Loving these posts – I finally watched Little Darlings for the first time ever last week (until I read your column and actually saw it, it wasn’t what I’d expected for the last 40 years at all!..)
Looking forward to RE-visiting this one and reading what you’ve written - I loved it as a kid but I’ve been curious to see how this holds up. (And thanks for telling us what’s next in the series so we can watch or rewatch in advance if desired!)
Beyond the fact that Raging Bull should've won Best Picture, I'm just not a fan of this one. Just melodramatic enough to make it ring false in a way I don't think was intended. I'll certainly give Moore and Hutton the props they deserve, but overall it's not for me, and that's fine.
"Ordinary People is squarely a drama but it sometimes plays like a ghost story." -terrific line
can't remember when I saw this the first time--might have been college, when I used to spend hours in the library watching through the VHS collection on these miniscule TV/VCR combo machines. or maybe i just caught it on cable at some point? it hit hard, though; the specifics aren't that close to my own life, but they were close enough to hit extremely hard. Mary Tyler Moore's performance especially--it hit on something that unlocked something else in my head, which is one of the gifts of thoughtful, empathetic movies like this one. i still think about Judd Hirsch's "A little advice about feelings, kiddo; don't expect it always to tickle" line, maybe once or twice a week.
I am hopping into the comments because I genuinely love this movie!!! It’s in my top 10 of favorite films. Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland are doing some of their finest work in this! Anyway not to get too deep but, I happened to see Ordinary People many years ago when I was dealing with the aftermath of the very sudden death of a good friend and it knocked me back how relatable it was and also kind of was a very therapeutic viewing experience. I’ll still stop to watch the rest of it if I catch it randomly on TV, it’s just one of those movies for me now. Great piece Keith!
Thanks for this piece. I saw this for the first time in about 2009 and thought it would be an obligatory Oscar film "catch up" watch so I could say I saw it, then be able to render a dismissive "it's fine" judgement later on. But it caught me, I'm one of those. My life and situation are far removed and without nearly as much trauma, but I have to confess that being middle class (poorer than the Jarretts but not by that much) and Midwestern, I connected a lot to the sense of "we don't talk about these things, or else". I hate the idea of it being compared unfavorably to Raging Bull, and honestly the post-awards horse racing, as if there's really anything left to give to that, mars what should be an opportunity to discuss mental health, personal trauma, even masculinity and other fruitful topics.
I can't praise Raging Bull the way most people do. The key problem for me is that LaMotta is not merely unlikable, but also impossible to connect to. This makes it hard to become emotionally involved in the story. Meanwhile, I found Ordinary People riveting and very moving.
Loving these posts – I finally watched Little Darlings for the first time ever last week (until I read your column and actually saw it, it wasn’t what I’d expected for the last 40 years at all!..)
Looking forward to RE-visiting this one and reading what you’ve written - I loved it as a kid but I’ve been curious to see how this holds up. (And thanks for telling us what’s next in the series so we can watch or rewatch in advance if desired!)
Beyond the fact that Raging Bull should've won Best Picture, I'm just not a fan of this one. Just melodramatic enough to make it ring false in a way I don't think was intended. I'll certainly give Moore and Hutton the props they deserve, but overall it's not for me, and that's fine.
"Ordinary People is squarely a drama but it sometimes plays like a ghost story." -terrific line
can't remember when I saw this the first time--might have been college, when I used to spend hours in the library watching through the VHS collection on these miniscule TV/VCR combo machines. or maybe i just caught it on cable at some point? it hit hard, though; the specifics aren't that close to my own life, but they were close enough to hit extremely hard. Mary Tyler Moore's performance especially--it hit on something that unlocked something else in my head, which is one of the gifts of thoughtful, empathetic movies like this one. i still think about Judd Hirsch's "A little advice about feelings, kiddo; don't expect it always to tickle" line, maybe once or twice a week.
What does “80s in 40” mean again?
Keith is writing about four films for each year. 4 x 10 = 40.
I should probably add that somewhere in each entry.
I am hopping into the comments because I genuinely love this movie!!! It’s in my top 10 of favorite films. Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland are doing some of their finest work in this! Anyway not to get too deep but, I happened to see Ordinary People many years ago when I was dealing with the aftermath of the very sudden death of a good friend and it knocked me back how relatable it was and also kind of was a very therapeutic viewing experience. I’ll still stop to watch the rest of it if I catch it randomly on TV, it’s just one of those movies for me now. Great piece Keith!
Thanks for this piece. I saw this for the first time in about 2009 and thought it would be an obligatory Oscar film "catch up" watch so I could say I saw it, then be able to render a dismissive "it's fine" judgement later on. But it caught me, I'm one of those. My life and situation are far removed and without nearly as much trauma, but I have to confess that being middle class (poorer than the Jarretts but not by that much) and Midwestern, I connected a lot to the sense of "we don't talk about these things, or else". I hate the idea of it being compared unfavorably to Raging Bull, and honestly the post-awards horse racing, as if there's really anything left to give to that, mars what should be an opportunity to discuss mental health, personal trauma, even masculinity and other fruitful topics.
I think this is a better film than Raging Bull. I might have given Scorsese director, but picture belongs here
I can't praise Raging Bull the way most people do. The key problem for me is that LaMotta is not merely unlikable, but also impossible to connect to. This makes it hard to become emotionally involved in the story. Meanwhile, I found Ordinary People riveting and very moving.
Completely agree