On Golden Pond

[1981, Movie]

On Golden Pond: Review

Retired professor Norman Thayer, Jr. (Henry Fonda), and his wife Ethel (Katharine Hepburn) are spending the summer at their New England cottage, just as they have done for nearly 50 years. The Thayers' daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) arrives at the cottage with her fiance Bill Ray (Dabney Coleman) and Billy (Doug McKeon), his son from a previous marriage. They plan for Billy to stay at the cottage while Jane Fonda and Coleman head for a summer in Europe. The gruff Norman and the irritating Billy are immediately at odds--much as the father and daughter have always been. The two come to a better understanding of one another over the course of the summer, however, while Fonda also tries to come to terms with his mortality. A beautifully photographed movie filled with poignancy, humor, and (of course) some superb acting. Henry Fonda was 75 when this picture was made and must have known he didn't have much time. There could have been no finer final curtain for him than this.