FIRST TIME WATCHING: Ordinary People...what TERRIBLE parents
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2021
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James and Ninetailedbrush fulfill their final reaction request for the month by watching Ordinary People. Donald Sutherland is just amazing in this film. I had never heard this, but it was a masterpiece in filmmaking. Enjoy!
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The father wasnt terrible at all! He was heartbroken that his son blamed himself. The scene on the steps outside is heartbreaking
That was so redeeming though right? They both figured it out because of the "mess" 💅
His father was coming to terms with the fact that his wife was an awful woman, and took her cruel but subtle psychological abuse of their son to reveal that to him.
I love this movie = characters are so real and actirs,actresses great performances.
Redford knew what he wanted and got it right.
I believe it is a
" 0:02 timeless" movie. The grandfather had a small part and recognized him in other films. Wish he had bigger roles to his credit❤😮
@@richlisola1The wife wasn't awful. She just couldn't come to terms with Buck dying and had major problems openly showing love.
@@Akihito007 She was a narcissist
Timothy Hutton won an Oscar for the role as the tormented son.
It was well-deserved.
Hutton did a great job
Wow, i'm so glad to see someone reacting to this movie. This channel keeps surprising me in the best way possible.
Me, too, I was not expecting this at all!
And the girl who introduces herself as Janine Pratt at 8:00 is the actress who plays Lady Cora Crowley, Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey.
OMG…I can’t believe someone is reacting to “Ordinary People”!!!
I can’t remember how I came across this movie as a kid…or, who had even recorded it on VHS…but I watched it so many times, I can literally envision that bird flittering off the side of a dock, to skirt the lake in the opening scene, as Canon in D Major starts playing. This is going to be wild to watch, cause it’s been well over a decade, at least, since I’ve seen it…yet I probably still have every line of the movie memorized.
I don’t know why I loved the movie so much…other than I totally understood depression, even in elementary school…and, prob reason #1, I thought Timothy Hutton was cute.
I'm as surprised as you, Beethoven's 5th, I haven't seen this since the 80s but I remember it very well....I guess I'll give this reaction video a whirl, if not only for the novelty of it!
@@TTM9691 aha…someone has figured out my screen name!! 😀👍
(Fewer have than you would think.)
Yeah, it’s a little weird seeing this movie/these scenes now…so many years later.
I was a little disappointed they didn’t include any of the scene where Conrad gets mad at Dr. Berger. The scenes between those two were so good.
Same here, I LOVE this movie so much! It’s a masterpiece!
Was so impacted by this movie when it came out - has remained on of my favourite movies of all time. All the performances were amazing and I loved the way Robert Redford films/directs his movies. Same reaction I had when Steven Spielberg started or Kubrick.
A powerful film and one that is difficult to watch. Mary Tyler Moore's son died around the time of filming as did Timothy Hutton's father. There is such rawness here.
Ikr? Hutton's speech when he won the Oscar is so touching.
absolutely AMAZING film. This is easily in my top ten films as I've had anorexia and I've never seen a film that gets that unbearable despair you feel so right. I didn't know Mary Tyler Moore's son died or that Tim lost his father at that time either. That's so sad. A masterpiece IMO.
Wow. Really?? I didn't know that.
I didn't know about tim but to clarify her son died in a gun accident (some speculate it was suicide) a month after this movie came out. So when she was filming he was alive.
@@rxtsec1 Thank you for clarifying that. 🙏
Mary Tyler Moore was THE sitcom queen of the 1960's and 70's. This showed the dark side of the kinds of characters she used to play -- smart, talented, always knowing the right thing to wear, to say, to do. Then when things get messy they don't know how to cope. She's not a villain; she's not being cruel on purpose. She just can't give something she isn't capable of giving.
Yeah, this movie was a HUGE departure for Mary Tyler Moore! We were not used to seeing her cold; she was the very definition of warm! Not to mention we were used to seeing her on the small screen for two decades, and here she jumps right into the deep end and no one batted an eye. Which isn't always the case, especially back then when having an iconic TV role could be a millstone around your neck for the rest of your life.
No, she is a villain because
she's not willing to stop wallowing
in her own grief for a second
& realize this for herself & instead
persists in scapegoating
her only surviving son
& alienating her husband
because she's terrified
of getting close to anyone again.
A perfect and eloquent description of MTM's character.
@@laustcawz2089this sounds like something the mom would say. Thinking someone has done things that are unforgivable and make them your villain is exactly how the mom felt about her son and his actions. Life is subjective and we all react and deal differently. Yeah the mom was admittedly very toxic and continued to act toxic, but if she ever has a chance at growing and opening up, judging her will make that route a lot harder. She judged her son and that made his route to opening up harder. Vilifying people is tricky. It’s useful in order to identify improper treatment we receive but it can also make us see ourselves as victims and not in power of our life. She needed to go though, creating boundaries with people is healthy sometimes when they continue to be toxic. But forgiveness is a lot easier when you don’t vilify them
OMG one of the greatest films ever made a true masterpiece Ordinary People directed by Robert Redford (In his directional debut) screenplay by Alvin Sargent produced by Ronald L. Schwary starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton (In his film debut) and music score by Marvin Hamlisch. This film was nominated for 6 Oscars and won 4 including best picture, best director by Robert Redford and best supporting actor by Timothy Hutton. Thank you White Noise Reacts very nice excellent great reaction guys😎👍👍👍👍
Of course man!
