Ordinary People Stands Out Because of Extraordinary Ensemble Acting

No element of "Ordinary People" falls short of superior. But the film earned Oscar attention primarily because of the surprisingly moving performances from young actors and veterans known more for their comedic work. While one or two standout performances ordinarily tend to diminish the other roles, the cast of this emotional drama seem to have pushed each other to a higher dramatic plane.

Any discussion of the acting in this film must start with Mary Tyler Moore. The quintessential television comedienne of the 1960s and 70s, first in the Dick Van Dyke Show and then in the pop culture phenom, the Mary Tyler Moore Show, offers no laughs as Beth Jarrett, the wife and mother of a family in crisis. Beth's older, and favorite son, has drowned in a boating accident while the younger sibling, Conrad, survived. The traumatic death of the older boy, and subsequent emotional collapse of Conrad, exposes Beth's lack of any real love or emotional connection with her husband or Conrad. Behind the curtains of this seemingly perfect suburban home lives the horrors of anger, sham and inconsolable grief. Moore's Oscar-nominated performance of this monster underneath a thin disguise of an emotionally-controlled, seemingly-perfect wife and mother is as chilling to watch as Norman Bates behind the night desk at the motel.

Donald Sutherland portrays a modern Atticus Finch - the father we all wish we'd had. He supports Conrad without falter after the drowning, through a suicide attempt and psychiatric hospitalization, out of unconditional love for his son. If Sutherland's character can be faulted for anything it is a pollyana-ish attitude and failure to realize earlier that his wife is emotionally barren. Sutherland's performance was ignored by Oscar, most likely because he was the one dramatically-experienced actor in the ensemble, and the power of his performance was therefore less surprising.

Judd Hirsch portrays Conrad's empathetic and insightful therapist with just the right hint of concern that his patient's next suicide attempt could be in the offing and more successful than the last. Coming to this film in the midst of his immensely popular television comedy "Taxi," Hirsch disarmed the audience with this subdued and soothing character. His scenes with Conrad, played by Timothy Hutton, brought Hirsch an Oscar nomination and Hutton the award for best supporting actor in his first film role.

The strength of the acting in this film comes in no small measure from the talented direction of Robert Redford. Although this was Redford's first time behind the camera, subsequent films such as A River Runs Through It and Quiz Show demonstrate that the Academy did well in identifying Redford's directorial talents early when it named him best director in 1980 for this film.

All of the film's elements come together with these stellar performances to deliver the whole dramatic package to a quite disturbing effect. The music, guided by Marvin Hamlisch, provides an uneasy background to the pain being experienced by each of the characters. Hamlisch's choice of Pachelbel's "Canon in D Major" as the music bed lends an eerie, haunting feel to the Jarrett's "normal" suburban home.

Redford and adapting screenwriter Alvin Sargent ("Paper Moon"), who also received an Oscar nod, masterfully draw the audience from the tense opening scenes, in which Conrad's suicide seems inevitable after an awkward re-introduction to school following his first attempt, to the emerging realization that living in the Jarrett home may be even worse. Some may find the ending anti-climatic, but it faithfully displays the fray of real life rather than a make-believe conclusion where everything is tied up neatly. The emotional intensity and multiple tragedies these characters must endure make watching "Ordinary People" an exhausting but meaningful cinema experience.

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