The Big Chill (1983)

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

Color:

Color (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:

Kevin Kline met future wife Phoebe Cates when she auditioned for the part of Chloe, which eventually went to Meg Tilly.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Michagan football game is being played on a Sunday (as it is two days after Friday and the day before Monday), but college football is played on Saturdays.

Quotes:

Sarah: I know he wasn't happy. That doesn't tell you much. I'd no idea how bad it was. I think he purposely wanted to cut off from all of us because he was so unhappy with where he was at.
Nick: Hm.
Karen: Is that true, Chloe? Did you feel that?
Chloe: I don't know. We had some good times. I haven't met that many happy people in my life, how do they act?
Nick: Mm hm.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Big Chill: A Reunion (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

BAD MOON RISING

Great cast, great music, great entertainment

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.