@@whitenoisereacts 😊👍👍👍
Holy shit, gentlemen! What an interesting choice of movie. I'm impressed. You might be the only 2 from your generation that has seen this movie. I'm not even remotely joking. Go ahead...ask around. I'll wait.
Dude, definitely glad we did
@@whitenoisereacts Guys, if you ever need a recommendation from the 70's and 80's, give me a genre or even a sub-genre and I'll do my best to not lead you astray. Don't hesitate to ask and keep up the good work.👍🏻
Pls include woody allen's moody and introspective interiors (1978) and crimes and misdemeanors (1989)
@@ryansalvador9656 Though I’m a big fan of woody’s “first half” of his career(Crimes and everything that came before), I’ve regrettably not seen Interiors. Not sure why. And though Crimes and Misdemeanors is a great flick, it might feel a little dated to a new viewer. I would probably recommend Match Point instead which is similar in premise though less overtly philosophical. It’s more polished, you could say. I might be wrong.
@@holdensagan thats why they must see the 70s movies because they have a certain quality. They are made during a time when sensibilities are far different. They are more nuanced, and in the case of interiors, as compared to match point, austere and brooding.
I saw this movie when it came out, when I was in high school. My whole group of friends went to go see it three or four times. So, I just want to say how impressed I am that you guys watch movies that go beyond the nerd canon. I mean, I grew up watching the nerd movies. I was first in line for Star Wars in 1977! But there's so much more to life than the blockbuster summer movies, and movies such as Ordinary People did and do help to form your emotional aspirations for life. So, keep up the good work and your excellent taste in choosing movies to watch in this channel.
I love my deceased mother, but Mary Tyler Moore's role in this always reminded me of her and her 'keeping up appearances' not talking about real stuff. It's ok. She did her best. She was just ill-equipped in that way. Great pick, love your channel.
I feel like the suppression of feelings and familial emotional honesty is the real villain of this film.
Great comment and you hit the nail on the head!
I grew up I'm a family like this = not healthy if NO ONE TALKS about important things.
Leads to messy dysfunctional people in future.
Enjoy this film
Learning experience on " how to feel" and deal with emotions.
Advice = do not avoid trying to talk things out with family
Same experience. When I pointed it out to my mom she said "That's nothing like me". But it was.
This movie always reduces me to tears.
As someone with PTSD from a family death and related trauma, this movie is sadly so familiar and accurate. Where depression is misery and anxiety is worry, PTSD is raw terror over and over again. I equate it to being thrown into the sea with weights on your feet and everyone keeps saying "why dont you just swim to the shore? It's just there" but they cant see the weight you are carrying they just see what the hope they could do to save themselves if it was them. You just havd to ride the wave and have people who stick around long enough for you to find your way out of the storm.
That's a pretty good analogy 💜
My dad showed me this film when I was in high school and I don’t think I’ve ever connected with a movie more - even now, a decade later, it still leaves me speechless for a while.
I’m so glad you guys watched this and felt the way that you did. It’s the kind of movie where, even if the circumstances aren’t exactly the same, almost everyone can glean some sort of deeper meaning from it.
I admire your choices. A lot to learn from this movie. Conrad is so strong and his mother weak. I was so glad he got away from her. Some people will just drag you down, because they will do nothing for themselves, but expect you to have all the answers to making things “better.”
Thank you so much for reacting to this movie. They showed this movie to us in high school. Doubt you could get away with that now, too bad. Very powerful movie. I haven't seen any reactors having such dialogues about movies like you do. Well done!
Thanks man. Hopefully you stick around cause those dialogue aren't going anywhere
@@whitenoisereacts I cried like a baby through this film. I loved that it moved you guys too
I really love the way you both processed this movie.
Thanks!
Ninetailedbrush's thoughts about the Mom are right, but the film also raises something profoundly sad about something that's very real-- some people aren't just unreachable, they will refuse to be reached, no matter what you do.
That's so true 🥹
Timothy Hutton, Judge Hirsch, and Donald Sutherland are pure brilliance-And wow, who knew Mary Tyler Moore, an American sweetheart, could play an ice cold narcissist so well!
Screenplay was by Alvin Sargent who did the Spiderman movies, What About Bob, A Star is Born 1976, The Way We Were. This movie won 4 Oscars including best picture and best Director.
And best supporting actor for Timothy Hutton.
One of my favorites. Nice to see someone remembers it. Not too well known now. And I’m always teary eyed in certain parts.
Robert Redford initially wanted Tom Skerrit (then fresh off the success of Alien) to play Calvin, but he turned it down. Then he played Timothy Hutton's father thirty years later in Leverage.
Gene Hackman was originally cast as Calvin, but dropped out because of money issues. I could actually see Hackman in that role! Would have been a different movie....and a different marriage! HIs personality and "gravitas" might have overpowered the movie/marriage. Sutherland was fantastic in this movie.
