User reviews

When I was a student at Cambridge in the early eighties, shortly before "The Big Chill" came out, a friend of mine had a poster on his wall entitled "Woodstock Tenth Anniversary Reunion". (The actual anniversary had taken place in August 1979, not long before we went up). The joke was that those attending the reunion were all middle-class professional types, smartly dressed in lounge suits with well-trimmed short hair. This poster exemplified the way in which my generation saw the baby boomers, twentysomething hippies turned thirtysomething yuppies. Those who still retained their hippie idealism were mercilessly derided as being at least ten years behind the times. (And derided not only by Cambridge students but also by the likes of B. A. Robertson, in his satirical song "Kool in the Kaftan").

"The Big Chill" takes a rather more charitable look at the problems facing those idealists from the 1960s who tried to retain their idealism during the conservative Reagan years of the early 1980s. It features a group of old college friends from the University of Michigan who are reunited after fifteen years. The event which reunites them is the death of Alex, one of the group, who committed suicide while staying at the home of his friends Harold and Sarah. An impromptu reunion occurs as the old friends gather for Alex's funeral.

The precise reasons why Alex killed himself are not spelled out- he did not leave a suicide note- but as the movie progresses we realise that he had become disillusioned with the course his life had taken. (He was a brilliant scientist, but had dropped out of the academic life to become a social worker). His friends also come to realise this, and the realisation prompts them to consider the paths their own lives have taken. Most of the group were involved in the counterculture of the 1960s and the peace movement or other forms of radical politics, but most are now living much more conservative, middle-class lifestyles. Harold is a business executive and his wife Sarah a doctor; they live in an elegant antebellum home in the South. Sam, a one-time radical, has now become a Hollywood actor closely based upon Tom Selleck, down to the moustache. (While watching the film I assumed that Selleck himself was playing the part; it was only when I saw the cast-list that I realised it was actually Tom Berenger). Karen is also now living an affluent lifestyle but is feeling dissatisfied with her husband Richard (who was not one of the college group). Michael, once a radical journalist, now works for the apolitical, celebrity-obsessed "People Magazine". Nick, a Vietnam War veteran, has now become a drug dealer. Apart from their friend's suicide, the question which haunts the group is what became of their youthful idealism?

Contrary to what one might have expected, the film does not take a straightforward "radicalism good, conservatism bad" line. A key scene comes when Nick nearly gets himself arrested by badmouthing the local policeman. Harold, a personal friend of the officer, manages to smooth things out, but then berates Nick for his rudeness and stupidity. To Nick, who still subscribes to the sixties idea that all cops are "pigs" , this may seem like a sellout to the enemy, but I suspect that most of the audience will side with Harold who realises that some of his contemporaries have difficulty in distinguishing between idealism and childishness.

"The Big Chill" has something in common with another movie from the early eighties, Barry Levinson's "Diner" from 1981, which also deals with a reunion of a group of former classmates, although that film is a period piece set in 1959 and the characters are rather younger, being in their twenties rather than their thirties. What the two films have in common is that both are excellent examples of ensemble acting.

This was the second film of its director Lawrence Kasdan (his first was the very different neo-noir thriller "Body Heat") and it starred a number of actors, such as William Hurt and Kevin Kline, who were to become regulars in Kasdan's movies. , (Kevin Costner, originally cast as Alex, was edited out of the final version, but also went on to become a Kasdan regular). There are too may good performances to list them all, but special mentions must go to Kline as Harold, Glenn Close as Sarah and Meg Tilly as Alex's strange, unworldly younger girlfriend Chloe.

One question much discussed on this board is whether the film is "dated". Leaving aside trivial questions of fashion (even in the eighties Tom Berenger's hairstyle must have looked very seventies), I think that it is "dated", but only in the narrow, limited sense that it deals with cultural phenomena such as the sixties counterculture which were very much of their own era. In a wider sense it is not dated because it deals with timeless issues such as love, friendship and the challenge of staying true to one's youthful ideals in later life. (Another eighties film on this theme, although in my view a less successful one, is Fred Schepisi's "Plenty").

