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Sep 17, 2014mswrite rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A fine film from director Robert Redford with wonderful and heartfelt performances from the entire cast, including Timothy Hutton as the traumatized younger son whose suicidal behavior reveals a broken family in deep crisis, and Donald Sutherland as the bewildered and heartsick dad trying desperately to glue the pieces back together. The standout however is Mary Tyler Moore, fresh from her long-running reign on CBS's The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her performance as the anguished, embittered wife/mother who turns to stone after the death of her favorite child shocked everyone used to enjoying her weekly comedic turns as the girlish, ever-eager to please Mary Richards. The enduring mystery is why her exemplary work in "Ordinary People" didn't launch a solid, more lasting career in films for Tyler Moore. Perhaps because of her age--she was 44 the year "Ordinary People" was released--Hollywood didn't know quite what to do with her except to offer more monster mom-type roles. (Her "Heartsounds" co-star James Garner suffered a similar disappointment at age 56 after the well-received "Murphy's Romance" failed to reignite his once thriving career as an American leading man.) Regardless, this compelling film boasts Mary Tyler Moore's finest dramatic performance and I highly recommend it.