I think an even better actress should have played the mother,...Elizabeth Montgomery
Oof. Getting emotional from watching this reaction alone! This movie really resonated with my family. For better or worse heh. I’m glad you guys enjoyed it! Ordinary People is simple yet powerful. It’s interesting how many people give good advice in the movie that is NOT good advice for the situation the characters are in. It happens all the time in real life, but rarely in film, unless it’s obvious you’re not supposed to listen to those people. It’s part of what makes life difficult to navigate!
And like you mentioned, it’s from the perspective of the individual. Like the friend advising the father about his suicidal son while actually just thinking about his own children going to college or whatever! As the mother said, everyone can only see things from their own perspective. Again, that’s true-to a point!! She takes it too far!
This was a really awesome reaction - I loved your insights regarding the mom and her pride. I felt that while the entire family was grieving in their own way, it was her pride that got in the way of her seeing past her grief. She couldn't see past her own suffering, and didn't seem to be willing to accept that her son is also suffering as a result of her actions.
I hope you guys could try reacting to Stranger than Fiction. It stars Will Ferrell and it's a magical realism sort of film. It's about an IRS agent who hears a voice narrating his life. It's funny and sweet, but also full of heart and quite philosophical.
Important line at the golf course confrontation: Mary Tyler Moore says "Mother's don't hate their sons!!!". Note she doesn't say "I don't hate my son!". It's all about surface and appearance with her character.
"Terrible parents"... I wouldn't say terrible parents, just human parents...
FINALLY! I have wanted to see this covered by ANY of my channels forever. Now, please be the first to watch Cinema Paradiso-a film that won the Best Foreign Picture Oscar and is all about how a boy/teen/man is shaped by his relationship to cinema. It’s a no-brainer!
What I love about this film is that the kids are them. Conrad is his tightly wound mother and Bucky the younger version of her husband when they first met.
As such she lets Bucky get away with so much and resents Conrad’s failure to cope with the loss. Conrad’s unraveling is her unraveling and she can’t stand that, until he gets to the other side of it…that’s when she completely breaks down.
Such a good film, especially the last scene in the Doctor’s office.
Such a great movie. The family is so relatable because, they ARE in fact, Ordinary People. I love this film.
And if I'm not mistaken - his girlfriend (Elizabeth McGovern) became the Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey
Interesting post-movie discussion; it's that hug that she doesn't return that has stayed with me all these years, I'm really happy you talked about that. I haven't seen this movie since the early 80s, but I remember that hug. PS: If you don't get a lot of views on this, it's not because this is an obscure movie, it's just that even the people who have seen it may not click on it for various reasons. One is that it didn't play on cable over and over, for years and years, like some movies, so it's a hazier memory to people than other films. Some are sore that "Raging Bull" lost the Oscar to it, or "The Elephant Man", two movies I think you'd like at least as much, if not better than "Ordinary People", especially "The Elephant Man". (That's not a knock on "Ordinary People", it's a testimonial on how great those two movies are) "Raging Bull" is a boxing movie, "The Elephant Man" is indescribable, lol, but both are true stories, directed by master directors (martin scorsese, david lynch), and have been seen over and over throughout the years to the point of being something that gets referenced in conversations, pop culture, etc. I know this was a Patreon request, but I definitey hope you hit at least "The Elephant Man" one day, that's a crazy movie, you won't believe your eyes.
Elephant Man a big YES. Raging Bull a testosterone-fueled, boring NO.
@@ralphficker167 Given all the testerone-fueled garbage movies that most reactors watch, virtually all which I find "boring", I didn't think "Raging Bull" was that egregious, especially when it's got an incredible performance by Cathy Moriarty, and spectacularly shot boxing scenes. And is about, in part, how testosterone can destroy a man's life, lol. But hey, no accounting for taste!
@@TTM9691 Fair points. I guess I found it more egregious because so many of its fans were publicly debasing Ordinary People.
@@ralphficker167 Oh, I see, gotcha, fair enough. Yeah, people who act like movies are football games are pretty annoying. What's hilarious is that there was no outcry in 1980! It's only built up over the years! I thought "Goodfellas" losing to "Dances With Wolves" was a bigger "upset", I don't remember thinking at all that "Raging Bull" was going to win, my memory is that "Ordinary People" was always the favorite to win that year. De Niro won for Best Actor, and that was good enough for me. That's what everyone was talking about in '80, De Niro's performance. The boxing scenes were instantly legendary, but the rest of the movie got mixed reviews. I remember my local paper gave it three our of four stars. I wasn't surprised when it didn't win.
This is a wonderful, powerful movie, & not the standard flashy type of movie of reaction channels. Kudos to you for checking it out.
I saw it when it came out in theaters. The pain is horrible. The climax, after Calvin saw Berger, brought a suffering on Beth that broke her, and a deliverance to Conrad and Calvin. In 1980 Mary Tyler Moore was the star of a TV COMEDY show. That's the way people knew her! Her performance here was a stunning revelation.
And as a musician, to me the Pachelbel Canon captured some of both the dignity and the pain of the story. It's always been my favorite film.
Buck was Beth's favorite, and she actually resents Conrad for surviving when Buck did not. That's why she doesn't want Con on their vacations, why she threw in his face that "Buck would never have been in the hospital!", why she won't accept his help even to set the table but has time for gossip with a friend, why she can't even return his hug. And Calvin finally sees all of this. And he offered her the chance to join him and Con in therapy, and she rejected it out of hand. She did not want to reconnect. The "family privacy" was an excuse.
