A surprising Oscar's BEST PICTURE nominee, writer/director Lawrence Kasdan's sophomore feature THE BIG CHILL focuses on a weekend reunion of seven 30-something alumni of the University of Michigan, 15 years after leaving the ivory tower, but what convenes them together is anything but jovial, their friend Alex's shocking suicide. The overhanging question shrouds the cohort of eight, joined by Chloe, Alex's much younger girlfriend, is what is the reason behind Alex's given up on his life, but like Alex himself, whom we are not privileged to see in his physical form (Kevin Costner is cast as Alex but all his scenes with his facial appearance are left in the editing room), it is elusive and open-ended, it might be just as well a spur-of-the-moment decision out of depression. In lieu of solving the mystery, Kasdan takes in his stride to examine the sophisticated interrelations among our subjects, who begin to introspect their own feelings in the aftermath through gingerly disposed small talks and congenial interactions infrequently salted with discord and liaisons. Pivoted around a ballast of camaraderie, nothing egregiously dark will emerge to tickle a cynical mind, Sarah (a radiant and Oscar-nominated Glenn Close in the mode of a good wife/mother which in retrospect appears at a premium in her tracking record) admits that she had an affair with Alex, which unfortunately dampens their friendship, before marrying Harold (Kevin Kline, full of panache), the ultimate version of an understanding and competent husband, who has no qualms at the bidding of her wife to become an inseminator of Meg (Mary Kay Place, embodies the career woman stereotype with considerable pizazz and tizzy), who adopts a modern view of independence and plans to become a single mother of her own accord when the biological clock starts ticking. As per the likability quotient of their characters, in the descending order, the next-in-line is Karen (JoBeth Williams, a fine performance), a housewife forgoes her writing dreams to raise her children and gets bored with her stagnant marriage, the reunion tantalizingly rekindles her romance with her old admirer Sam (Tom Berenger, emits a refreshing air of forthright amiability and attractive unassumingness before being typecast in the villain compartment, for keeps), a well-known TV actor in L.A., divorced but sagacious enough not to wreck a family just for the old time's sake (after a mutually desired consummation, of course). Then the only new blood, Chloe (a lissom Meg Tilly channeling a less convincing orbit wobbling between a barmy nymphet and a post-traumatic soul), takes a liking to Nick (William Hurt, tangibly tackling the most complex character here with searing precision), a Porsche-riding, pill-popping Vietnam veteran who has no place called home and stigmatized by impotence, whose defeatist outlook cuts through the sweeping but bland melancholia like a scalpel, before receding to its residing harbor in the well-intentioned but anodyne ending. Finally, Michael (a jaunty Jeff Goldblum) is a People Magazine's writer who seeks both a new career opportunity and some carnal dalliance, falls between those two stools at length, nevertheless his can-do spirit is always in full swing to bring exuberance. A cracking ensemble piece punctuated by a potpourri of hit parade ear-worms, THE BIG CHILL enthralls viewers with its fabricated spontaneity, palpable warmth and liberating candor, yet as a matter of fact, there is a discerning aftertaste apropos of the elephant-in-the-room: "Who is this enigmatic, gone but not forgotten Alex and what drives him to his undoing?", after all, is it a tactful circumvention as an enigma is better left in lacunae or a flagrant glossing-over in favor of something less perturbing? The jury is out, seemly.

