Editing Ordinary People

{{Short description|1980 film by Robert Redford}}
{{About|the film|the novel it is based on|Ordinary People (Guest novel){{!}}''Ordinary People'' (Guest novel)||Ordinary People (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Ordinary People
| image          = OrdinaryPeople.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Robert Redford]]
| producer       = [[Ronald L. Schwary]]
| screenplay     = [[Alvin Sargent]]
| based_on       = {{based on|[[Ordinary People (Guest novel)|''Ordinary People'']]|[[Judith Guest]]}}
| starring       = [[Donald Sutherland]]<br>[[Mary Tyler Moore]]<br>[[Judd Hirsch]]<br>[[Timothy Hutton]]
| music          = [[Marvin Hamlisch]]
| cinematography = [[John Bailey (cinematographer)|John Bailey]]
| editing        = [[Jeff Kanew]]
| studio         = [[Wildwood Enterprises, Inc]]
| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1980|9|19}}
| runtime        = 124 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $6.2 million<ref name="pryor">{{cite news |title=Pryor and Alda Proving Stars Still Sell Movies |last=Harmetz |first=Aljean |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 May 1981 |page=1.10 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/30/movies/pryor-and-alda-proving-stars-still-sell-movies.html |access-date=28 December 2020 |archive-date=10 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110140229/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/30/movies/pryor-and-alda-proving-stars-still-sell-movies.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| gross          = $90 million
}}

'''''Ordinary People''''' is a 1980 American [[Tragedy|tragedy film]] directed by [[Robert Redford]] in his [[List of directorial debuts|feature directorial debut]]. The screenplay by [[Alvin Sargent]] is based on the [[Ordinary People (Guest novel)|1976 novel]] by [[Judith Guest]]. The film follows the disintegration of a wealthy family in [[Lake Forest, Illinois]], following the accidental death of one of their two sons and the attempted suicide of the other. It stars [[Donald Sutherland]], [[Mary Tyler Moore]], [[Judd Hirsch]], and [[Timothy Hutton]].

''Ordinary People'' was released theatrically 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 Awards 1980|National Board of Review]] as one of the [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|top ten films of 1980]], and garnered six nominations at the [[53rd Academy Awards]], winning four: [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]], and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] for Hutton (the [[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees#Youngest winners 4|youngest]] recipient at age 20).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmsite.org/bestdirs1.html|title=Academy Awards: Best Director Facts and Trivia|website=filmsite.org|access-date=16 October 2020|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111222402/https://www.filmsite.org/bestdirs1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, the film won five awards at the [[38th Golden Globe Awards]]: [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama|Best Actress]] (Moore), [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]], and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor]] (Hutton).

==Plot==
The Jarretts are an upper-middle-class family in [[Lake Forest, Illinois|Lake Forest]], a wealthy suburb north of [[Chicago]]. They are trying to return to normal life after experiencing the accidental death of their older teenage son, Buck, and the attempted suicide of their younger and surviving son, Conrad. Conrad has recently returned home after spending four months in a [[psychiatric hospital]]. He feels alienated from his friends and family and seeks help from a psychiatrist, Dr. Tyrone Berger, who discovers that Conrad was involved in the sailing accident that killed Buck. Conrad is now dealing with [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] and is seeking help to cope with his emotions.

Conrad's father, Calvin, attempts to connect with his surviving son and understand his wife, while Conrad's mother, Beth, denies her loss, hoping to maintain her composure and restore her family to what it once was. She appears to have favored her older son and has grown cold toward Conrad due to his suicide attempt. Beth is determined to maintain the appearance of perfection and normality, and her efforts only serve to alienate Conrad further. Conrad works with Dr. Berger and begins to learn how to deal with his emotions rather than control them. He starts dating a fellow student, Jeannine, who helps him regain a sense of optimism. However, Conrad still struggles to communicate and establish normal relationships with his parents and schoolmates.

Beth and Conrad often argue while Calvin tries to referee, generally taking Conrad's side for fear of pushing him over the edge again. Tensions escalate near Christmas when Conrad becomes furious at Beth for not wanting to take a photo with him, swearing at her in front of his grandparents. Afterwards, Beth discovers Conrad has been lying about his after-school whereabouts. This leads to a heated confrontation between Conrad and Beth in which Conrad points out that Beth never visited him in the hospital; Conrad argues that if Buck had been hospitalized in his place, she would have gone to see him, to which Beth curtly replies that Buck would never have been in the hospital in the first place. Beth and Calvin take a trip to see Beth's brother Ward in Houston, where Calvin presses Beth about her evasive attitude.

