The Big Chill (1983)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writers:

Lawrence Kasdan (written by) &
Barbara Benedek (written by)

Release Date:

28 September 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Funeral | Suicide | 1960s | Reunion | Reflection

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Sam Weber
Glenn Close	...	Sarah Cooper
Jeff Goldblum	...	Michael Gold
William Hurt	...	Nick Carlton
Kevin Kline	...	Harold Cooper
Mary Kay Place	...	Meg Jones
Meg Tilly	...	Chloe
JoBeth Williams	...	Karen Bowens
Don Galloway	...	Richard Bowens
James Gillis	...	Minister
Ken Place	...	Peter the Cop
Jon Kasdan	...	Harold and Sarah's Son
Ira Stiltner	...	Running Dog Driver
Jake Kasdan	...	Autograph Seeker (as Jacob Kasdan)
Muriel Moore	...	Alex's Mother

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Denmark:A (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Italy:T | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Carson Productions

Trivia:

Director Lawrence Kasdan's wife, Meg Kasdan, plays the airline stewardess flirting with Sam Weber at the beginning of the film. His two sons also have roles: Jon Kasdan plays Harold and Sarah's son in the bathtub, and Jake Kasdan plays the boy seeking Sam's autograph at the wake.

Goofs:

Continuity: Karen's hair during her scene on the dock with Sam.

Quotes:

Karen: So, you and Alex were living here?
Chloe: We have a room downstairs. Well we did. I do. I'm the one who found him.
Karen: Oh God. It must have been awful.
Chloe: It was, it was a real mess.
Karen: So, what are you gonna do now?
Chloe: Oh, we cleaned it up.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Flip the Script (2005)

Soundtrack:

JOY TO THE WORLD

One of the best ever

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.