UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Jared_Andrews The Big Chill is an exceptional title for a movie. It could be used for a number of different stories, ranging from some sort of action sci-fi flick to a get together of old friends. This movie is about the latter. This movie opens on a grim note. An old college pal has killed himself, so all his closest friends (now in their mid-thirties) gather for his funeral. One man gives an emotional speech about their lost friend. Everyone tears up. The funeral proceeds, then it ends with the playing of a favorite song from the past. It's the first of many classic songs played throughout the film. At first, they seem fine, even soothing and nostalgic. But they soon grow tired and stale. It's clear that the movie didn't believe enough in itself to establish the nostalgic vibe through the dialogue and visual palette, so it opted to blast hit song after hit song. This would make for a great mix for a road trip, but it's not an effective way to make a movie.After leaving the funeral, the friends gather at a country house and share stories of the old days. Past feelings re-emerge, as do realizations of the current dissatisfactions in their lives. Not much happens over the course of the weekend, save for a few strange adulterous moments. One is alleged to be for a greater purpose, but that claim is dubious and bizarre. They seemed more like typical college hookups, probably brought on by the emotional vulnerability they experience after the death of a friend. The movie is well-acted, and the characters are interesting enough. The jokes are hit and miss, with a few too many misses to score big points as a successful comedy. On the whole, it's not a total failure. For the appropriate crowd, it could really strike a chord and make a meaningful impact. As far as I can tell, the appropriate crowd is anyone in their mid-thirties to mid-fifties, especially those who grew up listening to the Rolling Stones. The movie doesn't offer any resolution-there isn't one to be had. They shared moments together in college, and they did so again during this weekend. It's a story about growing into later adulthood and accepting the life you've made. A reunion with old friends will not provide an antidote for all that ails you, but it can offer a temporary reprieve from your day to day. Maybe this time together will remind everyone that they should gather more often. Or, maybe this is just another moment in time.

bigverybadtom I've heard of the movie and finally found and saw it. I knew what the idea was-a group of former college friends coming together for the funeral of another who had committed suicide, and they stay for the weekend at the summer home of one of them. They speculate on why he committed suicide, talk about their past idealism, what they are doing now and their unhappiness with it, make cynical comments about other people, plot to have sex with each other, plot to break up with their partners-or not. One of them is even a major actor who is a clone of Tom Selleck, with a "Magnum, P. I."-type television show.The problem is, the characters are basically uninteresting and unsympathetic, with their past idealism evidently transient and shallow. One woman who had tried to be a criminal lawyer found her clients detestable, and went into corporate law, one is a Vietnam veteran who uses drugs (but doesn't seem to have been traumatized by any combat experiences), one is obsessed with telling the others of how his small company is about to be bought out by a big corporation and how his friends could make money off this (though he is aware that his saying this is highly illegal), the actor admits he left his wife and children because he was bored with them. Only the host couple come out of this favorably, with their decision not to break up and with the husband rebuking the Vietnam veteran for having mouthed off to a visiting policeman, who had previously saved the couple from criminals.An annoying factor is the constant playing of late 1960's songs, evidently to remind us that these people grew up in that era. Okay, we get the point, there's no need to pound that into our heads. Passable as a soap opera, but this film clearly does not live up to its high reputation.

novagirl11 Definitely both heartwarming and sad at the same time. I enjoyed the natural/realistic feel of the group hanging out and the soundtrack is very well done!

Mr-Fusion On paper, "The Big Chill" doesn't seem like my kind of movie at all. I'm no baby boomer (of which this movie so finely targets) so I won't be waxing nostalgic along with any of these characters. Which is the whole point when you really think about it. What the hell would I know about having a midlife crisis in the materialistic '80s? And yet, I was hooked. For one thing, this is one hell of an ensemble cast each one somehow making unrelatable material very watchable. And you come away from this feeling like these people have undergone something profound over one weekend and come out the other end stronger than ever. There's humor, drama, and great performances throughout.Oddly engrossing.7/10