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Movies / On DVD / The Big Chill
The Big Chill

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The Big Chill (1983)

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69 %
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Reviews Counted: 32

Fresh: 22

Rotten:10

Average Rating: 6.1/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 50 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Seven members of a close-knit college group of friends are reunited fifteen years later after the eighth commits suicide. The funeral and reception lead to an extended weekend for all as they... Seven members of a close-knit college group of friends are reunited fifteen years later after the eighth commits suicide. The funeral and reception lead to an extended weekend for all as they decide to spend time together pondering the recent events. Amidst a barrage of Motown classics, the members each offer little tidbits about their current lives while reminiscing about the past. In college, the absent and recently deceased Alex was the biggest and brightest star of the bunch but never seemed to get anywhere after being set loose in the real world. The slow acknowledgement that their champion never materialized leads the group in ever widening circles of thought. Discussions of their past lives and current bring about the realization that each has changed so much while remaining remarkably similar. Despite the tragic circumstances, the group disperses with renewed friendships and a newfound appreciation for life. [More]

Starring: Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt

Starring: Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, JoBeth Williams

Director: Lawrence Kasdan

Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Composer: John Williams
Screenwriter: Lawrence Kasdan, Barbara Benedek
Producer: Michael Shamberg

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 1, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Big Chill

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Characters are generally middle-of-the-roaders, and pic lacks a tough-minded spokesman who might bring them all up short for a moment.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/05/08
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An always entertaining and perceptive film that hardly ever lapses into sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/05/08
Channel 4 Film

An entertaining look at the 80s embourgeoisement of 60s student activists steers skillfully between social satire and sentiment.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/05/08
Empire Magazine

An irresistibly satisfying cultural artifact.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
05/05/08
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Strong acting and a string of classic rock and soul tunes make up for a superficial script.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
05/05/08
Michael Scheinfeld
TV Guide's Movie Guide

There is no place for depth or nuance in this slickly engineered complacency machine.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
05/05/08
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Funny and ferociously smart.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
05/05/08
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

More significant sociologically than artistically, Kasdan's portrait of the Baby Boom generation--the Yuppie--is a zeitgeist film that despite a shallow script is enjoyable due to strong ensemble acting and popular rock and soul tunes.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
02/02/08
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Shallow nostalgia-trip flick.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/14/07
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
08/08/06
Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

No review available.

comment Comment
03/07/06
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

It's perceptive, affectionate and often very funny.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
08/04/05
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
07/17/05
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
07/04/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

A truly unforgettable motion picture, with a killer soundtrack

comment Comment
03/24/05
Clint Morris
Moviehole

It has all the right moves. It knows all the right words. Its characters have all the right clothes, expressions, fears, lusts and ambitions. But there's no payoff and it doesn't lead anywhere.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/08/04
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A thoroughly entertaining, fluid and wonderfully relaxed movie that delivers some of the finest ensemble acting to be seen on the screen for years.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/18/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

No review available.

comment Comment
07/16/03
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
 
 
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April 18, 2007: "Clash" Remake Lands a Titan of a Screenwriter
Even if you know next to nothing about screenwriters, I bet you're a fan of Lawrence Kasdan ... even if you don't know it. The guy's biggest successes include "The Empire... More...

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