I felt that the film was occasionally slow-moving, with too great an emphasis on talk over action. I also wondered whether it might not have been improved by keeping Costner's scenes to allow us to see what sort of a person Alex was and why his death had such a traumatic impact on his friends. Overall, however, I felt that it was a very watchable film, and often a moving one- one that could be watched for pleasure not only by those who are too young to remember the sixties but even those who are too young to remember the eighties. 7/10

Reunions of former college mates can be an enthusiastic, but also dramatic experience, mainly when you have shared with your now adult friends great ideals in a better and just world, and all those ideals have been abandoned in favour of professional careers and wealthy lives and, moreover, when the only mate who has faced the unfillable gap between the ideal and the real has just committed suicide and thus caused that same reunion.

Single sense of more or less pretended personal self-fulfilment, but hiding a dramatic sense of disillusionment, is rendered through noteworthy dialogues: intelligent, witty, ironical, sensitive and deep. Each protagonist will have to take off his/her mask, and show himself/herself for what he/she is now: the easy and devouring enthusiasm of those, not so distant, at least chronologically, but mentally and emotionally buried times cannot be acted for long. The only form of consolation, a very significant one, actually, is the possibility to share this sense of disillusionment, and the understanding that the only way out of personal dramas is communing with others.

Evidently, the actors, nowadays known as talented performers, but not so famous in 1983, are more than good. Not to mention the soundtrack, which contributes strongly to the emotional impact of the movie and makes one feel like rediscovering the great and out of time hits of the 60's, 70's. A cult and must see movie.

There was something about this movie which I couldn't place my finger on. Although I barely made the 60's, of which all the characters are reminiscing of and therefore perhaps I maybe missed some subtle messages or didn't get some in-jokes about the 60's, this movie still applies to everyone. I guarantee every generation will have a time where they come back after 10 or 15 years and see friends that had been so important but are now barely on the radar. They will have a weekend of drinking and tears and fights and laughter. You will look at someone and remember a deep, hidden passion for them that you felt so long ago and never shared with anyone.

That is of course, the plot of the movie.

7 friends (who go wayyy back) one husband (who disappears pretty quickly) and a widowed girlfriend (who is barely known by anyone) come together after they learn that Alex, a friend formally part of the clique, had committed suicide (this part was infamously played by Kevin Costner). They have a weekend of sex, drugs, and good ol' fashioned rock and roll, the whole time bringing up past ghosts that had seemed long forgotten and faded. This is touchy subject, even in today's standards. Yet the movie handles it beautifully. My favourite section in the whole movie was when `You can't always get what you want' was played at his funeral. Not for the song, although it is a classic but for how the characters react. Each sit there in the church, some smiling quietly to themselves, while others have a sadden expression, remembering great times that were and never will be again. Every person has a song like that, one that makes you remember your friends, one that makes you sad or laugh and or grin to yourself as you remember the things you did. That to me clinches the movie. It shows how true the script is, and how humanly the characters react. There is a lot of angry hype about the movie, how there is too much talking and not enough sex or car chases or whatever people think is missing. Yet for me, it is reality. When something like this happens in real life, people do not over dramatise. Life is not a soap opera, although movie-goers seemed to want this movie to be. In a real-life situation, people would do exactly what the characters did, examine themselves and try to find a reason for the problems that have happened. Yet the hard truth is, especially about suicide, sometimes, there is no one you can blame. I think people didn't like this movie too much because it rang too true. It was too realistic. People go the movies to be entertained, to fall in love with the fairy-tales lives that movies have. This movie is honest. It seems, for now, people just want to be naïve and live in a fantasy world. If you want a true movie, see this one now.

While channel surfing, saw this movie again tonight, for about the 35th time. What makes this movie great is not the story - hell, there is no story really - but the making of the movie itself. It is the single best combination of acting, film editing, sound track, dialogue, and every other thing that goes into a movie, ever put together. No special effects, no car chases, no suspense, no anything that usaually passes for entertainment. Just excellent film making. Even tonight, I saw yet one more background detail I never noticed before. You have to watch this movie multiple times to appreciate it. Nearly everything that happens early in the movie relates to something that occurs later on. The transitions and foreshadowing, the character relationships, the very words themselves all fit together like no other film ever made. I truly believe that this is a film that should be studied as an example of pure movie making, no less than Citizen Kane. To rate this movie as a 10 is to underrate it. Of course, that is just my opinion.

