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On Golden Pond

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On Golden Pond (1981)

December. 04,1981
|
7.6
|
PG
| Drama Romance
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For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer on golden pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the generational friction that has existed for years.

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Cortechba
1981/12/04

Overrated

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Platicsco
1981/12/05

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

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ShangLuda
1981/12/06

Admirable film.

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Aubrey Hackett
1981/12/07

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

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Lee Eisenberg
1981/12/08

A few things struck me while I was watching "On Golden Pond". The obvious thing was the co-starring of two generations of Fondas. I understand that Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda hadn't been on the best terms due to her political activism in the '60s, and so this movie was a sort of reconciliation for both of them.As for the plot, the movie comes across as a "nice movie" that you can take the kids to see. Katharine Hepburn's "knight in shining armor" quote pretty much sums up the movie's feeling. I'm not saying that it's a bad movie, just a little too fluffy. It's a surprise seeing Jane Fonda and Dabney Coleman play wife and husband, since they had just played enemies in "9 to 5".Basically, it's a watchable movie, but not any sort of masterpiece. Probably worth seeing once. So strange to think that Henry Fonda won an Academy Award for the role and died a few months later.

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JohnHowardReid
1981/12/09

Although it won a whole swag of awards, this is actually a rather conventionally constructed stage play in which a delightfully testy old codger in Act One turns out to have a heart of gold in Act Three. Henry Fonda handles this role with both acumen and style – quite overwhelming the rest of the cast with the exception of young Doug McKeon who stands up to him most convincingly. Henry's more celebrated sister, Jane Fonda, uses the film mainly so show off her somewhat aged figure. Poor taste, I call it! Fortunately, Hepburn is always reliable Hepburn. On the other hand, Dabney Coleman is boorish, but fortunately he is not in the film all that much! Rexford Metz's helicopter photography and the 2nd unit work are excellent. On the other hand, Mark Rydell's direction is as dull as usual. I'm hoping that one of these days I'll get a nice surprise. Unlikely! He won the world's top Best Director award for this one, so he's unlikely to change his style. As one of his contemporaries said to me: "What does it matter how clumsy and lead-footed it looks in a cinema? If what you're doing looks good on TV, go for it!"

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mark.waltz
1981/12/10

Who would think that the story of an elderly couple spending what is possibly their last summer together on their New England lake-front cottage and resolving old issues could end up being the surprise hit of the 1981 Christmas movie season? When those two elderly people are the legendary Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn, the curiosity is definitely a factor in attracting audiences, but quick great reviews and excellent word of mouth made this pack audiences in. Even the young film audiences in a year filled with "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Clash of the Titans" and "Arthur" flocked to see this, and now they are passing their discovery onto their own children.Norman Thayer is the epitome of the grouchy octogenarian who has been estranged from his daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) for many years. She has remained close to her mother Ethel ("Thounds like I'm listhsping", Norman says in a more lighthearted moment as he reveals that her impending married name almost kept him from meeting her down the church aisle) but the rebellious teenaged years and not so understanding, strict father kept her from establishing a close bond with him as an adult. Now she's engaged to dentist Bill Ray (Dabney Coleman in a role a far cry from his lecherous boss in "Nine to Five", also with Jane) and soon to be stepmother to his son Billy Ray (Doug McKeon) whom she wants Norman and Ethel to take care of while she goes on a trip to Europe with Coleman. Much to Ethel's delight, Norman and Billy begin to bond, and when Chelsea returns, she finds herself envious over the new friendship which she has pined for but never pursued.Many of us can identify with the cold relationship between Norman and Chelsea, as well as Norman's bonding with the young boy who doesn't seem to fear him as Chelsea obviously did. The entire cast gives bravo performances, but it is the Oscar Winning Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn (her fourth!) who dominate here. At times, you do want to slap Jane like Cher did to Nicolas Cage in "Moonstruck" and yell, "Snap out of it!", but as she discloses, even a successful businesswoman can find her old insecurities rising when confronted with a past she hasn't been able to get over. Katharine is wise and understanding, but even she isn't above disciplining her embittered daughter. "That son of a bitch is my husband!", she reminds Jane. To see father and daughter working together after so much history of differences in their own lives and really bonding is touching, as it is to see Henry and Kate together in their first and only film. Then, there's seeing the rebel of the 1930's (Kate) with the rebel of the 70's (Jane), and there is magic in this mother/daughter pairing.McKeon strikes a cord here, too, working well with the older actors, especially Henry. The direction by Mark Rydell is superb, and the lake setting is gorgeous. I can tell you from experience that having spent several summers on New England set lakes in cottages exactly like this, the movie's reality level increased for me because of how similar it looked. Dave Grusin's music is also gorgeous, whether profound and sad as the opening credits play, to triumphant as McKeon takes the Thayers boat out on his own, to bittersweet as the closing credits roll after Ethel and Norman have bid farewell to their summer home which we all hope will not be their last there together. This has been successfully remade for T.V. and revived on Broadway, but there will never be another version like this, and it will enter your heart for eternity just as Kate says lovingly to Norman, "You are my knight in shining armor." Keep the handkerchief handy, even if this is a repeat viewing.

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Rocco Campanaro
1981/12/11

This stunning picture marking the final film appearance of legendary screen legend Mr Henry Fonda is a terrific portrayal of the turbulent and distant relationship between father and his on screen and off-screen daughter Jane Fonda. Needless to say, the real star of this picture is Fonda himself playing the cranky and despondent old poop that is Norman Thayer.The whole point with this picture was moving away from the misconception that aging is something to fear in this world, but it is rather something that needs to be embraced and welcomed into one's life – including Norman. The relationship between the father and daughter of the picture is something of central significance throughout the play. Upon Jane Fonda's return in the final scenes of the movie to the idealistic image of her father bonding with her stepson in a way he never did quite did with her reinforces the idea that it is indeed never too late to reconcile the paternal bonds that had, at once, proved almost impossible to retain.What really stood out from this picture is the chemistry between the two lead roles; Hepburn and Fonda, in their Oscar-winning performances, appear to not capture the sexualized and lustful kind of chemistry but a kind that's most genuine, relatable and honest to audiences alike.The pictures traditional and authentic message resonates that we should quit the discrepancies and controversies of the past and aim to begin the path of forgiveness and reconciliation. Strangely, the weakest section of the picture was the undeveloped 'lack of bond' between Fonda's character and his daughter. The pair's scenes demonstrated a lack of raw emotion and total emptiness - odd considering the storyline appeared to showcase their real-life lack of paternal bonding in Jane's adolescent years.Nonetheless, no one can take away the simply beauty and treasure that is 1981's On Golden Pond. The picture's sweet and gentle plot focusing on an elderly man's search for a greater meaning to growing older in the form of the late Henry Fonda with his kind-hearted and sensible wife, the also late, Ms Katharine Hepburn.

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