Review of On Golden Pond (1981) by Alison C — 27 Mar 2010

Its all about the characters and their relationships to one another. and that means its all about the acting. and this is some freaking grade A acting! I really liked the relationship between Billy Jr.

and Norman. and how their parallel crabbiness quelled each other. interesting how two seemingly very different people are so very similar. Katharine Hepburn was so good! I think it was quite an achievement for her to deliver such a great performance at that age and to do her own stunts.

I think the setting itself was sort of its own character in this. My family has a place up north on a lake that is just a beautiful as the one in the film. (we don't own a place, it was a resort we liked to go to that has since changed hands and we can't afford to go) and I understand the fun, beauty, and memories that a place like that brings out of you.

It seemed to enhance those memories especially for Chelsea and in a bitter way. Even though it wasn't terribly dramatic or plot heavy, I thought this was a beautiful film. a good study on characters/people.