The Big Chill

"The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other."

1983 1h 45m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

70%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 668🍅70%Rotten Tomatoes●61Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 43,913

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Seven old college friends gather for a weekend reunion after the funeral of one of their own.

“The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Sony Pictures Core Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Tom Berenger
Sam Weber
Glenn Close
Sarah Cooper
Jeff Goldblum
Michael Gold
William Hurt
Nick Carlton
Kevin Kline
Harold Cooper
Mary Kay Place
Meg Jones
Meg Tilly
Chloe
JoBeth Williams
Karen Bowens

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Writers: Barbara Benedek, Lawrence Kasdan
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 7.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, shot by John Bailey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Fogerty. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Carol Littleton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Tom Berenger and Glenn Close and Jeff Goldblum carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0085244 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lawrence Kasdan directs. John Bailey behind the camera. John Fogerty scores. Carol Littleton cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 7.0× over at the box office.
243 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, shot by John Bailey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Fogerty. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Carol Littleton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Tom Berenger and Glenn Close and Jeff Goldblum carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other.".
8IMDB entry: tt0085244 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "friendship", "suicide", "regret", "funeral".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Bailey
Original score: John Fogerty
Editing: Carol Littleton
Production design: Ida Random
Costume design: April Ferry
Makeup / hair: Michael Germain
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $56,342,711
Return: 704% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Big Chill (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes: 70% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 61/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 43,913 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 3 Oscars. 3 wins & 8 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Lawrence Kasdan

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2020-08-11
★ 10/10
Although we haven’t watched it in many years, my wife and I include The Big Chill as one of a handful of our favorite movies ever. Boy, were we young when we first watched it! It has been so long that until I recently read a description of it on this website, I couldn’t have told you any of the characters’ names, though I could have reeled off several of the actors: Meg Tilly, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Jobeth Williams, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Glenn Close - all of whom we have enjoyed in other roles as well. The plot isn’t deep, though it touches upon the serious topic of suicide, but it is humorous and fun, and one of those flicks where we find ourselves repeating lines from it , such as, when we are grocery shopping and say maybe we shouldn’t get something fattening: “We have to think of the others,” and throw the item into the shopping cart. It is that kind of movie. Now that I have written this, we shall have to watch it yet again.
Wuchak2023-05-11
★ 6/10
The growing ennui of college grads from the 60s in the early 80s Seven former college friends from Michigan meet near the coast in small town South Carolina after the death of one of their old gang. They spend the weekend together reminiscing on their youthful ideals, where they are now, and where they’re going. Written & directed by Lawrence Kasdan, “The Big Chill” (1983) has the same plot as “The Return of the Secaucus Seven” from three years earlier. The difference is that it has a blockbuster budget and bigger-name actors, but not necessarily the better story. Speaking of the cast, the characters include the couple who own the big old house in South Carolina (Kevin Kline & Glenn Close), a TV star in the mold of Magnum P.I. (Tom Berenger), an attorney (Mary Kay Place), a journalist for People magazine (Jeff Goldblum), a discontented mother/housewife (JoBeth Williams) and a Vietnam vet who’s obsessed with drugs (William Hurt). Meg Tilly is also on hand as the girlfriend of the deceased. While this was a hit when released, some amusingly refer to it as “The Big Dull.” Obviously, you have to be in the mood for a drama. I think Kasdan & the cast did a good job of making it seem like these are indeed old friends from college catching up after almost two decades. I also like the movie’s droll sense of humor and, of course, the 60’s soundtrack, not to mention the great Southern location. Unfortunately, the awkward insemination subplot is eye-rolling and almost singlehandedly ruins the story. But this is made up for by Chloe's moving choice, which is unexpected. The former college 'radicals' are more or less intellectual whereas Chloe is visceral and mystical. The film runs 1 hour, 45 minutes, and was shot primarily in Beaufort, South Carolina, which happens to be the nearest town to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. GRADE: B-