The Big Chill (1983)

A group of seven former college friends gather for a week-end reunion at a South Carolina vacation home after the funeral of another of their college 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 older and experienced come together for the funeral of Alex, who was at one time the brightest and the best of them at college and yet who never managed to find his way. The friends use the occasion to reacquaint themselves with each other, discuss where their lives have led and speculate on what happened to their idealism which had been abundant when they were younger.

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Plot Keywords:

funeral | group of friends | reunited friends | original story | woman in a shower | 

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Taglines:

In a cold world, you need your friends to keep you warm.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although "The Big Chill" differed in subject matter and style from director Lawrence Kasdan's previous picture Body Heat (1981), both films shared Kasdan's interest in creating dynamic characters which are true to people's lives. In "The Big Chill", the characters are former college house-mates who have drifted apart over the years. Members of the baby-boom generation who entered young adulthood as idealistic non-conformists, they are now, for the most part, members of the establishment. "The Big Chill" emerged as a compassionate testimonial to a confused generation, one that has survived the passions of youth and grown through painful self-awareness into adulthood. In this context, the title "The Big Chill" takes on several resonant metaphorical meanings, from the obvious reference to the group's own mortality, strongly reinforced by the occasion of their reunion at a funeral, to the cooling of idealistic fires in the face of more calculated self-interest.

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Goofs

When seated at the breakfast table on the morning of the running shoe delivery, there is a box of shoes labeled "Richard", even though Richard left to go home the previous day. When Michael comes down, there is only one box left on the table, presumably his.

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Quotes

Sam Weber: You know, Karen, if we had gotten married, we'd be going shopping like this.
Karen: No, if we had gotten married I'd be doing this alone.

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Alternate Versions

In the original, after Meg tells Sam how much she loves him (in bed), Sam jokingly replies, "so, you wanna fuck?". However, in the network version, he says "so, you wanna do it?".

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Windy City (2017)

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Soundtracks

I Second That Emotion
Written by Smokey Robinson (as William Robinson, Jr.) and Al Cleveland (as Alfred Cleveland)
Performed by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (as Smokey Robinson and The Miracles)
Courtesy of Motown Records and Jobete Music

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Big Chill

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,662,152, 2 October 1983

Gross USA:

$56,399,659

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$56,399,659

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Carson Productions, Delphi Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1