The Big Chill (Lawrence Kasdan, 1983, USA)

Lawrence Kasdan is perhaps best known in his capacity as a writer for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, though he had an equally sizeable career as a director. Kasdan had a rather mixed career as a director, experimenting with a variety of different genres to different results, but his most enduring directorial effort is 1983's The Big Chill. Often imitated, The Big Chill has been described as the quintessential baby boomer, and for good reason. The film centers on a group of friends who are reunited for a weekend for the funeral of a college friend who committed suicide. Their various struggles of life in their 30s come out.

The Big Chill has perhaps one of the best ensembles of the 1980s, with a variety of both established and new stars, including Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, and Kevin Kline. Each character brings something unique and new to the table, and it would be very difficult to confuse - for example - Jeff Goldblum and William Hurt. The film is also notable for its Motown score, which sold countless copies to boomers during the early 1980s.

Kasdan brings a great deal of sensitivity to the project, and while some viewers today might think that the film relies too heavily on nostalgia and "boomers," Kasdan is also self-critical of his generation and their turning from the counterculture to the establishment. Many filmmakers have tried to emulate the film for future generations, but it has proven difficult to do the same with Generation X and Millennials. Perhaps this has something to do with the Baby Boomers themselves. It is hard to find a highlight in the cast, though William Hurt's cynical Nick Carlton is quite memorable. Overall, The Big Chill is understandably a classic for the Boomers and one that will be revisited.

6/10