On Golden Pond

On Golden Pond

18/11/1981 1h 49m 7.3/10

Overview

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.

Director

Mark Rydell

Top Billed Cast

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda

Chelsea Thayer Wayne

Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda

Norman Thayer Jr.

Dabney Coleman

Dabney Coleman

Bill Ray

Doug McKeon

Doug McKeon

Billy Ray

Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn

Ethel Thayer

William Lanteau

William Lanteau

Charlie Martin

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

1/25/2025

7/10

Can you just imagine how 15 year old Doug McKeon must have felt when he was cast in a movie with one Hepburn, two Fonda's and almost twenty Oscar nominations between them? Well nervous as he must have been, he acquits himself confidently as "Billy" arrives with his dad (Dabney Coleman) and his new girlfriend "Chelsea" (Jane Fonda) who just happens to be the daughter of the curmudgeonly old "Norman" (Henry Fonda) and wife "Ethel" (Katharine Hepburn) who have a summer home "on Golden Pond". It's clear that the relationship between father and daughter is bit strained, their vitriol is dished out with little love or affection. When "Chelsea" announces that she is to head to Europe with her beau and they want to leave the young lad behind for a month, "Ethel" likes the idea and so it's arranged. The teenager is initially a bit typically recalcitrant but after some butting of heads with "Norm" they find a common affection for chasing "Walter" out on the lake. From here on in, it's all a bit predictable but it's the chemistry between Fonda and Hepburn that shines here. Two old professionals imbuing their characters with a sort of charming crustiness that's embedded in a true love that they convey delicately and frequently quite sarcastically. The photography, indeed the whole location scenario, complements the simplicity of the story admirably and it's one of those films that reminds you of just what a real star was. It also introduces the slightly less decorous phrase "suck face"! The musical scoring is a bit soporific and plinky-plonky, but that's a nit-pick of a classy piece of cinema that even the most cynical would have to raise a smile at.

Similar Movies

What a Wonderful Family! 3

7.6

What a Wonderful Family! 3

2018

My Brother's Keeper

4.3

My Brother's Keeper

2018

Mother and Child

6.6

Mother and Child

2009

Rooster's Crow

0.0

Rooster's Crow

2023

Dinner at Eight

6.7

Dinner at Eight

1933

Portrait in Black

5.5

Portrait in Black

1960

Jayeshbhai Jordaar

5.8

Jayeshbhai Jordaar

2022

The Locked Door

5.9

The Locked Door

1929

The Perfect Host: A Southern Gothic Tale

5.4

The Perfect Host: A Southern Gothic Tale

2018

The Warrens of Virginia

0.0

The Warrens of Virginia

1915

A Delicate Balance

6.1

A Delicate Balance

1973

The Cabinet Minister's Wife

0.0

The Cabinet Minister's Wife

1989