Rating: R
Movie Release Date: September 19, 1980
DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001
Plot 411: The fallout experienced by a family after the tragic death of their eldest son.
Review: This is another movie about a dysfunctional family that is struggling to cope with a death. Timothy Hutton plays Conrad, a teen who is involved in a boating accident that kills his brother. His survivor's guilt and depression eventually lead him to attempt suicide. He is hospitalized and the movie begins upon his return home. His parents, Calvin (Donald Sutherland) and Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), each deal with what's happened in a different way. Beth is especially distant and cold. She desperately clings to rituals and social norms like dinner parties. She refuses to even discuss her son's death and becomes an emotional hermit. This self-defense mechanism she uses isolates her from both her husband and son and causes Conrad a lot of emotional turmoil. It's almost as if she blames him for living while her other son, who of course is her favorite, dies. Calvin, on the other hand, is more emotionally giving, yet he still walks on eggshells around his wife. Because he is able to connect better with Conrad, there is a little tension between him and his wife. This is a really intriguing look into an upper-class family, who are so restricted by social conventions that they are unable to properly mourn their loss. Beth, especially, uses this to avoid feeling any kind of emotion. She really is hurtful and it makes you despise her. Still, her reaction is perfectly normal when seen as an individual response and you can't really blame her much. It jus makes you feel sad for the family as they seem to pull away from each other. Throughout the film "Pachelbel's Canon" plays in the background, which also creates a pretty haunting and melancholy feel. Also in this movie are Elizabeth McGovern, a girl who begins to help Conrad become "normal" again, and Judd Hirsch, Conrad's shrink.
Watch It: For an intense and emotional experience of love and loss.
Skip It: If you're already on Prozac because this will make you want to up your dosage.
Movie Release Date: September 19, 1980
DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001
Plot 411: The fallout experienced by a family after the tragic death of their eldest son.
Review: This is another movie about a dysfunctional family that is struggling to cope with a death. Timothy Hutton plays Conrad, a teen who is involved in a boating accident that kills his brother. His survivor's guilt and depression eventually lead him to attempt suicide. He is hospitalized and the movie begins upon his return home. His parents, Calvin (Donald Sutherland) and Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), each deal with what's happened in a different way. Beth is especially distant and cold. She desperately clings to rituals and social norms like dinner parties. She refuses to even discuss her son's death and becomes an emotional hermit. This self-defense mechanism she uses isolates her from both her husband and son and causes Conrad a lot of emotional turmoil. It's almost as if she blames him for living while her other son, who of course is her favorite, dies. Calvin, on the other hand, is more emotionally giving, yet he still walks on eggshells around his wife. Because he is able to connect better with Conrad, there is a little tension between him and his wife. This is a really intriguing look into an upper-class family, who are so restricted by social conventions that they are unable to properly mourn their loss. Beth, especially, uses this to avoid feeling any kind of emotion. She really is hurtful and it makes you despise her. Still, her reaction is perfectly normal when seen as an individual response and you can't really blame her much. It jus makes you feel sad for the family as they seem to pull away from each other. Throughout the film "Pachelbel's Canon" plays in the background, which also creates a pretty haunting and melancholy feel. Also in this movie are Elizabeth McGovern, a girl who begins to help Conrad become "normal" again, and Judd Hirsch, Conrad's shrink.
Watch It: For an intense and emotional experience of love and loss.
Skip It: If you're already on Prozac because this will make you want to up your dosage.
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