A group of seven former college friends gather for a weekend reunion at a South Carolina winter house after the funeral of one of their friends.

In some ways, this film is something like "Secaucus Seven", with various friends who drifted apart getting back together again. These seven had high hopes in the 1960s, but are now becoming disillusioned in the 1970s (with a shoe company named after a Chairman Mao quote and a public defender who has learned that most accused criminals truly are guilty).

Somehow, in the thirty years since this film was released, it has gone under the radar and has been forgotten. Despite many big stars and a notable director (Lawrence Kasdan, a protégé of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg), not to mention a great soundtrack, how has this film become forgotten?

After reading several of the user comments on this movie, it is clear that many people missed quite a bit. Those "funny one-liners" (and there are plenty!) are much more than that: they tell us volumes about the characters. This movie certainly does not spell anything out to the viewer (except, perhaps, the obvious), so you must be able to find the meaning behind the words. If you listen to what the characters are saying, then you can understand their past relationships, their present feelings, which friends have stayed close, etc. Remember, these are old friends: the script is very realistic so the characters are not going to explain every line to one another. I believe to truly enjoy this movie you need to pay close attention to all of the details and understand a bit about the attitudes and ideals of the two eras the movie depicts.

Wonderful, intelligent movie!

Seven former college friends from Michigan meet near the coast in small town South Carolina after the death of one of their old gang. They spend the weekend together reminiscing on their youthful ideals, where they are now, and where they're going.

Written & directed by Lawrence Kasdan, "The Big Chill" (1983) has the same plot as "The Return of the Secaucus Seven" from three years earlier. The difference is that it has a blockbuster budget and bigger-name actors, but not necessarily the better story.

Speaking of the cast, the characters include the couple who own the big old house in South Carolina (Kevin Kline & Glenn Close), a TV star in the mold of Magnum P. I. (Tom Berenger), an attorney (Mary Kay Place), a journalist for People magazine (Jeff Goldblum), a discontented mother/housewife (JoBeth Williams) and a Vietnam vet who's obsessed with drugs (William Hurt). Meg Tilly is also on hand as the girlfriend of the deceased.

While this was a hit when released, some amusingly refer to it as "The Big Dull." Obviously, you have to be in the mood for a drama. I think Kasdan & the cast did a good job of making it seem like these are indeed old friends from college catching up after almost two decades. I also like the movie's droll sense of humor and, of course, the 60's soundtrack, not to mention the great Southern location.

Unfortunately, the awkward insemination subplot is eye-rolling and almost singlehandedly ruins the story. But this is made up for by Chloe's moving choice, which is unexpected. The former college 'radicals' are more or less intellectual whereas Chloe is visceral and mystical.

The film runs 1 hour, 45 minutes, and was shot primarily in Beaufort, South Carolina, which happens to be the nearest town to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island.

GRADE: B-

"The Big Chill" is about my peers. When first released in 1983, I, like the characters, was in my early thirties, a former rebellious collegian from the '60s. After a decade in the work-a-day world, being a family man and raising babies, watching "The Big Chill" was like a fantastic time machine and took me back to places long forgotten. It really connected with me on a visceral level and I loved it.

Now, almost twenty years later, I've watched "The Big Chill" again. Same effect? Not exactly, although a lot of this may be due to the effect of viewing any movie a second time. My views of the 60s are not so gilded as they were then either. "The Big Chill" is still a very good movie; you have to love it for the ensemble acting. So many of the actors in the movie went on to have respected careers in the 80s and 90s. It's one of those rare movies like "American Graffiti" and "Diner" that served as a launch pad for acting careers. And the soundtrack is perfect, capturing the breadth of late '60s pop music. I really wish Kasdan had done with these characters, what Updike did with his "Rabbit" novels, that is, show the characters at ten year intervals through their lives.

This is one of the better movies of this type and is highly recommended even for the gen-x'ers.

