The Big Chill

THE BIG CHILL (15)

D: Lawrence Kasdan

Columbia/Carson (Michael Shamberg)

USA 🇺🇸 1983

105 mins

Drama/Comedy

W: Lawrence Kasdan & Barbara Benedek

DP: John Bailey

Ed: Carol Littleton

Mus: Bill Conti

Tom Berenger (Sam Weber), Glenn Close (Sarah Cooper), Jeff Goldblum (Michael Gold), William Hurt (Nick Charlton), Kevin Kline (Harold Cooper), Mary Kay Place (Meg Jones), Meg Tilly (Chloe), JoBeth Williams (Karen Bowens)

The Big Chill is a solid ensemble piece which went on to inspire the television series Thirtysomething.

The film revolves around a group of old college friends who hold a reunion following the death of another.

Reuniting 15 years after they parted, their discover that their lives have all gone in separate directions, with some famously successful and others less so.

Flashback scenes featuring Kevin Costner as the friend who took his life were cut from the finished film, which focuses primarily on the stages of grief and each character dealing with the loss in different ways.

The cast are all great, with Glenn Close arguably standing out, with a performance that earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.

A quintessential 80's flick with a brilliant 1960's soundtrack.

8/10