Rewatch the movie, and watch Calvin watching Beth, watch his expressions.
This is one heck of a film; I think it's the best role Donald Sutherland ever played.
Yep, exactly right. I think she actually hated her son for surviving. She felt the wrong son died. Pretty horrible, right?
Great to see you reacting to this. I discovered this film a couple of years ago and was blown away. So well written, directed and such a great cast. It is so real, moving and emotional. Not many films show this kind of honesty when looking at people and their relationships. No matter how things may look on the outside, everybody's had to deal with something. This film can be somehow relatable to a lot of people and it's really cathartic as well.
That is top-notch acting right there.
Robert Redford was one
of the biggest movie stars
of the '70s. This was the first film
he directed. He won an Oscar for it.
It also won Best Adapted Screenplay,
(Alvin Sargent),
Best Supporting Actor
(Timothy Hutton in his first film)
& Best Picture.
Why is the audio pitched low?
Ordinary People is an incredible film, adapted for the big screen from an incredible book. Thank you for watching and reacting. I enjoyed your video tremendously.
Forgive the length.
I saw this movie during its initial release, when I was 18.
As I’ve rewatched it over the years, I’ve found myself placing myself in the shoes of all three major characters, something that’s even easier to do, now that I’m older than all of them.
My age also gives me insight into the generational differences between parents both my age and the ages of both the parents in the movie and of my own parents-and between myself, a teenager of the 1970s and 1980s, and my own son.
I see no contradiction or conflict in being infuriated and frustrated with Beth, and also feeling very sad for her. I don’t excuse any of her behavior, but I can understand it, and hope that Beth, for her own benefit and the benefit of everyone else in her life, can come to do better.
Both Beth and Calvin are products of the 1930s through 1950s, and apparently, of a specifically white and upwardly mobile and eventually affluent sub-culture that especially valued control and order above almost all else.
For whatever reason, Beth was a far more guarded individual than Calvin, long before tragedy struck. It simply wasn’t as apparent in the absence of crises whose breaks weren’t nice clean ones that could be easily fixed, then ignored.
Some of the origin of Beth’ extreme control issues are hinted at in the superficial interaction with her brother, and with a mother who seems to have her own need to keep things nice and neat.
Though we don’t see Calvin’s family, we see, in Beth’s father, a bit of the fathering model both Beth and Calvin likely grew up with-reliable, even pleasant, but also psychically absent breadwinner, who’s pretty much asleep at the switch, when it comes to the emotional life of the family.
The Jarretts could maintain a largely emotionally hollow family life that focused on the pleasant, the surface issues, and the mundane-until they were hit with the emotional sucker punch of Buck’s death.
Only in the aftermath does Beth’s numbness and inability to face problems show itself for how truly problematic it is. Only then does Calvin begin to realize that playing pleasantly distant Dad, with a handle on everything, can’t work any longer. He has to do something different, but doesn’t know how, and doesn’t even begin to develop a vocabulary for starting to figure out how, until nearly the end of the movie.
Beth is even less equipped for what’s befallen the family. Her defenses have done the opposite of what they were supposed to, leaving her even more wounded than most mothers would be, and causing her to both deprive and do more damage to those around her. As Dr. Berger suggests, inability to feel pain means inability to feel anything else, including any real compassion for herself or anyone else. She can’t feel or appreciate anyone else’s pain, because she is so dedicated to hiding from her own pain, converting every hint of feeling into primal self-centered caged-animal self-defense and attack.
Beth’s best hope lies in what 12-step groups call “hitting bottom”, in a way that forces her to see the need to confront her own issues and be able to begin to become loving and supportive of others.
It’s interesting to ponder what might have happened to these characters in the years that followed.
In the shorter term, I’m guessing that Conrad became able to be around Lazenby, and that they became better able to grieve together and move forward.
I don’t think there’s an issue of move on versus not move on. It’s more about how, when, and at what pace, how to embrace the future while giving the past its due.
This movie is loaded with great scenes for actors who want to practice playing subtext. The scene with Conrad and Karen is a particularly strong example of this. It’s also interesting to watch two children of accomplished actors become accomplished in their own right: Timothy Hutton is the son of Jim Hutton; Dinah Manoff is the daughter of Lee Grant.
Good reaction. I appreciate you guys being willing to grapple with the complicated issues this movie raises. That Ordinary People can provoke sometimes difficult discussion is a testament to its quality.
In the novel it is revealed that Calvin grew up in an orphanage.
Love your choices, I’ve never seen anyone react to this.👏🏼
Redford is a fantastic director. Perhaps the best of all his films is Quiz Show.
He's a good actor-turned director ala Ron Howard, Rob Reiner, Clint Eastwood.... guys that can tell a good story. The cinematics may not be groundbreaking, they may not have a distinctive style, but they certainly know how to make a movie, and in a variety of genres, to boot. They've all notched good ones, great ones, and not-so-great ones and all definitely work within the Hollywood system (ie: you wouldn't call them "mavericks", and they're not going to dabble in the art house circuit)
PS: Quiz Show is good! Haven't seen that in a while, I may have to rewatch that soon.
Try "A River Runs Through It" with Brad Pitt. Moving tribute to, of all things, fishing and the love of the natural world. I highly recommend it.
