There's little that happens in On Golden Pond that isn't thoroughly predictable from the start, but the film is blessed with so much star power, charm and honest sentiment that everyone in the audience is willing to ignore the cliches and go the distance. In his last film,
Henry Fonda plays Norman Thayer, a cranky 80-year-old retired professor, making his annual pilgrimage with his wife
Katharine Hepburn (in her only teaming with
Henry Fonda) to their New England summer cottage. Their solitude is interrupted when the couple's daughter Chelsea (
Jane Fonda) arrives with her fiance Bill (
Dabney Coleman) and his son
Doug McKeon in tow. It takes a while, but
Jane Fonda and Coleman, about to go on a vacation of their own, persuade
Henry Fonda and Hepburn to take care of McKeon.
Henry Fonda and the kid dislike each other from Square One, and it looks as though this summer (which may very well be
Henry Fonda's last) will be a depressing experience. Gradually,
Henry Fonda and McKeon grow to love one another; their bond is strengthened during a near-fatal accident while fishing. It is through the warm relationship between
Henry Fonda and the boy that the old man and his daughter
Jane Fonda are at last able to display affection towards each other--the first time they've done so in years. Gorgeously photographed by Billy Williams, On Golden Pond is a wonderful valedictory for
Henry Fonda, who died not long after the film's completion;
Katharine Hepburn has less to do, but few can do so much with so little. Academy Awards were bestowed upon
Henry Fonda, Hepburn, and screenwriter
Ernest Thompson (who adapted the film from his stage play). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide