The Big Chill (film)  

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The Big Chill is a 1983 American comedy-drama film directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams. The plot focuses on a group of baby boomers who attended the University of Michigan, reuniting after 15 years when their friend Alex dies by suicide. Kevin Costner was cast as Alex, but all scenes showing his face were cut. It was filmed in Beaufort, South Carolina.

The soundtrack features soul, R&B, and pop-rock music from the 1960s and 1970s, including tracks by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, the Rolling Stones, and Three Dog Night.

Contents

Plot

After Alex Marshall commits suicide, his fellow University of Michigan alumni and close friends attend his funeral at the Tidalholm plantation in Beaufort, South Carolina. During the visit, everyone stays with fellow alumni and friends, Sarah and Harold Cooper.

The other friends; Sam Weber, a television actor; Meg Jones, once a public defender and now a real estate attorney; Michael Gold, a journalist for People magazine; former talk-radio psychologist Nick Carlton, an impotent Vietnam vet who is perpetually either stoned or high on drugs; and Karen Bowen, an unfulfilled writer unhappily married to Richard, a stuffy advertising executive. Also present is Chloe, Alex's younger girlfriend of four months.

While out jogging early the next morning, Harold, violating SEC rules, tells Nick that a large corporation is about to buy his small company, which will make him rich and triple the value of the stock. He told Alex, making it possible for him to buy property in the area. Harold suggests that Nick use the tip to get into a new line of work. During their conversation, it is revealed that Sarah and Alex had a brief affair five years earlier, which all the friends knew about. Harold, Sarah, and Alex moved past it, but Sarah later tells Karen that her friendship with Alex was harmed by their affair.

Richard goes home the next day, but Karen stays. Harold, Nick, Michael, and Chloe drive out to see the old house that Chloe and Alex were renovating. Meanwhile, Meg tells Sarah she is fed up with failed relationships and intends to have a child on her own. Believing she is ovulating, she plans to ask Sam to be the father of her child. (She approaches Nick first, thus becoming the last to know about his war wound.) Michael, who continually flirts with Chloe, needs investors for a New York nightclub. At dinner, Sarah becomes tearful and wonders if their fervent '60s idealism was "just fashion.” Later that night, Meg approaches Sam, but he feels fatherhood is too great a responsibility; he has a child whom he is estranged from. Nick shares his drugs, with varying effects.

The next day, Harold buys running shoes for everyone. Nick goes to the old house and sits on the porch for hours, missing the Michigan football game. Michael offers to sire Meg's child, alluding to their single sexual encounter in college.

During a half-time game of touch football, a local police officer escorts a sullen Nick back to the house after he runs a red light and becomes belligerent when stopped. Recognizing Sam, the officer offers to drop charges if Sam will hop into Nick's Porsche 911 the way his J.T. Lancer character does on TV. Sam tries and fails, injuring himself slightly. Nick angers Harold by accusing him of being friendly with cops. Harold chastises Nick, telling him that this is his home and Nick's recklessness could put his reputation in danger.

Karen tells a surprised Sam that she is in love with him and wants to leave Richard. He tells her his first marriage failed because of boredom and he doesn't want her to make the same mistake. Feeling led on, Karen angrily stomps off.

Meg tells Sarah that Michael is the wrong choice. Sarah observes the warm phone conversation between her young daughter and Meg. Later, the group, confused over Alex's death, regrets losing touch with him. To everyone but Sam, it seems that Alex withdrew deliberately. Nick is particularly cynical and bitter about life, love, and friendship. Karen follows Sam outside to mollify him, and they have sex. Sarah pulls Harold aside and embraces him, telling him she has a favor to ask: “It's about Meg...” Meg goes to Harold; they make love, tenderly. Chloe asks Nick to spend the night with her in the room she shared with Alex.

The next morning, Harold announces that Nick and Chloe will stay on and renovate the old house. Karen packs to return home to Richard. Michael ditches his nightclub plans. Nick shows everyone what he found in Alex's papers: An old column that Michael wrote about Alex declining a prestigious fellowship. As the friends prepare to depart, Michael jokingly tells the Coopers that they have taken a secret vote: They are never leaving.

