Simply Perfect

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

***sort of plot spoilers, broadly speaking*** I think a more accurate synopsis of this movie is: seven old college friends get together over the funeral of one of their cohorts. They each center themselves amidst the tragedy of the suicide of their friend, i.e. "it's all about me, b/c I should have...." They reminisce over their convictions when in college as compared to now. They realize they're sell outs but agree they are okay with it. The one person in the group who reminds them how cushy they've always had it gets chastised for so doing while everyone else agrees they're all still good people. Everyone ends up happy because they all have money to continue pursuing their own interests. Meg Tilly's character complements the self-serving dialogue of the others with unpretentious, guileless candor. The movie attempts to convey the bittersweet-ness/ sadness/ realization that the white baby boomers who grew up privileged and "came of age" during the 1960's~ a time of social consciousness and change ~ really did not carry those same convictions into their post college lives, and they must face this. A star-studded, entertaining movie w/ a cool soundtrack, but definitely told from a privileged POV.

"No one ever said it would be fun. At least they never said it to me," says Richard (Galloway) the outsider of a group of college buddies now in their thirties. He talks about adulthood as if it's a rueful inevitability; less a right of passage than a chore. The rest of the ensemble cast of The Big Chill seem to be fighting what Richard has accepted. For better or worse, they all seem to be stuck; trying desperately to keep the torch of youth lit.The Big Chill starts with Harold (Kline) and Sarah Cooper (Close) preparing for bed in their idyllic South Carolina home. Sarah answers a phone call and is informed that their friend Alex killed himself in the bathtub of their vacation home. At the funeral, the couple's old University of Michigan friends reunite and decide to spend the weekend reminiscing. Among them is Sam (Berenger), a notable TV actor; Michael (Goldblum), a magazine journalist; Meg (Place), a single real estate attorney; Nick (Hurt), a war veteran with a cocaine addiction; Chloe (Tilly), Alex's much younger girlfriend and finally Karen (Williams) and Richard, an unhappily married couple. A lot has happened since the group had graduated and a lot can happen over the course of a weekend.While thematically very different than director Lawrence Kasdan's freshman effort Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill does show a similar affinity to character over story structure and pat resolutions. All the friends are brought to life by a stellar ensemble cast of talented actors. Mind you, there are no showy performances that demand Academy attention (though Glenn Close was nominated for Best Supporting Actress). Each player does their part to populate a delicate and bittersweet nostalgia trip that drifts like a raft down a rolling river. These are people you know, or at the very least, still images of who those people you know, used to be.Beneath the grieving, the sexual tension, the retrospect and the admittedly catchy jukebox soundtrack there's a deep sense of existential ennui that dominates the frame like a heavy fog. Today audiences will likely appreciate the characterizations but audiences at the time knew very well that these distinctive personalities are not just lamenting the death of their friend but the spirit of the 60's. Let's not forget that their alma mater was a counter-cultural Mecca that hosted the writers of the Port Huron Statement, the entourage of John Sinclair and free Sunday concerts at West Park. As time passed the hippies of the 60's became the yuppies of the 80's with the characters of The Big Chill are at once reminded that they bought in and the never seen Alex checked out.All that said however, The Big Chill for all it's understated emotion still collects the mephitis of popular American nostalgia. It's the kind of nostalgia that can simultaneously give Norman Rockwell paintings their cumulative heft yet give the most troublesome spots of Forrest Gump (1994) their chintzy glibness. You can't help but think by the time the credits roll, the characters have settled comfortably back into lives of quiet desperation yet self-congratulating themselves for "maturing". Only Nick seems to be bending in anyway towards the dulling flicker of dying idealism. But instead of the bitterness that was honestly realized in Return of the Secaucus 7 (1979) we get the upbeat vibes of "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog".All-in-all, The Big Chill is a decent film with fully realized characters worth following for an hour or two. While watching I wondered what would be my generation's Woodstock? Do we have any political organizations that explode with the controversial fervor of the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) or any musical idols that compare to Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix? Will our desire to create a more just and verdant world be fully realized or will we fall inattentive, indignant and distracted by new shoes and a few fond memories.

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.

The Big Chill tells the story of eight friends who come together after the suicide of one of the best of them. They are all searching for something they lost. They find that all they needed was each other.This film launched the careers of a lot of stars. The best performances in the movie were some of the actors and actresses that mainstreamed Hollywood for years to com. Glen Close, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger, Kevin Kline, and William Hurt were the best.The movie defines a generation. And the movie defines a part of life that we all reach where the questions we ask have no answers. The Big Chill is a great film to watch when you are looking for happiness in a sad place. One of my friends died recently and I stumbled upon this movie soon afterward. It is a movie that never should be remade because along with defining a generation it speaks across generations. I have a feeling that this movie will find you when you need it. Just don't pass it by.