Review of The Big Chill (1983) by Eyal D — 10 Oct 2014

When I first saw THE BIG CHILL I was 19 and decidedly naive. The film had a big impact on me as a film student who was torn between a connection to mainstream filmmaking and my love for the art of cinema.

Lawrence Kasdan was a big mainstream hero of mine. TBC was only his second film after his provocative BODY HEAT but by then he had already scripted - to much acclaim - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

So it's safe to say he was well revered and established in just three years. Short but impressive resumé aside, turns out Kasdan was in a rather fine form with his keenly observed, well packaged showcase for some talented actors, a retro music jukebox of popular songs from the sixties and a script filled with pop culture nuggets.

Yet what seemed close to indy style filmmaking back then (perhaps Hollywood's nod to John Sayles' 1979 RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN) now is a tad superficial and way too refined, like that perfectly written television episode of a popular comedy that wins an Emmy.

Still showing signs of its 1983 'Hollywood-is-hip' wannabe boldness, yet clearly and ironically tame, the film is a fine example of how the studios once presented the impact of the sixties through a Baby Boomer lens.

Imagine watching an iconic film of a generation thirty years later. Now no longer naive, I can honestly say that the impact of how we view and compare the decades is undoubtedly no different in perspective at any given time period.

Truth is, Hollywood is really good at simplifying complexities. THE BIG CHILL is exactly that, a simplification of something far more complex. In this respect it is also far more digestible but not necessarily relatable than any independent film it intends to pay homage to, say THE SECAUCUS SEVEN.