"No one ever said it would be fun. At least they never said it to me," says Richard (Galloway) the outsider of a group of college buddies now in their thirties. He talks about adulthood as if it's a rueful inevitability; less a right of passage than a chore. The rest of the ensemble cast of The Big Chill seem to be fighting what Richard has accepted. For better or worse, they all seem to be stuck; trying desperately to keep the torch of youth lit.The Big Chill starts with Harold (Kline) and Sarah Cooper (Close) preparing for bed in their idyllic South Carolina home. Sarah answers a phone call and is informed that their friend Alex killed himself in the bathtub of their vacation home. At the funeral, the couple's old University of Michigan friends reunite and decide to spend the weekend reminiscing. Among them is Sam (Berenger), a notable TV actor; Michael (Goldblum), a magazine journalist; Meg (Place), a single real estate attorney; Nick (Hurt), a war veteran with a cocaine addiction; Chloe (Tilly), Alex's much younger girlfriend and finally Karen (Williams) and Richard, an unhappily married couple. A lot has happened since the group had graduated and a lot can happen over the course of a weekend.While thematically very different than director Lawrence Kasdan's freshman effort Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill does show a similar affinity to character over story structure and pat resolutions. All the friends are brought to life by a stellar ensemble cast of talented actors. Mind you, there are no showy performances that demand Academy attention (though Glenn Close was nominated for Best Supporting Actress). Each player does their part to populate a delicate and bittersweet nostalgia trip that drifts like a raft down a rolling river. These are people you know, or at the very least, still images of who those people you know, used to be.Beneath the grieving, the sexual tension, the retrospect and the admittedly catchy jukebox soundtrack there's a deep sense of existential ennui that dominates the frame like a heavy fog. Today audiences will likely appreciate the characterizations but audiences at the time knew very well that these distinctive personalities are not just lamenting the death of their friend but the spirit of the 60's. Let's not forget that their alma mater was a counter-cultural Mecca that hosted the writers of the Port Huron Statement, the entourage of John Sinclair and free Sunday concerts at West Park. As time passed the hippies of the 60's became the yuppies of the 80's with the characters of The Big Chill are at once reminded that they bought in and the never seen Alex checked out.All that said however, The Big Chill for all it's understated emotion still collects the mephitis of popular American nostalgia. It's the kind of nostalgia that can simultaneously give Norman Rockwell paintings their cumulative heft yet give the most troublesome spots of Forrest Gump (1994) their chintzy glibness. You can't help but think by the time the credits roll, the characters have settled comfortably back into lives of quiet desperation yet self-congratulating themselves for "maturing". Only Nick seems to be bending in anyway towards the dulling flicker of dying idealism. But instead of the bitterness that was honestly realized in Return of the Secaucus 7 (1979) we get the upbeat vibes of "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog".All-in-all, The Big Chill is a decent film with fully realized characters worth following for an hour or two. While watching I wondered what would be my generation's Woodstock? Do we have any political organizations that explode with the controversial fervor of the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) or any musical idols that compare to Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix? Will our desire to create a more just and verdant world be fully realized or will we fall inattentive, indignant and distracted by new shoes and a few fond memories.

The Big Chill (1983): Dir: Lawrence Kasdan / Cast: Tom Berenger, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Close: Disjointed yet engaging drama about unity within the midst of tragedy. It opens with news of a suicide and eight friends from college who gather for the funeral and eventually spend the weekend at a summer estate. Tom Berenger plays a TV star who questions his abilities when a stunt goes wrong. Kevin Kline and Glenn Close play a married couple. He is about to score financial success in his running shoes business, while she is a doctor who once had an affair with the deceased. Interestingly their relationship is fueled by an understanding that is admirable at best. Jeff Goldblum plays a sex obsessed journalist setting his sights on the nightclub business. William Hurt plays a Vietnam vet struggling with drugs and impotence. Mary Kay Place plays a former attorney looking for someone who help her conceive. Meg Tilly plays the girlfriend of the deceased. Jobeth Williams plays an unhappily married woman looking to possibly ignite an old flame. They all interact or cross paths throughout this hazy weekend. While not overly satisfying director Lawrence Kasdan of Body Heat brings forth a portrait of several friends sharing a common bond with the deceased while reflecting upon why their bond will last long after winter turns to spring. Score: 8 / 10

As one reviewer here mentioned already, there is not much talent in choosing extremely popular music hits to fit an era-specific film. I would be more intrigued if they chose obscure songs from the time or even psychedelic instrumental music from the 60's.It's like if you did a movie about people who went to college in the 80's and the soundtrack was Duran Duran, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Big Deal. I never understood why people compliment soundtracks that are just some mega-hits playing in the background to fit the era depicted in a film.Why did they all go to University of Michigan? Only one character now lives in Michigan. Some were raised in the South, and others generic. Where did William Hurt's character drive in from in an old Porsche? I've seen this film several times and I did not see Kevin Costner in any coffin. It must have been a quick shot. But I'm pretty sure he is way too young to have gone to college in the 60's.Congratulations to the writers and director for putting in some defense of conservatism. Two different characters explain the virtues of the conservative life and point out the childish self-indulgent nature underlying the 60's mentality.Why did Hurt's character go to Vietnam if they were all radicals? Did he get drafted? He had a Masters Degree. He would have been in college for the whole war. No one even mentions his army service, either to thank him or condemn him for it.Other than hearing about it in passing, there is no indication that Hurt and Williams' characters had been a couple in school. I saw little if any affection between them.I loved the scenery. I guess it was South Carolina or some such place.I don't like to see multiple adulteries depicted. But it was not necessarily condoning the acts, but rather saying that this is what those kinds of characters might do.When we watch a film, we need to remember that the film makers are not necessarily endorsing the actions of the characters they create. They are just making them do things that fit their personalities. It wouldn't be much of a movie if no one did anything wrong.I think the two conservative characters balanced the message of this film. Which is that the way to change the world is to take responsibility for yourself, your family, and your community. That doesn't entail simply protesting stuff or denouncing things. It consists of hard work, dedication,delayed gratification, and loyalty.Good dialogue overall, but they could have implemented a few deeper passages, like in the movie Network. Hence my title. It was like it wasn't sure if it wanted to be a lighthearted reunion picture, or make some deep statement about life. I think it was ultimately the first, with a little of the second.