This movie won movie of the year at the Oscars.
It's ironic that amid wealth and material comforts this family is emotionally bankrupt in some way. Beth throwing out the French toast perfectly sums up her personality: either take what little I'll give to you right now, or get nothing.
I saw this long ago....before I was married and had children. It was much more difficult to watch with you this time. Because I now can relate to everything in this movie. My child didn't die. Nothing near that tragic. But, I have a son whose mental issues showed up when he was 15. He is now 23, and still has issues. It is the most draining thing I've ever experienced, and I am the one who is more likely to come down on him for things....I try every day to back up and not be bothered by the small stuff. I am NOT like the mom in this movie...I can express my feelings, but it's difficult when all your buttons are getting pushed constantly NOT to REACT instead of stopping and listening. It is inconceivable to me to be a mom that doesn't show any affection or concern, please don't get the wrong picture. I can just relate to having a difficult relationship with a son. When someone is in the place this son was, it's very difficult to interact because they want to talk to someone, but they don't want to cuz it's so painful for them, and you have to keep trying and keep trying and keep trying. My husband is officially a saint...I'm just saying...don't be too judgy on ANY of them. Of course, the parents have a responsibility and should, without question be there for the child. But, remember, every single person has a breaking point. Every single one. And that it is not necessarily their "fault" when they reach it.
Robert Redford actually lived near Mary Tyler Moore and said he watched her jog on the beach in the mornings and he knew she was perfect to play Beth. He said she had a hardness that he knew he could capture in the film. Donald Sutherland thought her acting when she packed to leave at the end was incredible. They shot the scene over where he told her he couldn't love her anymore. Donald said he broke down and cried more in the original. Redford was okay with it but Sutherland thought he'd overacted. As someone who has Avoidant Personality Disorder due to a hypercritical mother and a childhood of emotional abuse and neglect the mom in the movie has always fascinated me. I can definitely relate to Conrad. A lot of people were upset that this film won best picture instead of Raging Bull in 1981.
Although I do think "Raging Bull" deserved Best Picture - even moreso now than I did then! - "Ordinary People" was still a well-regarded movie, especially at the time. I think the outcry came later, as "Ordinary People" faded away and "Raging Bull" didn't. Thanks for jotting down how Mary Tyler Moore got to be cast, I was just wondering! Brilliant casting! At the time, it didn't hit me how unusual that was, to have a TV icon all of a sudden in a this heavy, ensemble drama on the big screen. I'm happy MTM got the chance to do this; Dick Van Dyke Show in the 60s, Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 70s (and all that represented)....and appearing in the first Best Picture of the 80s (or the last one of the 70s, depending on how you look at it!). As far as "Raging Bull" - De Niro DID win his second Oscar for that part, quite rightly and it wasn't even a contest, that was a game-changer performance and everyone knew it so....."Raging Bull" still had it's accolades.
@@TTM9691 Actually it did come out in 1980, so was the first film released in the 80s to win BP - and second to be awarded that Oscar (the first being 1979's Kramer vs Kramer in April of 1980). Minor point, just mentioning it since I knew what you meant re MTM's 3-decade run on top.
I heard Donald Sutherland & mary tyler Moore didn't like each other in real life but that could just be a rumor because they acted so good people believed it
As someone who grew up with divorced parents since I was 9, being with a single parent is way better than living under an emotionally repressed household.
You can say that again, Madison Lee.
So true. I was 6 years old when I knew my parents shouldn’t be married…and yet, they stayed together until I was 18. I was like, “really? Wtf?”
I thought the father handled things as best as he could while being totally out of his depth and overwhelmed. In the end he stood up for his son and he made sure his son knew that he was the most important thing in the world to him. I wish I had had a father like that.
The excellence of this movie was noted (Best Picture/Director/Screenplay), but a significant number of people still resent it for winning over "Raging Bull". A similar situation exists with "Dancing With Wolves" being downed for besting "Goodfellas". It's so odd and pointless. They're all great films.
The real snub is that Donald Sutherland didn't even get nominated that year! Now NO ONE was going to win over De Niro that year, even if you didn't see the movie, you knew he had gained all that weight, something unheard of, at the time. But they could have at least nominated Sutherland, right? The other nominees were John Hurt for "The Elephant Man" Robert Duvall for "Great Santini", Jack Lemmon for "Missing", Peter O'Toole for "The Stunt Man". O'Toole should have been in the Supporting Actor category. (Anthony Hopkins was snubbed too, he didn't get nominated and his performance in "The Elephant Man" is at least as great as John Hurt's!)
Not really... certain films are pointlessly violent and egocentric and should be hailed as films of excellence.
Back in the late 70-early 80's, many ppl didn't talk very much about mental health issues and stuff that surrounds it. And how certain traumatic events can effect ppl in a family. All of the main actors in this were great. I love how Tim Hutton showed he has as good acting chops as his Father, Jim Hutton. (I loved him in the TV series- Ellery Queen!) I had forgotten that a quite young Elizabeth McGovern (of Downton Abbey) had been in this. This was a good change of pace for you guys! 🤓👍
That's very true, good to reminded of, actually. (about people back then not talking about mental health, it was a big taboo).