Conrad suffers a setback when he learns that Karen, a friend from the psychiatric hospital, has committed suicide. A cathartic breakthrough session in the middle of the night with Dr. Berger allows Conrad to stop blaming himself for Buck's death and accept his mother's frailties. However, when Conrad tries to show affection, Beth is unresponsive, leading Calvin to emotionally confront her one last time. He questions their love and asks whether she is capable of truly loving anyone. Stunned, Beth packs her bags and goes back to Houston. Calvin and Conrad are left to come to terms with their new family situation, affirming their father-son love.

==Cast==
{{Div col | colwidth=20em}}
* [[Donald Sutherland]] as Calvin Jarrett
* [[Mary Tyler Moore]] as Beth Jarrett
* [[Judd Hirsch]] as Tyrone C. Berger
* [[Timothy Hutton]] as Conrad Jarrett
* [[Elizabeth McGovern]] as Jeannine Pratt
* [[M. Emmet Walsh]] as Salan
* [[Dinah Manoff]] as Karen Aldrich
* [[Fredric Lehne]] as Joe Lazenby
* [[James B. Sikking]] as Ray Hanley
* [[Basil Hoffman]] as Sloan
* [[Quinn Redeker]] as Ward Butler
* [[Mariclare Costello]] as Audrey Butler
* Richard Whiting as Howard Butler
* [[Meg Mundy]] as Ellen Butler
* [[Elizabeth Hubbard]] as Ruth
* [[Adam Baldwin]] as Kevin Stillman
* Scott Doebler as Buck Jarrett
{{Div col end}}

===Casting===
[[Gene Hackman]] was originally cast as Calvin Jarrett but then later dropped out when he and the studio could not come to a financial agreement.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wuntch |first=Philip |date=1985-11-14 |title=Gene Hackman Happy with his Career Despite 'Honorable Disappointments' |language=en-US |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-11-14-8503180869-story.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2021-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731181413/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-11-14-8503180869-story.html |archive-date=July 31, 2021}}</ref>

A then-unknown [[Michael J. Fox]], who had just moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, auditioned for the role of Conrad Jarrett but reportedly did not impress Redford, who flossed his teeth during Fox's audition.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lang |first=Brent |date=2023-05-11 |title=Michael J. Fox Looks Back on Hollywood Triumphs, Setbacks and Why 'Parkinson's Is the Gift That Keeps on Taking' |language=en-US |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/features/michael-j-fox-parkinsons-disease-still-documentary-1235607552/ |access-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617210942/https://variety.com/2023/film/features/michael-j-fox-parkinsons-disease-still-documentary-1235607552/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite episode |series=Late Night with David Letterman |network=[[NBC]] |date=23 October 1985}} |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VmnP-tSI-4 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620062006/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VmnP-tSI-4 |date=June 20, 2024 }}</ref>

[[Natalie Wood]] was also considered for the role of Beth.

==Reception==
===Box office===
The film was a box-office success, grossing $54.8 million in the United States and Canada<ref name=mojo>{{mojo title|ordinarypeople|Ordinary People}}</ref> and approximately $36 million overseas<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=April 29, 1981|title=CIC Sights a $235-Mil Global Windfall|last=Watkins|first=Roger|page=3}}</ref> for a worldwide gross of $90 million.

===Critical reception===
''Ordinary People'' received critical acclaim. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 90%, based on 105 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Robert Redford proves himself a filmmaker of uncommon [[emotional intelligence]] with ''Ordinary People'', an auspicious debut that deftly observes the fractioning of a family unit through a quartet of superb performances."<ref name="RT">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ordinary_people/ |title=Ordinary People (1980) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=15 October 2024 |archive-date=2019-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523143905/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ordinary_people/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="1980Scores">{{Cite news|date=January 30, 1981|title=CinemaScore|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vDkpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VoMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1884%2C8022868|access-date=April 11, 2025|work=[[Deseret News]]|location=[[Salt Lake City]]|page=2C}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] gave it a full four stars and praised how the film's setting "is seen with an understated matter-of-factness. There are no cheap shots against suburban lifestyles or affluence or mannerisms: The problems of the people in this movie aren't caused by their milieu, but grow out of themselves. ... That's what sets the film apart from the sophisticated suburban soap opera it could easily have become."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ordinary-people-1980|title=Ordinary People review|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=1 January 1980|access-date=2 September 2020|archive-date=2020-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903004940/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ordinary-people-1980|url-status=live}}</ref> He later named it the fifth best film of the year 1980; while colleague [[Gene Siskel]] ranked it the second best film of 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://innermind.com/misc/s_e_top.htm#SE1980|website=innermind.com|title=Siskel and Ebert Top Ten Lists (1969–1998)|access-date=16 October 2018|archive-date=2018-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727230144/http://www.innermind.com/misc/s_e_top.htm#SE1980|url-status=live}}</ref>

