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Reviews
Ordinary People (1980)
Stunning performances, heartbreaking story
I am presently watching the final credits scroll down, after watching
the video of Ordinary People. I checked it out from my library, it has
a wonderful selection of videos. This is the second time I have
watched it since bringing it home (watched it yesterday also).
I found this site when I looked up Timothy Hutton. For me, his
performance was the standout, but this is very hard to say when I
consider Mary Tyler Moore's or Donald Sutherland's. What
immense talents these three have!
When I first saw Timothy Hutton in this movie, he was singing in
the choir and seemed okay. But slowly the story unfolds, like
Pachelbel's Canon, layer after layer. Timothy's character, Conrad,
carries around a load of guilt that would choke an elephant. His
older brother, Buck, drowned accidentally when an unexpected
storm overturns the boat he and Conrad were sailing. Conrad
feels responsible, and it tortures him. He attempted suicide
about a month before the start of the story.
His mother, Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) does not allow discussion of
the accident or Buck or anything uncomfortable, so she is no help,
and his father Calvin (Donald Sutherland) is no help either, he is
so good-natured and easy-going that everyone seems perfect to
him. Conrad eventually goes to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger
(Judd Hirsch), whose patience and sensitivity helps Conrad to see
that he was not at fault. But things keep happening in Conrad's
life. He quits the swim team, where he excelled; he just couldn't
keep it up with all his inner turmoil. His friend from the hospital
who herself had a problem, kills herself and he finds out when he
calls and the person answering the phone tells him. He falls
apart, and turns to the doctor to help him. It is heartwrenching.
Timothy Hutton gave an astounding performance, when you
looked at him he LOOKED like someone eaten up by "imagined"
guilt. His huge eyes looked like they might dissolve any moment,
always on the verge of tears. He looked like a squashed person!
And Mary Tyler Moore's character, Beth, looked so perfect, was so
charming in public, but completely superficial with her family. She
seemed to me to be always on the verge of a primal scream.
Eventually she did something that revealed her way of dealing with
life, I won't say what.
Donald Sutherland came across as a dear, sweet man, so kind.
He just could not see anything negative in anyone. So he let his
wife get away with not communicating her true feelings. He liked
peace and quiet.
This was a terrific movie, it burned holes in the three main
characters' facades and you saw them turned inside out as the
story peeled away. I used a bit of Kleenex with this one!
Simon Birch (1998)
What a grandma thinks about this movie
Today I watched Simon Birch for the second time. I checked it out of the library yesterday and watched it in the afternoon. And today I saw it again. I am so impressed by all the actors, they were perfect. Especially little Ian Michael Smith. And I didn't mind being emotionally manipulated at all. I looked up the movie on the internet, that's how I found this site, and until now all the reviews were kind of negative. Well, I thought it was wonderful, and I may even watch it one more time before returning it. So there! And oh, Ashley Judd. She is so beautiful anyway, but in this movie she was almost angelic. Well, everyone was so good. Oliver Platt was great, and the two boys were magnificent. I have encouraged a lot of friends to rent or otherwise see this movie, it does one's heart good. I have just decided, tomorrow I will watch it again.