@@TTM9691 Thanks! 😊
@@gailjohnston1248 😊 Loved Elizabeth McGovern, and she was great the following year in "Ragtime". Now THAT'S a movie to react to, oof!
I love this movie! Never expected you guys to react to this but glad you did!
It's not even about talking about it or medicating it, but transcending it. We have more mental illness and narcissism then ever before and our society will collapse to the ground if we don't learn to transcend our egos with higher mental energy patterns and the releasing of resistance to love......
This is the movie that made me become a therapist.
Great commentary, guys. Watch this film a number of times and you unravel more layers. I enjoyed your thoughts. Keep up the great work.
If you haven’t seen them already, some great movies are Steel Magnolias, Good Will Hunting, and McFarland USA. Yellowstone is also a top notch tv show to watch!
Reactions like this are the reason why I'm subscribed to you.
Awesome that you reacted to this! Redford got the Oscar for Best Director and Timothy Hutton (Conrad) won Best Supporting Actor. The scenes between Conrad and his mom just floored me with how tense and awkward they were with each other. Just an amazing movie and one of my all time favs. Thank you!
I love this movie! Thanks so much for your reaction to it. It was a great analysis. Only thing, in your future vids don't cut off ur commentary during the film. I would love to hear all the points you were making.
Thanks, James! Thanks, Ninetailedbrush! 🎬
Well done for showing this movie. One of my top 10 favorites ever. The movie deals heavily with survival guilt. Many movies and Psychological movements in the late 1970s early 1980s were about "getting in touch with your feelings." This movie is a raw, sensitive film about just that. The novel (source material) came out in 1976 and was banned in certain states because the subject matter was too intense. Timothy Hutton who played Conrad won an Academy Award, one of the youngest actors ever to win. He was 20 years old at the time and deserved every bit of it.
Beth had OCD. Note the way she placed things in the drawer. Notice the way the house was kept. There were so many other clues. Everything had to be controlled and perfect. And then the grout in the bathroom tile had to be replaced because it was stained with Connie's blood. Cal said it at the end: Things would have been alright if there hadn't been any mess.
such an emotionally crushing movie. thanks for the reaction. keep on rockin
What a well deserved Oscar for Timothy Hudson.
This is a VERY, VERY, VERY nice surprise. Awesome! You should also know Robert Redford is the founder of the Sundance Film Festival (the most highly regarded festival for independent film) and he runs it every year. The festival is named after one of Robert Redford's most iconic screen characters, the Sundance Kid from the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" from 1969 (one of the best westerns ever made), also starring Paul Newman as Butch. If you don't know Paul Newman, you probably know his food company brand "Newman's Own" (they make spaghetti sauce, salad dressing, cookies and lots of other stuff). Paul Newman and Robert Redford are/were two of the biggest and greatest movie stars ever. You should react to more of their movies.
You guys did a great job analyzing this movie. It really is quite complex…and a lot to think about and process. Even with the edited clips you shared, a tear still formed in my eye…this movie just hurts my soul. Subscribing, cause I’m impressed with your movie choices.
You were both really insightful with this reaction, glad you watched this. A great Mary Ty,er Moore drama movie where she really shows a range of feelings is “Six Weeks” similar to this movie but only in small ways. Worth a watch. A great drama from Judd Hirsch who played the Psychologist is “Running On Empty”, different type of story but Judd really shines as the father in that movie.
Judd Hirsch is always like a warm hug (even if his character is cranky in a movie or show). I love him in Without a Trace as a detective looking for Kate Nelligan's missing lil boy.
I watched this movie at High School, then we had to write a psychological analysis on every character. I fell in love with the movie and with Timothy Hutton.
Grief esp in a family is incredibly complex, unique and hard.
Each person is dealing with their feelings, the other's feeling, as well as the dynamic it causes in the family.
It's not about a"bad guy" but about a person not being able to deal successfully with her Own grfeelings, her own development. Any big, challenging event in life, esp painful ones, tells us something about ourselves. It gives all us ordinary very imperfect people a lot opportunity for a bit of self awareness and griwth. But its challenging, difficult process.
It's those 2 things that that keeps her from being able to move forward, to break through, and love.
The play is interesting… in that Calvin realizes Beth hates Conrad’s and he has to protect his son. He drives her into leaving the house so Conrad will have a chance at life.
The father was not terrible. He's trying to do everything to make peace here. She's not a terrible mother, she's just in denial. She can't move on. She refuses to feel anything. It's all about appearances for her. The father doesn't care about appearances, he wants to help EVERYONE.
31:47 Wow this movie ❤ the part when he was talking with the therapist got to me, I was in a dark place not long ago, it is scary to feel all those emotions and hopelessness and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.. great reaction guys and keep it up with the stories ☺️✨
Glad to see you guys expanding out of the "nerd comfort zone." Not that there's anything wrong with those movies, just that there's a huge world (literally) of movies out there. I envy your generation's access to the past classics. Movies I had to drive miles just to see at a theater are readily available at the tip of your finger. Take advantage of it. There's the New Waves of the late 50's and 60's from France to Japan to Czechoslovakia and the New Hollywood of the 60's and 70's, filmmakers that still cast a long shadow over all the films being made today. Keep it up!