Writing for ''[[The New York Times]],'' [[Vincent Canby]] called it "a moving, intelligent and funny film about disasters that are commonplace to everyone except the people who experience them."<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=Vincent |last=Canby |title=Redford's Ordinary People |url=https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/people-re.html |date=19 September 1980 |access-date=16 October 2018 |archive-date=2017-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212082208/http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/people-re.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The film marked a career breakout for Mary Tyler Moore from the personalities of her other two famous roles: Laura Petrie on ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]'' and Mary Richards on ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]''. Moore's nuanced portrayal of the mother to Hutton's character was highly acclaimed, and earned her a [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] nomination.<ref name=Siegel/> Donald Sutherland's performance as the father was also well received and earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Despite his co-stars receiving nominations, Sutherland was overlooked for an Academy Award, which ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' has described as one of the biggest acting snubs in the history of the awards.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/gallery/25-biggest-oscar-snubs-all-time/?slide=320129#320129 |title=25 Biggest Oscar Snubs Ever: Donald Sutherland, Ordinary People |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=March 1, 2016 |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=2015-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622170457/http://www.ew.com/gallery/25-biggest-oscar-snubs-ever/394280_donald-sutherland-maryljpg |url-status=live}}</ref>

Judd Hirsch's portrayal of Dr. Berger was a departure from his work on the sitcom ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'', and drew praise from many in the psychiatric community as one of the rare times their profession is shown in a positive light in film.<ref name="psychiatrist">{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Linda B.|date=25 January 1981|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/25/movies/the-psychiatrist-in-today-s-movies-he-s-everywhere-and-in-deep-trouble.html|title=The Psychiatrist in Today's Movies: He's Everywhere and He's in Deep Trouble|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=13 September 2006|archive-date=2007-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214023608/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9901EFD8153BF936A15752C0A967948260|url-status=live}}</ref> Hirsch was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, losing out to co-star Hutton. Additionally, ''Ordinary People'' launched the career of [[Elizabeth McGovern]] who played Hutton's character's love interest, and who received special permission to film while attending [[Juilliard]].

