Ordinary People (1980)

Rating: 80%
Okay next on the 80's we have the first one that won from that decade, so here's Ordinary People.

Plot: The film revolves around a high school boy named Conrad and his parents. After the death of his older brother Buck, Conrad has attempted suicide and has been in a psychiatry hospital for four months before going back to school and joining the swimming team. Meanwhile his mother tries to live life as if the death of Buck never happened by trying to keep the family as it once was while his father has trouble trying to connect with both of them. Eventually, Conrad begins to see a psychiatrist to try to deal with post-dramatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt from his brother's death.

I don't want to start by just saying that with a good movie considering how simple that is to say...but I can't help it. It was. It had a nice story, the characters were very well acted, it was deep and sad and it was just...really good. They very clearly displayed what each character goes through after Buck died and it really shows how the rest of the family is tormented by it. Timothy Hutton as Conrad especially gave out a performance that make it very little wonder that he won an Oscar for his performance... except that his Oscar was for supporting actor and not leading. I say that because personally I felt he was the real main focus of the story. I mean Of coarse Beth and Calvin are part of the main focus of the story, but Conrad was more the person to pay attention to in my opinion. He was there when Buck died, he's the one that tried to commit suicide and is seeing a psychiatrist, he's trying to make things a little better for him at school with quitting the swimming team and starting to date a girl he likes, all while still being haunted and tortured by the stress and guilt of his brother's death. So with all that, I felt he was the main leading character and not really anyone else. But that's just my view on it. And even if he isn't, Beth and Calvin were still very good as the leading roles. Calvin especially I liked during the very end. One of the things I remembered really liking when I last watched the end of this film up till now was his last scene with Beth. I just really liked his monologue when he was talking to her - it was just really well written to me and he acted it out in a way the really went deep into who her character is and how he feels about it.

And that's my review for Ordinary People. It had a good story, great performances, a little bit questionable as far as who are the leading or supporting roles but is altogether an enjoyable film.