On Golden Pond
1981 · Movie · PG · 109 min · ★ 7.3 · 80% critics
An older couple returns to their lakeside summer home, where familiar routines are shaken up by a visit from their grown child and an unexpected young guest. Over the season, sharp words and long-held resentments give way to small moments of connection, as the family tries to rebuild trust and face the realities of aging together.
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Details
- Years
- 1981
- Release date
- 1981-12-04
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 80/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (514 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a quiet, character-driven family drama about aging, love, and mending relationships, with a cozy lakeside feel; Not for you if you dislike slow, sentimental stories like Shadowlands.
Pros: warm, heartfelt performances; gentle humor; beautiful lake setting | Cons: predictable story beats; sometimes slow pacing; can feel sentimental
Themes
- daughter
- lake
- parent child relationship
- son
- based on play or musical
- family relationships
- family holiday
- new england
- family conflict
- lake house
- optimistic
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1982
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 1982
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1982
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1982 · nominated
Show all 14 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1982 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1982 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 1982 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography · 1982 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Original Score · 1982 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Sound · 1982 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 1982 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1982 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1982 · nominated
Cast & crew
Katharine Hepburn
as Ethel Thayer
Henry Fonda
as Norman Thayer Jr.
Jane Fonda
as Chelsea Thayer Wayne
Doug McKeon
as Billy Ray
Dabney Coleman
as Bill Ray
William Lanteau
as Charlie Martin
Christopher Rydell
as Sumner Todd
Troy Garity
as Young Boy on Jetty (uncredited)
Directed by Mark Rydell