Ordinary People

Ordinary People

Ordinary People is a 1980 American psychological drama film directed by Robert Redford (in his directorial debut) from a screenplay written by Alvin Sargent based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton (in his film debut). The film follows the disintegration of an upper-middle class family in Lake Forest, Illinois, following the accidental death of one of their two sons and the attempted suicide of the other. Ordinary People was theatrically released on September 19, 1980 by Paramount Pictures to critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised Redford's direction, Sargent's screenplay and the performances of the cast. The film, which grossed $90 million on a $6.2 million budget, was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the Top 10 Films of the year and garnered six nominations at the 53rd Academy Awards, winning four: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Hutton (the youngest recipient at age 20). In addition, the film won five awards at the 38th Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Actress (Moore), Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Hutton).

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