A surprising Oscar's BEST PICTURE nominee, writer/director Lawrence Kasdan's sophomore feature THE BIG CHILL focuses on a weekend reunion of seven 30-something alumni of the University of Michigan, 15 years after leaving the ivory tower, but what convenes them together is anything but jovial, their friend Alex's shocking suicide.

The overhanging question shrouds the cohort of eight, joined by Chloe, Alex's much younger girlfriend, is what is the reason behind Alex's given up on his life, but like Alex himself, whom we are not privileged to see in his physical form (Kevin Costner is cast as Alex but all his scenes with his facial appearance are left in the editing room), it is elusive and open-ended, it might be just as well a spur-of-the-moment decision out of depression. In lieu of solving the mystery, Kasdan takes in his stride to examine the sophisticated interrelations among our subjects, who begin to introspect their own feelings in the aftermath through gingerly disposed small talks and congenial interactions infrequently salted with discord and liaisons.

Pivoted around a ballast of camaraderie, nothing egregiously dark will emerge to tickle a cynical mind, Sarah (a radiant and Oscar-nominated Glenn Close in the mode of a good wife/mother which in retrospect appears at a premium in her tracking record) admits that she had an affair with Alex, which unfortunately dampens their friendship, before marrying Harold (Kevin Kline, full of panache), the ultimate version of an understanding and competent husband, who has no qualms at the bidding of her wife to become an inseminator of Meg (Mary Kay Place, embodies the career woman stereotype with considerable pizazz and tizzy), who adopts a modern view of independence and plans to become a single mother of her own accord when the biological clock starts ticking.

As per the likability quotient of their characters, in the descending order, the next-in-line is Karen (JoBeth Williams, a fine performance), a housewife forgoes her writing dreams to raise her children and gets bored with her stagnant marriage, the reunion tantalizingly rekindles her romance with her old admirer Sam (Tom Berenger, emits a refreshing air of forthright amiability and attractive unassumingness before being typecast in the villain compartment, for keeps), a well-known TV actor in L.A., divorced but sagacious enough not to wreck a family just for the old time's sake (after a mutually desired consummation, of course). Then the only new blood, Chloe (a lissom Meg Tilly channeling a less convincing orbit wobbling between a barmy nymphet and a post-traumatic soul), takes a liking to Nick (William Hurt, tangibly tackling the most complex character here with searing precision), a Porsche-riding, pill-popping Vietnam veteran who has no place called home and stigmatized by impotence, whose defeatist outlook cuts through the sweeping but bland melancholia like a scalpel, before receding to its residing harbor in the well-intentioned but anodyne ending. Finally, Michael (a jaunty Jeff Goldblum) is a People Magazine's writer who seeks both a new career opportunity and some carnal dalliance, falls between those two stools at length, nevertheless his can-do spirit is always in full swing to bring exuberance.

A cracking ensemble piece punctuated by a potpourri of hit parade ear-worms, THE BIG CHILL enthralls viewers with its fabricated spontaneity, palpable warmth and liberating candor, yet as a matter of fact, there is a discerning aftertaste apropos of the elephant-in-the-room: "Who is this enigmatic, gone but not forgotten Alex and what drives him to his undoing?", after all, is it a tactful circumvention as an enigma is better left in lacunae or a flagrant glossing-over in favor of something less perturbing? The jury is out, seemly.

As a member of Gen-X having just revisited this movie after several years, I have to say that the soundtrack took me down "memory lane" in a big way, and may be one of the best things about The Big Chill. My generation's experience with this music is very different than that of my parents', having been force-fed Three Dog Night, The Band, and all the rest as a young child. It remains a part of my psyche, buried deep in the most obscure and remote of my memories. It was fantastic to hear those songs again, in spite of how much my taste in music has changed over the years. A classic is a classic, and the soundtrack is LOADED with them. Music can make or break a movie, and in The Big Chill, the music is an integral part of the film, as important as the cast, the writing and the directing. Its hard to imagine different music, just as it's hard to imagine a different cast. The songs weave in and out of the movie as easily and naturally as the subplots weave in and out of the story.

