25, 2026

One of my top five movies ever. Awesome performances by all ! MTM should have won the Oscar! Brilliant movie!

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Jeffery H.

@RT61957740 May 4, 2026

One of my top three movies beside gone with the wind and the Godfather!!!

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Iambydefault

@johnhughesmuse Mar 2, 2026

I love this movie. It’s highly watchable, well written, and follows the story well. The scenes feel like real lives.

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Christian K

@ckacar Feb 7, 2026

A solemn, well done look at a family in distress. Timothy Hutton as Conrad in the supporting actor category is maybe the worst case of category fraud ever done at the Oscars.

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BJ M

@HotMovieStar Nov 29, 2025

Robert Redford is brilliant and the acting, especially by Hutton and Sutherland, is outstanding.

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Robert Redford

Director

Donald Sutherland

Calvin Jarrett

Timothy Hutton

Conrad Jarrett

Mary Tyler Moore

Beth Jarrett

M. Emmet Walsh

Coach Salan

Elizabeth McGovern

Jeannine Pratt

Ordinary People: Official Clip - Conrad's Breakthrough

0:54

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Ordinary People: Official Clip - Conrad's Breakdown

0:33

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Ordinary People: Official Clip - Mother and Son Photo

1:09

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Ordinary People: Official Clip - We Never Had a Pet

1:07

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

0:46

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Ordinary People: Official Clip - Conrad Opens Up to Jeannine

1:31

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Ordinary People: Official Clip - Love Ends

2:13

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Ordinary People: Trailer 1

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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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