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      On Golden Pond

      PG Released Jan 22, 1982 1 hr. 49 min. Comedy Drama List
      91% 44 Reviews Tomatometer 87% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score Cantankerous retiree Norman Thayer (Henry Fonda) and his conciliatory wife, Ethel (Katharine Hepburn), spend summers at their New England vacation home on the shores of idyllic Golden Pond. This year, their adult daughter, Chelsea (Jane Fonda), visits with her new fiancée and his teenage son, Billy (Doug McKeon) on their way to Europe. After leaving Billy behind to bond with Norman, Chelsea returns, attempting to repair the long-strained relationship with her aging father before it's too late. Read More Read Less Watch on Peacock Stream Now

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      On Golden Pond

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      Critics Consensus

      Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn are a wondrous duo in On Golden Pond, a wistful drama that movingly explores the twilight years of a loving marriage.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Michael L On Golden Pond came out the year after I was born. I remember watching it with my Grandmother from the time that I was around 4. I lost her just over a year ago, so On Golden Pond will forever be a reminder of her. It is such a funny, heartwarming film that will leave you longing for a simpler time when family and friends were more important than smartphones and celebrity gossip. You need to watch this before you crossover to the spiritual world. 😀 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/24 Full Review Michael F I hadn't seen this movie since it was first released and was too young to appreciate it. 42 years later, I'm a lot more appreciative of this wonderful film. Hepburn is superb and Henry Fonda shines in one of his greatest roles. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/02/23 Full Review Leaburn O This film was average 🤏 Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/19/23 Full Review TJ M A 1980's classic for a good reason. Paired with great performances from Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda, beautiful cinematography, stellar writing and a great instrumental score. An absolute must see. Go see it you won't regret it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/31/22 Full Review William L "Oh, Billy is the happiest thing that's happened to Norman since Roosevelt. I should have rented him a 13-year-old boy years ago." How did that make it through the writing room without some kind of revision? As a film on aging, parts of On Golden Pond feel pretty solid, including a pair of legendary lead actors that still shine in their golden years and a few entertaining, biting zingers from Fonda's Norman, a man whose primary character trait is morose sarcasm. But the story and character development are wildly inconsistent, including a father-daughter rectification that is awkwardly dropped in at the end of the film, and a dynamic between Norman and Doug McKeon's Billy that swings back and forth between idyllic and laughably rocky without ever feeling very original. When Fonda and Hepburn are allowed to sweetly chastise each other with gentle familiarity, their dynamic really elevates the film, but the character arcs would have been less predictable and obvious if they were spelled out in six-foot tall neon letters. (2/5) Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/20/22 Full Review Audience Member It's actually fascinating how such a simple story and plot can bring up several meaningful and relatable themes. I found myself really paying attention to Katharine Hepburn's words, as she is as compelling as ever. Jane and Henry are also endearing in their roles. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      On Golden Pond

      On Golden Pond: Official Clip - Boating Accident On Golden Pond: Official Clip - Boating Accident 2:57 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - A Rainbow Trout On Golden Pond: Official Clip - A Rainbow Trout 2:10 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - A Father or a Friend On Golden Pond: Official Clip - A Father or a Friend 2:13 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - We're Going Fishing On Golden Pond: Official Clip - We're Going Fishing 2:13 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - I Was Showing Off On Golden Pond: Official Clip - I Was Showing Off 2:39 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - We'd Like to Sleep Together On Golden Pond: Official Clip - We'd Like to Sleep Together 3:24 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - You're a Big Girl Now On Golden Pond: Official Clip - You're a Big Girl Now 2:32 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - My Knight in Shining Armor On Golden Pond: Official Clip - My Knight in Shining Armor 2:10 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - We Cruise Chicks On Golden Pond: Official Clip - We Cruise Chicks 1:46 On Golden Pond: Official Clip - Mad for So Long On Golden Pond: Official Clip - Mad for So Long 2:05 View more videos

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      On Golden Pond

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      Critics Reviews

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      Pauline Kael New Yorker This isn’t material for actors, no matter what their age. It’s material for milking tears from an audience. Sep 18, 2023 Full Review Ian Nathan Empire Magazine Definitely soppy in places but also genuinely moving. Rated: 4/5 Aug 18, 2021 Full Review Ed Potton Times (UK) Adapted by Ernest Thompson from his 1979 play of the same name, Mark Rydell's classy weepie follows an elderly couple holidaying in their idyllic lakeside house in New England. Rated: 5/5 Aug 18, 2021 Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times Complementing the subtle shades of performance are cinematographer Billy Williams's superb images, using to dramatic effect the changing light of the countryside in summer. Rated: 4/5 Aug 18, 2021 Full Review Ronald Boyd Tampa Bay Times If ever there's been a motion picture collaboration worth waiting for, Fonda and Hepburn in On Golden Pond is it. Aug 18, 2021 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Despite the amusing lessons on forgiveness, mortality, seeking approval, and compromising, there's a slowness to the picture that betrays its repetitive misadventures. Rated: 7/10 Sep 6, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Cantankerous retiree Norman Thayer (Henry Fonda) and his conciliatory wife, Ethel (Katharine Hepburn), spend summers at their New England vacation home on the shores of idyllic Golden Pond. This year, their adult daughter, Chelsea (Jane Fonda), visits with her new fiancée and his teenage son, Billy (Doug McKeon) on their way to Europe. After leaving Billy behind to bond with Norman, Chelsea returns, attempting to repair the long-strained relationship with her aging father before it's too late.
      Director
      Mark Rydell
      Screenwriter
      Ernest Thompson
      Distributor
      Artisan Entertainment, Universal Pictures
      Production Co
      Universal Pictures
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Comedy, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jan 22, 1982, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 19, 2016
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