Seven former college friends, along with a few new friends, gather for a weekend reunion at a summer house in New Hampshire to reminisce about the good old days, when they got arrested on the way to a protest in Washington, DC.
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Title: Return of the Secaucus Seven (1979)
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3 wins & 3 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Bruce MacDonald | ... | Mike |
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Maggie Renzi | ... | Katie |
| Adam LeFevre | ... | J.T. | |
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Maggie Cousineau | ... | Frances |
| Gordon Clapp | ... | Chip | |
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Jean Passanante | ... | Irene |
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Karen Trott | ... | Maura |
| Mark Arnott | ... | Jeff | |
| David Strathairn | ... | Ron | |
| John Sayles | ... | Howie | |
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Marisa Smith | ... | Carol |
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Amy Schewel | ... | Lacey |
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Carolyn Brooks | ... | Meg |
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Eric Forsythe | ... | Captain |
| Nancy Mette | ... | Lee | |
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
The Secaucus 7 of the film's title are seven friends who, during their college days, were arrested in New Jersey on their way to a protest in Washington. The film takes place ten years after all that, as the friends gather at the home of Mike and Katie, now schoolteachers in New Hampshire, bringing with them old problems and new: Maura has left Jeff and seeks consolation with his best friend, J.T.; J.T., arguably the least successful of the friends, finally gets the courage to move to Los Angeles to start a career as a songwriter; Irene brings her new boyfriend along, hoping he'll like and be liked by her friends and expecting them to challenge him for his more-conservative politics; and more. This is the film that inspired "The Big Chill." Written by Gary Dickerson <slug@mail.utexas.edu>
Plot Keywords:
male nudity | national film registry | speechwriter | theater | theater audience |Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 September 1980 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Return of the Secaucus 7 See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$60,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Production Co:
Salsipuedes Productions, Anarchist's Convention Films, UCLA Film and Television Archive See more »
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Howie: [walks in] Jesus, Ron!
Ron Desjardins: "These are the finest accommodations in town".
Frances Carlson: [to Howie] Hi.
Howie: Hi. Look, Ron... we only got two rooms left.
Ron Desjardins: Me and the missus don't need but one. As long as it's got them Magic Fingers in there. It drives the missus wild, them thangs.
Howie: And you gotta be quiet.
Ron Desjardins: [serious, pulling the notebook toward himself] Where do we register?
Howie: [...]
See more »
© 1979 Sweet Melodies Publishing
Written by Adam LeFevre
Performed by Adam LeFevre (uncredited)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
This film has oft been mentioned alongside The Big Chill (1983) but writer-director John Sayles has noted that in that movie the friends characters were more upwardly mobile than in this film. See more »Goofs
Camera shadow on the ground during the basketball game when JT falls down. See more »Quotes
Ron Desjardins: [rings the bell on the hotel desk to wake up Howie] Me and the missus just drove in from Peoria and the guy at the filling station says...Howie: [walks in] Jesus, Ron!
Ron Desjardins: "These are the finest accommodations in town".
Frances Carlson: [to Howie] Hi.
Howie: Hi. Look, Ron... we only got two rooms left.
Ron Desjardins: Me and the missus don't need but one. As long as it's got them Magic Fingers in there. It drives the missus wild, them thangs.
Howie: And you gotta be quiet.
Ron Desjardins: [serious, pulling the notebook toward himself] Where do we register?
Howie: [...]
See more »
Soundtracks
Free, White and 21© 1979 Sweet Melodies Publishing
Written by Adam LeFevre
Performed by Adam LeFevre (uncredited)
See more »
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Shocked that there's only three pages of comments for the film widely considered to be one of the fathers of the modern indie film movement. John Saylees used his b-movie money from Roger Corman (the best scripts written for him) and financed this weekend home movie that became a hit and launched Sayle's film career.
Some of the bad reviews are really unfounded. This has some of the best dialog in American film, and though the performances are not all polished, it adds to the reality. There's a sense of genuine community not like the Hollywoodized "Big Chill."
If you stick with the film you'll be rewarded by many nifty scenes and conversations. Gordon Clapp is fun and there are beautifully observed moments of wit and drama. Mark Arnett is particularly good and the moment he recites his litany of protest arrests is great. The film-making is raw, but that's not the point.
However, the DVD version is actually missing a scene on the VHS of the hamburgers being grilled to some sort of rhythmic montage. Why?
Anyway, if you're a fan of great dialog, political commitment, and what can be done for 40 grand and terrific writing, check this classic out.