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Starting Over is a great movie and another tribute to the late director, Alan Pakula, who could get the utmost out of his actors.In almost all his movies some cast member would win, or at least be nominated for, an Oscar -- Jane Fonda in Klute, Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, Jason Robards in All the President's Men, and the two female leads in Starting Over. Yet Pakula seemed to be always under the radar and, in my opinion, never got the glory he deserved. His name is never brought up in discussions about the great directors. What a shame. When you watch Starting Over, notice how every actor -- from the leads to the smallest walk-on -- does an outstanding job. That's the Pakula touch.

As to the controversy about "Ordinary People" winning the Oscar over "Raging Bull," in my opinion there was infinitely more power in the quiet "Ordinary People" than was found in all the violence and vituperation of "Raging Bull." Every scene in "Ordinary People" is a masterpiece of film making. Every interaction between the characters is a memorable movie unto itself. While the scenes with Conrad and Dr. Berger are particularly moving, even the smallest interactions are incredibly absorbing. Conrad and his swimming coach. Conrad and Lazenbee. Calvin and his business partner, Calvin and Dr. Berger. On and on. My emotions have never responded to a film as much as they did to this one. This is easily one of the best films of all time.

This film is among the best of all time. I've seldom seen a movie in which all actors -- from the star to the smallest bit player -- deliver such forceful, realistic performances. I felt as if I were actually in that hospital room with Ken Harrison et al. While the film, which is about a sculpture who becomes a quadriplegic in a car accident and then decides to die rather than live life in that condition, has a seemingly depressing plot line, it is actually uplifting. Richard Dreyfus has the remarkable ability to infuse the main character with humor as well as sadness. It is a tribute to the director, writers, and actors that this movie, which could have easily been a maudlin weepy, turned out to be a paean to the indomitable human spirit.