You hit a lot of the greats there, Edward, and I agree: it's SO great how we can see the whole history of cinema at the click of a mouse. I've watched and learned more about silent movies within the last five years then I have my entire life, for instance. Sad that Jean Paul Belmondo passed the other day.....and I'm literally thinking of how sad Claudia Cardinale must be right now, they made a couple of good movies together, "The Lovemakers" and "Cartouche", which finds Belmondo as a swashbuckler! It's kinda funny watching the French attempt a Hollywood movie like that....but it's pretty good, and has a fantastic ending! Anyways, the Czech stuff ("The Fireman's Ball"! and "Loves Of A Blonde"!), and tons of French, and how about all the great Italian movies, holy smokes! Possibly my favorites! Definitely the New Hollywood of the 60s and 70s. Just saw two new "Dog Day Afternoon" reactions recently, great to see that movie being hit. I just saw Mary Cherry do the first "Planet Of The Apes" the other day, a fantastic reaction. (not quite part of "New Hollywood" but a great movie nonetheless! Released the same DAY as "2001: A Space Odyssey"! :P
@@TTM9691 I'm really surprised at some of my finds. Movies that have been on my to watch list for nearly two decades I've finally been able to track down and see. For instance, I stumbled on to almost the entire filmography of the great Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine in restored versions on Netflix of all places. Didn't even mention the Parallel Cinema of India in the 70s, Novo Cinema from Brazil, the Polish School, German Expressionism and New German Cinema.
I've always loved this movie. Thanks for reacting xx
HIS MOTHER IS QUITE DISFUNCTIONAL EMOTIONALLY! . HIS FATHER IS MORE ORESENT SYMPATHETIC AND NURTURING. GREAT MOVIE!!!👍👍👍👍👍
Set and filmed primarily in Highland Park IL🥺
Have watched someone I love dearly live in a similar reality. For those of us who have experienced the unconditional love of a parent, it’s nearly unimaginable.
The fact is- every child deserves a parent, but not every parent deserves a child😔
Stay safe & love much💖
My all time favorite movie. Thank you so much ❤
Great reaction. Loved this book as well
To understand why this movie had the impact it had when it was released, you have to understand how the public perceived Mary Tyler Moore. To the public, she was sweet little Mary Richards (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) or sweet little Laura Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show). In other words, she made us laugh. Nobody but nobody was prepared to see her play such a cold brittle woman filled with so much resentment that she could treat her surviving son the way she did. It's been 43 years since the movie's release, and I STILL remember vividly the reaction from the woman sitting behind me when Beth refuses to have her picture taken with Conrad. "My God, SHE'S the one who needs a psychiatrist!!!" You wouldn't believe the audience reaction to that scene - you could easily feel the shock wave that went through that audience. When the movie ended, I just HATED Beth Conrad. When I took my mom to see the film a few weeks later, it was my mom who had to explain to me why Beth was the way she was. She didn't necessarily hate Conrad, but she detested him - mainly because he was everything she hated. Where Buck was the good-looking athletic popular son who won awards and such, of course she doted all over him. So even before the accident, she already had problems with Conrad because, well, he wasn't as good looking, not as athletic, or as popular. Now it's a year later, he attempted to off himself, he's seeing a psychiatrist. He's represents EVERYTHING she hates. She wasn't necessarily an evil woman. Well, it would take me many years and some life experience before I would realize what my mom was saying. Now I see Beth as a victim. We get a glimpse of how she was raised. She was raised to not show emotion, and she did to the point to where she doesn't have any emotions anymore. So that last scene where she breaks down, well, you know she is in intense pain to even express THAT much. And as a little footnote here: An hour after I saw this movie for the first time, a thought occurred to me. I wondered if Lee Remick was even considered for the part of Beth. Lee Remick is my all time favorite actress. And it turned out she was not only considered, she was next in line for the part. She was almost picked. I'm sure it still would have been a good movie, and I'm sure Remick would have received another Best Actress nomination, but overall, I don't know if the film would have had the same impact. In other words, we wouldn't be aghast that Lee Remick could play this cold unemotional woman - she was an ACTRESS. Mary Tyler Moore was a cutesy comedic actress. Get what I'm saying? Anyways, great video.
Thank you for doing this movie..so sad, such a classic made film
Was that Jayne? Adam Baldwin. Anyone here a Firefly fan?
I kept seeing him as Animal Muther.
Yes,it is.
Nice discussion afterwards too. I get what both of you are saying. The movie is non judgmental in a way. The mom comes across poorly, but I think she is portrayed compassionately? In the sense that we understand her thought process and feelings, to an extent, even though she *refuses* to open up. It is a very human reaction to grief and life.
But she is also part of a common family dynamic, where one parent or member is self-absorbed, narcissistic, or immature, and the other member is the enabler, so to speak, more passive and peacemaking. As the father said, maybe they would have made it if it weren’t for this tragedy. But that can bring out the worst in people, of course, exacerbate existing problems, and being up past traumas.
Thank you for reviewing this movie. It brought me back. I saw it when it first came out at the theater (repeatedly). I was around your age when I saw it. I graduated high school in 81.
(Mother son relationship)
Sometimes the line between hate and indifference is quite blurred. As a matter of fact, some cultures define hate as what we understand for indifference.