The film's prominent usage of [[Pachelbel's Canon|Pachelbel's ''Canon'']], which had been relatively obscure for centuries, helped to usher the piece into mainstream popular culture.<ref name="prisoners">{{cite journal |title=Prisoners of Pachelbel: An Essay in Post-Canonic Musicology |url=https://www.academia.edu/581670 |first=Robert |last=Fink |date=2010 |journal=Hamburg Jahrbuch |access-date=2020-01-28 |archive-date=2021-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430232337/https://www.academia.edu/581670/Prisoners_of_Pachelbel |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Analysis===
Julia L. Hall, a journalist who has written extensively about [[narcissistic personality disorder]], wrote in 2017 upon Moore's death that she "portrays her character's narcissism to a tee in turn after turn."<ref name=Hall/> She praised Moore for taking such a career risk so soon after having played such a memorable and likable character on television, "scaffolding gaping emptiness with a persona of perfection, supported by denial, blame, rejection, and rage."<ref name=Hall>{{cite web|last=Hall|first=Julie L.|title=Remembering Mary Tyler Moore as the Chilling Narcissist Mother in 'Ordinary People'|url=https://narcissistfamilyfiles.com/2017/02/11/remembering-mary-tyler-moore-chilling-narcissist-mother-ordinary-people/|website=The Narcissist Family Files|date=February 11, 2017|access-date=October 6, 2021|archive-date=October 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006053121/https://narcissistfamilyfiles.com/2017/02/11/remembering-mary-tyler-moore-chilling-narcissist-mother-ordinary-people/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Accolades==
The film was nominated for six [[Academy Awards]] (winning four), including the [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]], and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] (for Hutton) in his first film role.<ref name=Siegel>Siegel, Scott and Barbara (1990). ''The Encyclopedia of Hollywood''.</ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="6"| [[53rd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Ronald L. Schwary]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="6"| <ref>{{cite web |title=The 53rd Academy Awards |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1981 |website=oscars.org |date=October 5, 2014 |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=April 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419210514/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1981 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| [[Robert Redford]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Mary Tyler Moore]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[Judd Hirsch]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Timothy Hutton]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]
| [[Alvin Sargent]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[35th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| Mary Tyler Moore
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |title=Film in 1982 |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1982/film |website=awards.bafta.org |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=June 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626092513/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1982/film |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles|Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles]]
| Timothy Hutton
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[33rd Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| Robert Redford
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite news |title=Redford Wins Directors' Prize |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/17/movies/redford-wins-directors-prize.html |access-date=15 March 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=March 17, 1981 |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315165537/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/17/movies/redford-wins-directors-prize.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="8"| [[38th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="8"| <ref>{{cite web |title=1981 Golden Globe Awards |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1981 |website=Golden Globes |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222104951/https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1981 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| [[Donald Sutherland]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| Mary Tyler Moore
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]
| Judd Hirsch
| {{nom}}
|-
| Timothy Hutton
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]]
| Robert Redford
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Motion Picture]]
| Alvin Sargent
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|New Star of the Year – Actor]]
| Timothy Hutton
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Japan Academy Film Prize]]
| colspan="2"| [[Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film|Outstanding Foreign Language Film]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| rowspan="3"| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1980-89/ |title=KCFCC Award Winners – 1980-89 |website=Kansas City Film Critics Circle |date=December 14, 2013 |access-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201105239/https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1980-89/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| Best Director
| Robert Redford
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| rowspan="2"| Timothy Hutton
| {{won}}
|-
| [[1980 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards|Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |title=6th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards |url=http://www.lafca.net/Years/1980.php |website=lafca.net |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321001212/http://www.lafca.net/Years/1980.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Nastro d'Argento]]
| Best Foreign Director
| Robert Redford
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1980|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web |title=1980 Award Winners |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1980/ |website=National Board of Review |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417154032/https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1980/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Robert Redford
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[1980 National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Mary Tyler Moore
| {{draw|2nd Place}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite news |last1=Maslin |first1=Janet |author1-link=Janet Maslin |title='Melvin and Howard' is Chosen as Best Film |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/07/movies/melvin-and-howard-is-chosen-as-best-film.html |access-date=15 March 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=January 7, 1981 |archive-date=September 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926221825/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/07/movies/melvin-and-howard-is-chosen-as-best-film.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| Timothy Hutton
| {{draw|2nd Place}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[1980 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="4"| <ref>{{cite news |title=Ordinary People' Wins N.Y. Film Critics' Award |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=poUqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5lwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6966,4879835&dq |access-date=15 March 2023 |work=The Pittsburgh Press |date=31 December 1980 |page=7 |archive-date=October 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005015702/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=poUqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5lwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6966,4879835&dq |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Robert Redford
| {{Runner-up}}
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Mary Tyler Moore
| {{Runner-up}}
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| Timothy Hutton
| {{Runner-up}}
|-
| [[33rd Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best  Adapted Screenplay|Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium]]
| Alvin Sargent
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite magazine |last1=O’Neil |first1=Tom |title=And the Winners Were... |date=March 2001 |url=https://awards.wga.org/history/and-the-winners-were |magazine=Written By |publisher=WGA |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329010345/https://awards.wga.org/history/and-the-winners-were |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

== Home media ==
''Ordinary People'' was released on [[DVD]] in 2001.<ref>{{Citation |last=Redford |first=Robert |title=Ordinary People |date=April 25, 2017 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-People-Judd-Hirsch/dp/B06XGRJ81X/ref=tmm_dvd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= |language=English |access-date=2022-07-30}}</ref> It was released on [[Blu-ray]] in March 2022, featuring a [[4K resolution|4K]] restoration of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ordinary People (Paramount Presents) Blu-ray Review {{!}} High Def Digest |url=https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/101912/ordinarypeopleparamountpresents.html |access-date=2022-07-30 |website=bluray.highdefdigest.com}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Ordinary People (play)|''Ordinary People'' (play)]], a stage version of the novel by Judith Guest
* [[List of directorial debuts]]
* [[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees#Youngest winners 4|List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees – Youngest winners for Best Actor in a Supporting Role]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{mojo title|ordinarypeople|Ordinary People}}
* {{IMDb title|0081283|Ordinary People}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|ordinary_people|Ordinary People}}
* {{TCMDb title|4772|Ordinary People}}
* {{Metacritic film}}

{{Robert Redford}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for ''Ordinary People''
| list =
{{AcademyAwardBestPicture 1961–1980}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestMotionPictureDrama 1961–1980}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Film}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1980 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1980 drama films]]
[[Category:1980 films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:American drama films]]
[[Category:Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Best Picture Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:English-language drama films]]
[[Category:Films about depression]]
[[Category:Films about dysfunctional families]]
[[Category:Films about father–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about grief]]
[[Category:Films about mother–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about post-traumatic stress disorder]]
[[Category:Films about psychiatry]]
[[Category:Films about suicide]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Robert Redford]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winning performance]]
[[Category:Films scored by Marvin Hamlisch]]
[[Category:Films set in Illinois]]
[[Category:Films shot in Illinois]]
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Alvin Sargent]]
[[Category:Lake Forest, Illinois]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]