22 years after being dragged to this movie by my parents (who LOVED it), I remain pleasantly surprised at what a good movie it is as a whole, and how much more I liked it as an adult. The acting is brilliant. The writing is excellent. The directing is fantastic. Everything snaps into place in ways that keep you from getting bored, irritated, or otherwise turned off. Sometimes melodramatic, sometimes hilarious, the characters are well-constructed by the writer(s) and beautifully brought to life by the cast. Two hours fly by without dragging, down time, misfires or backfires. The story unfolds in 1983 with a crew of Baby Boomers, college friends brought back together by tragedy, taking stock in their lives as they get reacquainted with each other after many years have passed. The story may be dated, but anyone, no matter their "generation," can find something to relate to in this film. The interpersonal relationships, the individual journeys, and the self-reckoning that comes with the death of a friend... all of us can grasp these concepts and drink them in, get lost in them, feel the pain, and feel the joy. We can relate to it because its themes are timeless... love, loss, sadness, joy, growing up and getting older. This happens to us all.

My only real criticism of this picture would be that once in a while the film was a little too poignant and too depressing for my tastes, but only for brief moments. It could be that no one else who sees this film will agree with me, or even notice. That's fine. Opinions...we all have them. For me, it went a little overboard, just a smidgen. This is the only reason I did not give this movie a 10. It is still a wonderful movie. Some might suggest that this "going overboard" was what made the movie effective. It was effective, very much so, but for me it was a bit too much from time to time. Once in a while, my heart strings need a rest.

However, the music remains the most memorable part of the film. I had to look The Big Chill up on the internet to be reminded of the general story line, but the music has stayed with me all these years, and will remain with me, from the first notes of Joy to the World through the rest of the soundtrack and back. I would watch this movie again, and recommend it to anyone, no matter how cynical they are or what generation they belong to. Its that good.

it's pretty much a dialogue movie, which is OK, but the dialogue is very tightly scripted. every word so carefully thought out, that it's unrealistic. people, even good friends, simply don't talk and interact like that. as for the music, it seems the producers realized there wasn't much beef, so to add some meat to the bone they overlayed popular songs every once in a while to make it seem cool and fill the time. parts almost seemed like a music video.

in summary, i would say it's OK to watch to see some actors that eventually became quite popular, before they were well known. but expect to say to yourself "omg this is ridiculous", every once in a while. also, as others have stated, don't expect much of a story.

This has been my favorite movie since it came out because it is, ostensibly, about ME. I'm from Michigan, and while I didn't go to UM, I went to a state school in Michigan in the early seventies, and this was my life.

This movie has both *everyone* I ever knew in it, and all the best actors of the time. Who wouldn't love Tom Berenger, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, and Kevin Costner, especially when they play everyone you knew in college. This film helps define who I am and who I became. When I clean the kitchen table, I hear "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" in my head. I dance around the kitchen, using a plate as a tambourine, and I'm lost in the past for a few minutes.

I love this film.

1960s college radicals in the present day: yuppies, aging hipsters, a television star, and a lonely wife. Director/co-writer Lawrence Kasdan was probably the kind of college radical who protested in his living room, in front of the TV set. He sets up the most obvious of gags, complete with character cut-outs, and yet he does manage a laugh or two--but it's purely on the good will brought about by the actors. The writing does not exist on any plane of reality, the changes in tone are jarring, the dialogue is frequently juvenile and/or embarrassing. Just as William Hurt is about to explain his sexual dysfunction to Mary Kay Place, we get a 'funny' jump cut to another room where the other characters react to Place's high-pitched scream, but--ha, ha--she's just reacting to a bat which has flown into the room. That's a good one. Or how about when Meg Tilly tells the story of her deceased boyfriend who didn't eat meat because he was afraid he'd be reincarnated as a steak. This is the kind of nudge-wink material Kasdan can't seem to get passed. Some of the players--Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Close and Kevin Kline, in particular--do rise above the occasion. Meg Tilly is much like a friendly, stoned bunny rabbit, but hers is an insulting role. William Hurt is made to be sullen and combative, and yet this character would not have shown up for the party. Mary Kay Place has another insulting role (she's just there to get pregnant!), and I have no idea what JoBeth Williams or Tom Berenger were trying for. A few moments do hit the bull's-eye, and the nostalgia inherent in the theme (coupled with an oldies soundtrack) was enough to win over audiences. **1/2 from ****

