Review of The Big Chill (1983) by Ben F — 08 Jul 2010

Now this is what ensemble cast movies are all about! I think this has to be one of the only well executed movies, with a plot like this. Not really plot, but liked, a bunch of adults coming together, all well known, acting with each other, with one simple plot. I liked it. "The Big Chill" was awesome.

So basically a guy named Alex (Kevin Costner...who never appears in the final cut of the film) commits suicide, and all of his buddies from high school come together. That's Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Tom Berenger, JoBeth Williams, Mary Kay Place, and some other people. The plot is fine because the execution is what's done extremely well.

The performances here are all great. Watching all of these actors interact with each other has to make you smile It's funny, sad, and sweet all at the same time. Everyone just gives such real performances, and I didn't end up saying, oh that's corny, or oh that's stupid. That's how you know it's done well, because a lot of the time with films like this, there are so many good actors, that they intertwine with each other and the movie becomes garbage. But "The Big Chill" did it right, and that's why it was so good.

It was just simple, a bunch of friends coming together through death. Morbidness is the only way that the friends got to see each other again. It's really well done I'm serious! It defines how movies like this are supposed to be made. A film with this kind of style needs to be done again, and it needs to be done as well as this film.

I loved "The Big Chill" the performances were fantastic, and the movie had me feeling all different kinds of emotions. Sometimes I would be sad for what happened, sometimes I would be laughing my head off from Jeff Goldblum, and sometimes I would just feel good from Glenn Close and Kevin Kline's relationship. It had everything. And it just did it so well. That, mixed in with a wonderful soundtrack, like The Temptations, and The Rolling Stones, made this movie definitely worth the view. Maybe even two screenings, actually. A must see, for anyone who's just in the mood to feel....like anything. Friendship is what this film is all about.