On Golden Pond

This film is about retired professor Norman Thayer and his wife Ethel and what could be the final pilgrimage to their New England summer cottage on Golden Pond. Norman is about to celebrate his 80th birthday, but the crotchety old coot is in no mood for such things. Wife Ethel knows that her husband is hiding the truth, that his age and his mind, are not what they used to be. Their daughter Chelsea will join them for the celebration. She and Norman have not seen eye to eye in the past. In fact Chelsea hasn't visited her parents in a very long time. When she does arrive, she has Bill, her dentist fiancé, and his 13-year-old son Billy, with her. Ethel tries to warm Norman up to the idea of Chelsea getting married. Norman is having none of it. He is more interested in a dental discount. Chelsea lets her father know that she is doing well in her new life. Norman belittles her decisions. Chelsea and Bill announce they are going to Europe for two weeks and Billy needs a place to stay. The perfect place for him to spend the summer would be with Norman and Ethel. Chelsea leaves without Norman's approval. Neither Billy or Norman are happy with what was dumped on them. Ethel is left to find a way to make it work. She convinces Norman to take Billy out on the lake to fish. The two start a relationship that only deepens when they have a boating accident while trying to snare the elusive Walter, the biggest catfish in the lake. When Chelsea returns, married to Bill, and sees how much Norman has bonded with Billy in just two weeks, she becomes extremely jealous. It is this bond that she has always wanted with Norman. After talking with Ethel, Chelsea realizes she just needs to try and be Norman's friend now, to stop fighting, before it's too late. This film is about relationships between the young and the old. It's also a love story about two people who have grown old together.