Cast

Soundtracks

Ten of the songs from the film were released on the soundtrack album; four additional songs not from the film were added to the original CD release as "additional classics from the era". The rest of the film's songs (aside from the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want"), as well as the "additional classics" from the original soundtrack CD were released in 1984 on a second soundtrack album, titled More Songs from the Big Chill. Both albums were re-mastered in 1998; the track list of the first album mirrored the original LP, without the "additional classics". In 2004, Hip-O Records released a Deluxe edition, containing 16 of the 18 songs from the film (again excluding "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and newly omitting "Quicksilver Girl" by the Steve Miller Band) and three additional film instrumentals. A second "music of a generation" disc of 19 additional tracks was included as well. Some of those tracks had appeared on the More Songs release.

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

| name = The Big Chill | type = soundtrack | longtype = from the film The Big Chill | artist = Various Artists | cover = | alt = | released = September 1983 | recorded = 1963–1971 | venue = | studio = | genre = R&B/Soul | length = 43:38 | label = Motown Records | producer = | chronology = The Big Chill Soundtrack Albums | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = | next_year =


| title1 = I Heard It Through the Grapevine | note1 = extended version | writer1 = Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong | extra1 = Marvin Gaye (1968) | length1 = 5:03

| title2 = My Girl | writer2 = Smokey Robinson, Ronald White | extra2 = The Temptations (1965) | length2 = 2:55

| title3 = [[Good Lovin' (The Young Rascals song)|Good LovinTemplate:'-]] | writer3 = Rudy Clark, Arthur Resnick | extra3 = The Young Rascals (1966) | length3 = 2:28

| title4 = The Tracks of My Tears | writer4 = Robinson, Warren Moore, Marvin Tarplin | extra4 = The Miracles (1965) | length4 = 2:53

| title5 = Joy to the World | writer5 = Hoyt Axton | extra5 = Three Dog Night (1970) | length5 = 3:24

| title6 = Ain't Too Proud to Beg | writer6 = Whitfield, Edward Holland, Jr. | extra6 = The Temptations (1966) | length6 = 2:31

| title7 = (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman | writer7 = Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jerry Wexler | extra7 = Aretha Franklin (1968) | length7 = 2:41

| title8 = I Second That Emotion | writer8 = Robinson, Al Cleveland | extra8 = Smokey Robinson and The Miracles (1967) | length8 = 2:46

| title9 = A Whiter Shade of Pale | writer9 = Keith Reid, Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher | extra9 = Procol Harum (1967) | length9 = 4:03

| title10 = Tell Him | writer10 = Bert Berns | extra10 = The Exciters (1963) | length10 = 2:29 }}

| headline = "Additional Classics From The Era" on original CD release | extra_column = Artist

| title11 = It's the Same Old Song | writer11 = E. Holland, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland | extra11 = The Four Tops (1965) | length11 = 2:45

| title12 = Dancing in the Street | writer12 = Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson | extra12 = Martha and The Vandellas (1964) | length12 = 2:38

| title13 = What's Going On | writer13 = Gaye, Cleveland, Renaldo "Obie" Benson | extra13 = Marvin Gaye (1971) | length13 = 3:52

| title14 = Too Many Fish in the Sea | writer14 = Whitfield, E. Holland | extra14 = The Marvelettes (1964) | length14 = 2:26 }}

Charts

Chart (1983/84) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 5
United States (Billboard 200) 17
Chart (1988) Peak
position
scope="row"

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – USA Gold December 12, 1983
RIAA – USA Platinum March 29, 1984
RIAA – USA Double Platinum September 27, 1985
RIAA – USA 4× Platinum July 20, 1998
RIAA – USA 6× Platinum October 15, 1998

More Songs from the Big Chill

Template:Track listing *Selections not in the motion picture The Big Chill.


See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "The Big Chill (film)" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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