THE BIG CHILL. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan; written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek: produced by Michael Shamberg for Columbia. Starring William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, Meg Tilly, and Jobeth Williams. Rated R. (minimal nudity and offensive language).
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It is hard to know what to say first about a movie as fine and rich as The Big Chill.
The cast is excellent. The characters they create are so real I feel like adding them to my Christmas card list. The script is witty, but more than just funny. The Big Chill is entertaining, thought- and argument-provoking, and a joy to experience.
The story is very simple. Alex commits suicide and several of his old college buddies are reunited at his funeral. They end up spending the weekend, hosted by two of their group.
There is a lot of realistic, but not heavy-handed, soul searching as the weekend goes on, along with the expected reminiscences. Some of these people, in their mid-30s, are fairly settled and content, like Harold (Kline), a successful running-shoe retailer.
Others are not. Nick, (Hurt) for example, brought quite a burden home from Vietnam, and Meg (Place) is a lawyer who wants to have a child before it's too late.
They all tend to idealize "the way they were" in the '60s. Music was better then, people more honest, and friendships more meaningful. This may sound like a pretty dull scenario and there is little real action here, except that Karen (Williams) and Sam (Berenger) go to the grocery store and Nick gets a traffic ticket.
But the movie comes alive through the marvelous interplay of the characters, and this keeps the audience as much on the edge of its seat as any car chase. Listing the actors and describing their performances would be boring. And I will say that Kline, Hurt and Place are my personal favorites. But there are eight main characters and everyone is realistic, sympathetic and funny.
They seem very much like old friends who have been close and still are—emotionally—although they rarely see one another anymore. You can't be lazy about listening to dialogue. These people talk like real friends do. They allude to past events rather than explain them, and their gestures and facial expressions are as important as their words.
Adult moviegoers will probably find this movie entertaining. The casual attitude toward recreational drugs and monogamy may offend some viewers. But everything the characters do and say grows out of their shared experience—coming of age in a tumultuous and liberating time. The vast number of baby-boomers who shared that with them will find much to ponder and enjoy in The Big Chill.
Nov. 9, 1983