The Big Chill (1983)

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

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writers:

Lawrence Kasdan, Barbara Benedek

Stars:

Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

A seminal Thirty-Something movie in which a group of old college friends who are now all grown up and hardened by the big wide world come together for the funeral of Alex, a barely glimpsed corpse, who was at one time the brightest and the best of them, and yet who never managed to achieve half as much as any of the others. The friends use the occasion to reacquaint themselves with each other and to speculate as to what happened to their idealism which had been abundant when they were younger.

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Plot Keywords:

funeral | group of friends | woman in shower | fictional television show | man wearing glasses | 

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Taglines:

How much love, sex, fun and friendship can a person take? The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Reencuentro

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,662,152, 2 October 1983, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$56,200,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Carson Productions,Delphi Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second theatrical feature film directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

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Goofs

The position of Harold's and Sarah's left arms after she and Harold talk to Nick on the front steps after the wake.

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Quotes

Meg: I'm going to wash my hair and puke.
Michael: Puke first.

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Connections

Referenced in Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Power Play (1990)

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Soundtracks

I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
Performed by Marvin Gaye
Courtesy of Motown Records and Jobete Music

User Reviews

The Way We Were, before the Breakfast Club

This has been my favorite movie since it came out because it is, ostensibly, about ME. I'm from Michigan, and while I didn't go to UM, I went to a state school in Michigan in the early seventies, and this was my life.

This movie has both *everyone* I ever knew in it, and all the best actors of the time. Who wouldn't love Tom Berenger, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, and Kevin Costner, especially when they play everyone you knew in college. This film helps define who I am and who I became. When I clean the kitchen table, I hear "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" in my head. I dance around the kitchen, using a plate as a tambourine, and I'm lost in the past for a few minutes.

I love this film.