Aside from the beautiful South Carolina location shooting, I thought very little of this film about a group self-obsessed proto-yuppies who never run out of whine. The ensemble cast is well-suited for their roles (some like Kevin Kline, who couldn't shed his self-absorbed yuppiness if he tried, are too well-suited). These are all characters types most of us have either know , or been ourselves. Yet they come across as cardboard, vapid, and annoying; and their's no reason to give a steamin' country dump about them or their issues. It's nearly impossible to invest in any of them or care what happens to them.

I'm also going to break with the majority of reviewers here by stating that the soundtrack, however great, was a huge distraction for me. Far too many scenes lost any chance at poignancy by having these Top 40 tunes shoehorned into them. It's almost as if the studio was hedging its bets...it the film bombed, at least they'd have a killer movie soundtrack album to push.

It's pretty sad when the only thing in the film that truly feels authentic is the on-TV intro for Tom Berenger's character's slick private eye TV series, which is hilarious in it dead-on accurate lampoon. Thirty-something angst has been portrayed far more convincingly in other less-revered films.

Take John Sayles excellent, low key 60s slice-of-life reunion film, the Return of the Secaucus 7. Add Hollywood slickness, box office names, get the characters to dance to a great soundtrack with one of the best songs ever -- the Temptations with David Ruffin singing lead on "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" -- and you've got this 2 1/2-star thumb-stuck-firmly-in-the-middle melodrama.

Big Chill probably ruins Secaucus 7 for anyone who sees this film first, but 7 is the better and more authentic film. But it does work fine as a music video, for baby boomers who like VH-1.

1983's THE BIG CHILL is one of those beautifully crafted and wonderfully acted films that is so ingratiating that I can watch it over and over and never tire of it. Director Lawrence Kasdan hits the bullseye in this alternately hilarious and moving variation on the earlier RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN. This film follows the reunion of a group of friends who went to college together, who have gathered for the funeral of their mutual friend, Alex, who has committed suicide. The original screenplay included scenes with Alex, who was played by Kevin Costner, but, in a stroke of genius, it was decide to delete all of the Alex scenes in the film, lending a wonderful air of mystery to the character of Alex and allowing the audience more input as to why Alex decided to end his life. Alex's friends are Harold Cooper (Kevin Kline), who now owns a shoe store franchise and his doctor-wife, Sarah (Glenn Close), who also serve as our hosts ; Michael (Jeff Goldblum), a writer for PEOPLE magazine; Meg (Mary Kay Place)an attorney who wants to have a baby; Sam (Tom Berenger) an actor with his own TV show who misses the simple life; Karen (JoBeth Williams), a restless housewife who would really like to be a writer and Nick (William Hurt) a drug dealer who would like to be anything else. Also thrown into the mix is Chloe (Meg Tilly) Alex's girlfriend, who knows a completely different Alex than his friends do. This gathering of old and new friends sets the stage for some long-dormant resentments to bubble to the surface and for some long buried passions to be re-ignited. Kasdan has a sharp directorial eye and a flawless ear for dialogue with one of the most quotable screenplays ever and it is all set to a soundtrack of the greatest music from the 1960's ever compiled for a movie soundtrack. The cast is perfection...Close received a Best Supporting Actress nomination but the entire cast works at the same level and to honor one without honoring the ensemble wouldn't have been right. This is the ultimate ensemble piece and it works just about perfectly. Anyway you slice it, an instant classic.

I would have given this a 7 20 years ago, but it hasn't worn that well with me. The basic point of the story, that this could be you and your group of friends (and probably will be one day), is not lost. Many have already experienced a similar situation. Everyone raves about the music, and while there is no doubt it is good, this is where I have my largest bone to pick. The overly clichéd use of most of these songs is unforgivable. "Bad Moon Rising", in fact, makes the leap from cliché to utterly absurd.

