Big Chill, The

The Big Chill Movie Poster

"How much love, sex, fun and friendship can a person take?  The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other.  In a cold world, you need your friends to keep you warm."

The award winning Big Chill was a comedy-drama released in 1983.  It starred Tom Berenger as Sam Weber, Glenn Close as Sarah Cooper, Jeff Goldblum as Michael Gold, William Hurt as Nick Carlton, and Kevin Kline as Harold Cooper.  It received positive reviews from critics, including Roger Ebert, and was nominated for three Oscars.  Financially, the movie was a success for Columbia Pictures.  The creation and overall theme of the movie was influenced by the successful TV series Thirty Something.

Several years after graduating from the same university, a group of old friends (now in their 30’s) are drawn back together at the funeral of a friend named Alex who died by suicide.  The friends are all quirky in their own way.  One is an actor, one is a former public defender who smokes constantly, one is a Vietnam War veteran, one is an unhappy house wife, etc.  After the funeral is over, the group decides to meet at a vacation home to decompress and talk about Alex.  They find themselves wondering and talking about what could have been, what use to be, and possibilities for the future as they essentially sleep with each other on vacation.