Review: The Big Chill

A group of friends- late 60s activists- come together for the funeral of one of their brethren. They then spend the weekend together at the country home of married couple Kevin Kline and Glenn Close, reminiscing, lamenting the current state of their lives, arguing, rekindling romances, etc. They also eventually acknowledge the obvious, that their old friend has killed himself, and that most of them hadn’t stayed in touch with him and vice versa. Also spending the weekend is the girlfriend of the deceased (Meg Tilly). Tom Berenger is the TV star who seems almost embarrassed of his fame, JoBeth Williams is the unhappily married woman Berenger is clearly pining for. William Hurt plays a former radio shrink now floundering with a drug problem and a large helping of glib cynicism and aimlessness. Jeff Goldblum plays the trashy journalist and serial flirt. Mary Kay Place is the single woman hearing the ticking (biological) clock.

 

Although critics tend to prefer John Sayles’ earlier “Return of the Secaucus Seven”, this 1983 Lawrence Kasdan (“Body Heat”, “Silverado”, “I Love You to Death”) film appears to be everybody else’s favourite ‘reunion’ movie. The soundtrack certainly touched a nerve, particularly with baby-boomers, and is probably one of the top 5 film soundtracks of all-time. As for me? I’ve never seen the Sayles film, but I’m not as enamoured with this film as many, I’m afraid. It does, however, grow on you on repeated viewings, I’ve found, as the basic set-up is pretty irresistible and at age 35, maybe I’m starting to really come around on this one. As for the soundtrack, I like it but prefer the soundtracks for “Forrest Gump”, “Shaft”, “The Blues Brothers”, “Stand By Me”, and almost anything by Ennio Morricone.

 

We start off well, with parts of an uncredited Kevin Costner’s body as the deceased, accompanied by the second-best version of ‘Heard it Through the Grapevine’ by Marvin Gaye (CCR fan right here, folks. The best song on the whole soundtrack is CCR’s ‘Bad Moon Rising’). Since the basic story is well, basic, it’s the cast and characters that are key here, and there’s several standouts for me. Jeff Goldblum has always been a favourite of mine, and he easily walks off with the whole film here with a bizarre combination of awkwardness and ladies’ man charisma that astonishingly works for him (whether it works for his character or not, you’ll have to discover for yourself) as an actor. He’s hilarious here without even saying or doing anything, in fact there isn’t one moment in the film with him that wasn’t hilarious to me. I’m also convinced he’s an alien, and not just because he played one in “Earth Girls Are Easy”. He’s simply not of this Earth, and fascinating to watch. Meg Tilly, I must confess is not my favourite Tilly (That would be the inimitable Ms. Jennifer Tilly), but she’s a really underrated actress with a sweet presence on screen. It really works for her here because she has the tricky role of the outsider, who was romantically involved with the deceased but not known to any of the other characters in the film. Casting someone so instantaneously appealing and ingratiating as Tilly is very clever of Kasdan. You’ll really like her here. The other big standout for me, especially watching the film again recently is the perfectly cast Tom Berenger. He plays a Tom Selleck-esque TV star, but gives him a somewhat reticent, uncomfortable Paul Newman vibe…except that Berenger’s character doesn’t mind signing autographs (Read the Paul Newman biography from a few years back. He used to loathe signing autographs for the most part). He gets two of my favourite moments in the film; Firstly, a small moment where Mary Kay Place tells him he has ‘good genes’…and he looks down to his, well…jeans. The second one is my favourite moment in the entire film where he tries to do one of his own stunts to get William Hurt out of a jam with the cops. It goes brilliantly wrong. He also has terrific chemistry with JoBeth Williams, a seriously underrated actress who really has something here. She’s beautiful, but also warm and lovely on screen. Hollywood owes her a damn apology for not giving her enough to do over the years. They actually seem like a real-life couple here, they just seem to belong together.

 

Mary Kay Place seems perfectly cast here. I don’t know why, but she just feels right for a film about a group of middle-aged friends reuniting. Maybe it’s because she seems relatable, if not remarkable or as charismatic as some of the others. It’s a solid performance from her. Kevin Kline is perfectly acceptable in essentially the lead role, but the character doesn’t allow the naturally affable Kline to play to do much of interest. Perhaps I just prefer Kline in comedic settings, but he just didn’t grab me here. Also, what the fuck was with that half-arsed Southern drawl?

 

Of the cast here, there are two actors whom I have always had a hard time liking, William Hurt, and especially Glenn Close. With Hurt, I will concede that I’ve liked some of his work (“Body Heat” and “I Love You to Death”, both Kasdan films I might add). For the most part I find him a cold and aloof actor, and there are moments where that held true here too. However, it’s undeniable that he is perfect casting for his troubled character here. His coldness and aloofness actually fit this character. He also gets off some nice glib lines throughout, and has one of the best scenes in the entire film when he is finally unable to contain his emotions and he lashes out at everyone with cynical putdowns. This guy’s not a happy camper. I have much more of a problem with Glenn Close, who is simply miscast as someone seemingly meant to be warm-hearted, not to mention a mother. At one point she even says she’s sick of being a ‘good girl’. Close might be absolutely lovely in real-life, but look at her subsequent roles in “Fatal Attraction” (bunny-boiler), “The Paper” (humourless ball-breaker), “101 Dalmatians” (Freakin’ Cruella De Vil!), and TV’s “Damages” (Another ball-breaking bitch). She’s just plain wrong for the part of someone apparently meant to be a ‘good girl’. It may not have been apparent at the time, but it has subsequently been proven true, I think. Cast co-star JoBeth Williams in the part, and you have an immediately stronger film (Christine Lahti would’ve been perfect). With Close, there’s a pretty big blemish on the film, and since she seems unconvincing as someone who has heard of ‘Ain’t too Proud to Beg’ let alone someone who would dance to it, she ruins for me a moment that many consider an all-time classic. That she was the only cast member nominated for an Oscar here is truly head-scratching (Actually I know why she got it, she has a scene where she’s naked and crying. Oooh, how brave. All I kept thinking was, why couldn’t it be Williams naked? Did I mention that Jeff Goldblum’s character was my favourite?). Having said that, on the whole, this cast of characters and actors are all interestingly diverse, yet also believable as a group of old friends. Are any of these actors at the top of their game in this film? Place and Tilly certainly, but Kline is better in comedies, Goldblum in “The Fly”, Hurt in “Body Heat”, and Tom Berenger was brilliantly frightening in “Platoon”. But aside from Close, they all work together very well as a unit, and that is key. I also have to say that it was probably a wise decision to cut all of Kevin Costner’s scenes as the deceased friend (in flashbacks, apparently). Could the character have lived up to the hype? I doubt it. Don’t worry though, Costner’s career didn’t suffer for it, in fact he stole the show in Kasdan’s later “Silverado”, and 1987’s “The Untouchables” is a masterpiece in my opinion.

 

My complaints about this film are pretty minor, aside from Close’s miscasting. I’m just not a fan of this film as many of you out there are. I get it, but I don’t get it, if you know what I mean. But you can’t dislike this film. It’s an irresistible premise that taps into something in all adults, just some more strongly than others I suppose. I like it, but I don’t love it. The screenplay was written by Kasdan and Barbara Benedek (“Men Don’t Leave”, the remake of “Sabrina”), but I bet there was quite a bit of improvising going on. It must’ve been a fun shoot. It’s worth seeing the film just for the moment when a funeral arrangement of a certain Rolling Stones song then turns into the song proper, creating something truly beautiful.

 

Rating: B-