The ease with which the group falls back into their old patterns of trust and familiarity after an awkwardly long period of separation is narratively convenient, but not really probable.
Comment
03/10/03
The Big Chill (1983)
68
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:21
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... [More]
Starring: Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Big Chill
A thoroughly entertaining, fluid and wonderfully relaxed movie that delivers some of the finest ensemble acting to be seen on the screen for years.
08/18/04
The performances represent ensemble playing of an order Hollywood films seldom have time for, with the screenplay providing each character with at least one big scene.
05/21/03
Top CriticFunny and ferociously smart.
05/05/08
Top CriticThe theme of exploring and coming to understand how we change over the years remains fresh and well explored.
01/01/00
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.
10/23/04
Top CriticMostly overrated.
01/01/00
There is no place for depth or nuance in this slickly engineered complacency machine.
05/05/08
Top CriticMore 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.
02/02/08
It's still a lot of fun and it's the best example of The Ensemble as star that you'll find in American cinema.
01/01/00
Strong acting and a string of classic rock and soul tunes make up for a superficial script.
05/05/08
Shallow nostalgia-trip flick.
02/14/07
An irresistibly satisfying cultural artifact.
05/05/08
Top CriticCharacters are generally middle-of-the-roaders, and pic lacks a tough-minded spokesman who might bring them all up short for a moment.
05/05/08
Top CriticIt's perceptive, affectionate and often very funny.
02/09/06
An always entertaining and perceptive film that hardly ever lapses into sentimentality.
05/05/08
An entertaining look at the 80s embourgeoisement of 60s student activists steers skillfully between social satire and sentiment.
05/05/08
Overrated, but good character study
08/07/02
Three words: 'yadda, yadda, yadda.'
06/11/03
Latest News for The Big Chill
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...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox 
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Animated Oscar?
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.
Scenic Routes
The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds