Genre Grandeur August Finale – On Golden Pond (1981) – Encore Review 2 – MovieRob

For this month’s final review for Genre Grandeur – Family Vacation Movies, here’s a review of On Golden Pond (1981) by me.

In case you missed any of the reviews, here’s a recap:

1. Lake Effects (2012) – Sally
2. Way Way Back, The (2013) – Rob
3. Contract, The (2006) – Darren
4. Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) – Emily
5. Impossible, The (2012) – James
6. On Golden Pond (1981) – Rob

In addition, I watched 13 movies in my companion series Genre Guesstimation. Unfortunately, only one of those films will now be considered among my favorites in the genre.

1. Brady Bunch at the Grand Canyon, The (1971)
2. Brady Bunch Hawaiian Vacation, The (1972)
3. *Brady Bunch, The: The Cincinnati Kids (1973)
4. Johnson Family Vacation (2004)
5. Family Ties: Vacation (1985)
6. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
7. National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985)
8. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
9. Vegas Vacation (1997)
10. Vacation (2015)
11. Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation (2022)
12. Hotel Hell Vacation (2010)
13. Dirty Dancing (1987)

Next month’s genre has been chosen by Darren Lucas of Movie Reviews 101 and we will be reviewing our favorite New York Films That Take Place Prior to 9/11.

Please get me your submissions by the 25th of Sep by sending them to pre9-11NYCDarren@movierob.net

 

Try to think out of the box!

Let’s see what I thought of this movie:

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“Sometimes… you have to look hard at a person and remember… that he’s doing the best he can. He’s just trying to find his way, that’s all. Just like you.” – Ethel

Number of Times Seen – Between 5-10 times (cable in the 80’s, 27 Apr 2014, 23 Apr 2020 and 31 Aug 2022)

Link to original review – Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – An elderly couple get a visit at their summer home by their daughter, her fiance and his son which help them all learn so much more about themselves.

My Take on it – Amazing film that works on so many levels.

Having Henry Fonda and Katheryn Hepburn to work together after all their years in the industry is amazing.

They have such beautiful chemistry that it’s so easy to believe that their characters have been together for decades.

The film’s dialogue is quite witty and fresh and doesn’t sugarcoat any of the family dynamics which is so entertaining to watch due to the realistic feel of it all and the film won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The film has minimal characters, yet maximizes this fact with so many great scenes between the few that there are which feel close and intimate and adds to the feeling that these can be real people.

The film also has an added bonus of father-daughter team Henry and Jane Fonda which enhances the scenes between them even more.

Both Fonda and Hepburn won Oscars for their work here and it was such a powerful swansong for Fonda who passed  not long after he won the award.

The way that the film deals with interpersonal relationships is quite poignant and works so unbelievably well.

This film was nominated for 10 Oscars, but unfortunately only managed to win the 3 mentioned earlier.

Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Jane Fonda recounted that the scene between Chelsea and Norman (Henry Fonda) where she tells him she wants to be his friend mirrored the real-life relationship between father and daughter. During one take when the younger Fonda unexpectedly grabbed her father’s hand, Henry Fonda started to cry and ducked his head away from the camera, embarrassed by his tears. The take appears in the final film. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10) (no change from original review)

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