You guys are way above the curve in maturity. Take pride of that. But don't let that be a highway for poor choices. Have you ever heard the saying "too smart for your own good"? It is a true concept. Stay hungry to learn more because life will never stop from teaching. (Hehehe use your powers for good. )
Thank you again,
Jaime
PD
This theme of mother-son relationship remainded me of the movie "East of Eden"
A very underated movie and a good choice to review if you have not seen it. (I believe is also based on a novel.)
It’s fun to contrast this one with Hereditary. It feels like Hereditary owes a debt to this film.
I wasn't even born to have watched The Mary Tyler Show when it aired but finally watched it when she passed away due to the loving outpour of tributes that came and saw how much she meant to people like Oprah as an inspiration, and I just loved the show. The show was first of its kind and so important in evolving television and female characters on TV. Mary Tyler Moore was a true trailblazer rom wearing Capri pant on the Dick Van Dyke show to being the first ever independent working woman on TV who even but the end was not married. I watch Friends and Golden girls and I see the inspiration the sitcoms took from Mary Tyler Moore show. The show is iconic and regardless of being a 70s show it was ahead of time and still stands as one of the greatest show and greatest written show in history. I highly recommend it to all to watch it. Today she is one of my icons and seeing her range in this movie really blew my mind, she deserved the Oscar for her portrayal.
That is tough losing your brother and noticing more than normally would. Like HIS MOM DOESNT LOVE HIM!
It’s impressive you would watch a domestic drama - not too many others would react to this film!
I actually feel very sad for Beth, because she was incapable of moving on. In real life, I believe Mary Tyler Moore’s son had recently died when she filmed this. Notice her demeanor changes whenever Buck’s name is mentioned. It’s tragic. She makes a couple of attempts to connect to Conrad, and it fizzles when he brings up Buck.
It was said by people on the set during filming that Mary Tyler Moore was actually grieving in real life the loss of her son to suicide not too long before filming began. That is how she was able to pull the cold, angry, dead emotional feelings that come across in the film. They were feelings and emotions she was actually going through at the time. They said it was very hard for her, but in a way it helped her heal the loss of her son in real life.
*MTM's* son, *Richard,* was still alive when *_Ordinary People_* was filmed in *October 1979 - January 1980.* The movie was released in *September 1980.* He died of an accidental gunshot wound one month later in *October 1980.* The *Oscars* were held five months after that in *March 1981* where *MTM* was nominated for *Best Actress* and also presented her on-screen son, *Timothy Hutton* with his *Best Supporting Actor* win.
Love, love, love this movie. I am so happy that you guys react to movies like this. Everyone in this film is excellent. Timothy Dalton won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Mary Tyler Moore was nominated and IMO should have won. You mention Sutherland in The Hunger Games, Timothy Dalton was recently in The Haunting of Hill House and Elizabeth McGovern ( Conrad’s love interest ) hit a career home run as Cora in Downton Abbey. Great reaction. You guys are our new favorite channel.
Timothy HUTTON
Favorite film of all time
Mary Tyler Moore was so absolutely brilliantly evil it killed her career. She deserved her Oscar. She was so good it changed public opinion about her. She was the dynamic that made this film. Everyone was great, but her performance had to kill her soul. Because she's such a wonderful soul.
Superb performances!👍👍👍
Great choice and great reaction !
good movie and good book as well. glad you guys liked it
This movie is amazing, great choice guys
After you guys are done with your horror run through in October you should definitely do a run through of John Hughes films. Iconic 80s director, the breakfast club, weird science, sixteen candles, pretty in pink, ferris bueller etc...
This film resonates with me more than most. I was suicidal at around age 12, when this came out. I did not tell anyone about my feelings. I think my mom kind of intuited it because she did not let me see this film in theatres. It is funny because my mom knew I was sneaking into R movies every week, mostly horror - she was okay with that because she felt I could handle that, but not this. I appreciate that subtle mother's protection that she showed me. One of Conrad's friends in the movie is played by a very young Adam Baldwin. He had just done My Bodyguard - a fantastic film about standing up to bullies and connecting with people. His brother in the film had committed suicide and it broke his character and created a hard exterior, which everyone mistook for menace and violence. I always associate Baldwin with these 2 movies, despite him going on to a fairly big career as a character actor.
Love this movie. It was filmed near me, and the cast stayed at the hotel where I worked.
Oh guys i watched this film wen a was a child and i remember an impact in my life
Martin Scorsese for the longest time seemed to have a curse where he could not win best director and best picture. That was one of the best known legacies that went right next to the curse of the Boston Red Sox. Whenever the curse is brought up the failure of Raging Bull to win director and picture always seems to be the one they love to bring up the most. We had so many people who kept insisting the academy has some vendetta against Scorsese never wanting to consider that maybe ordinary people really was that good.
The hospital in Lake Forest, IL (Lake Forest Hospital...duh) is where my two kids were born.
What Redford and the screenplay accomplished in this movie was no easy feat. It would have been very easy to turn this into a "Hallmark Movie" or "Movie of the Week" for anyone who remembers those. The movie made the ordinary aspect to everything extraordinary.
Ordinary People's Best Picture win at the 53rd Academy Awards in 1981 was highly controversial because it won over Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull, which is considered his masterpiece, and Robert Redford won Best Director over Scorsese. I suppose it's all a matter of opinion.
This film is in my top 5 favorite films list.