You never realize how good you have it in college, no matter how often you hear those tired old clichés. Clichés like 'these will be some of your best friends, memories and times of your life so enjoy them while you can'. You never believe you are anywhere NEAR as naive or idealistic as your folks or 'elders' keep telling you you are because you firmly believe you know better, heck, you're not a kid anymore. That is until you finally go out beyond those 'ivory towers' and get a 'real job' in that 'cold cruel world' you were warned so often about. This movie reflects on the essence and emotion of this painful realization, but blends it with good 'vibes', without sugarcoating the reality. Anyone who thought they 'knew it all', worked so hard in college (or high school or grad school, etc) and was ready for 'life' only to face a RUDE awakening, will identify with these characters and their situations. This movie leaves you feeling better about life and inspires insight into your own...a very high compliment in my humble opinion.

While The Big Chill is a good movie and is well acted fans should check out John Sayles's Return of the Secaucus Seven. The Big Chill is essentially a remake of this film that came out three years earlier. Return of the Secaucus Seven is about a group of friends who gather after many years to reminisce about their college experience together as political radicals. While not as slick and certainly lacking the star power and soundtrack of The Big Chill, Return of the Secaucus is better written and a better character study. I recommend it if you've enjoyed the later version. John Sayles is a great writer/director. Check out some of his other work including Eight Men Out, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Lone Star.

It took a little while for me to really get into the film, but in the end, I was hooked. Once I got to know a little about each of the characters, I found it hard not to care about each and every one of them. Yes, it was dialogue-heavy, but once I liked the people on-screen, the conversations became rather engrossing. Even if lots of talking doesn't sound too appealing, I still think you should give it a look, because it isn't too often that a film has a cast that is so hugely talented. And of course, this film has one of the greatest soundtracks in movie history, and these songs seem to fit the mood perfectly. I had high expectations for this film, and although it wasn't quite what I had expected, this film did not disappoint.

Most people probably know that "The Big Chill" was a remake of John Sayles's directorial debut "The Return of the Secaucus Seven", about some radical friends getting back together. Here, they turned the friends into yuppies and added the part about the suicide. But it's still a good movie. Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Mary Kay Place, JoBeth Williams, and Meg Tilly all star, and this movie certainly affirmed that they were to be the next generation of great American actors and actresses, even if some of them didn't do too much afterwards (Kevin Costner of course played the deceased friend, even though his scenes were left on the editing room floor). And of course, there's the soundtrack: whether it's "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", or something similar, this flick had a great selection of songs. A true classic.

In recent times, The Big Chill has been relegated to 'Boomer' movie status. Probably due to the time it was made, the soundtrack, and the rampant narcissism. But to call this a boomer movie is to completely miss the point.

As a millennial, I can say the narcissism and selfishness on display in this movie fits right in with the current social media generation. The characters in this movie even record themselves with a 1980s video camera. I can only imagine all the selfies and social media posts this movie would contain if made today, so this movie is not unique to a single generation.

Also, this movie isn't just about the death of the 60's, it's about the death of idealism. It's really easy to be idealistic in college when you have no other real responsibilities. However, once you're out in the real world, you have to make many compromises if you want to survive. Maybe Alex couldn't live with compromises he chose to make?

The Big Chill doesn't end with any phony epiphanies or big revelations. The viewer is not offered any reassurance that the characters have learned anything or are any better off than they were at the beginning. Such is life.

We all know this movie by it's reputation as one of the so-called icons of the Yuppie 80s, and as such I was expecting a lot more than the movie delivered. I sat through the whole thing waiting for something even remotely interesting to happen. Nothing ever did. Bluntly put, it's an overblown, self-important piece of yuppie garbage which might serve as a cure for insomnia but as a movie it's pig swill. None of the characters have any basis in reality, nor do any of them evoke even the slightest bit of empathy(although to be fair the acting-along with the soundtrack saves this movie from being a total catastrophe. There isn't a bad performance to be found here) These aren't exactly people you'd want to hang with.

This movie also got a lot of publicity for having edited Kevin Costner's performance completely out. Lucky guy that Kevin. Don't waste your time or money.