"And What Was The One Wrong Thing You Did?"

I should warn folks who have not seen "Ordinary People" and have a desire to do so - you shouldn't watch this clip, unless you don't care about knowing what happens near the end.

This scene with Timothy Hutton and Judd Hirsch is the emotional center of the film - it is where Conrad finally begins to come to grips with his guilt, and by surviving an awful blow to his pysche, comes out the other side stronger for it.

It is a great performance by Hutton, one that - notwithstanding the successes he has had - he's never equaled in his career. There are nay-sayers today who decry his victory and argue that the Oscar should have belonged to Joe Pesci. I don't see it, myself - as much as I enjoyed the Scorsese films that featured Pesci in a prominent role, it's always seemed to me that he's played the same role, over and over. But no matter.

Kudos are also due to Judd Hirsch, one of those guys who has always seemed to be good in anything that he's in.