![]() ![]() Quietly considering the idea that one's life is never really complete and that the feeling that something is missing is a natural one, The Big Chill is a film that benefits from never showing Alex. It is for this thematic rumination that The Big Chill really becomes a timeless work from director Lawrence Kasdan. Expecting your life to be final and totaled up in any moment prior to your death is a phenomenon experienced by many, but unfortunately not realistic. Instead, it is the sum of all actions you took in your life that define you in the end and in the now with each moment adding up to the end product. There is no set date or event that will define your life as being successful. In essence: I did everything I was told to do and I did it well, so why is there not "more"? Unfortunately, life is a moving target. From this unhappiness, boredom, and contentment, depression or adultery or regrets can begin to take hold. As a result, few ever actually achieve "success", instead moving from life achievement marker to life achievement marker, seeking the end of the tunnel and becoming unhappy and unfulfilled when that opening is never found. If the situation you are in is the very pinnacle of where you life will be, then that is an even more depressing point of view to take. No matter one's present situation, it is impossible to view it as the end of your tunnel. How one defines "success" is up to them, but unfortunately, is always a moving target. At the end of this tunnel is the mythical comfort land of "success". These all serve as road signs that you are getting closer. Kids rush to drive, go to college, move out, get married, and have children, all as a means to find adulthood. Growing up, you envision the grandiose life awaiting you. ![]() Yet, their struggles are ones felt by anybody. Harold (Kevin Kline) and Sarah (Glenn Close) seem happy, but similarly feel unfulfilled as if something is missing in their otherwise "successful" lives. Nick (William Hurt) has impotence and possibly PTSD from Vietnam. Meg (Mary Kay Place) hates being a public defender and her status as a single woman. Michael (Jeff Goldblum) views himself as a serious writer so he hates his People Magazine gig. Karen (JoBeth Williams) hates her normal, average life and the husband that gives it to her. Sam Weber (Tom Berenger) is a famous actor, but hates the phonies in Hollywood and the fame that comes with his profession. The refusal of his friend group of to explore has rendered them greatly unhappy. A gifted scientist, he instead worked as a social worker and on construction jobs, seeking ways to experience life in any way possible and refusing to just stay in his line. He failed, but refused to stay restricted by his skill-set. Though Alex killed himself, he was oddly the only one trying to seek happiness. With this group of friends coming together to mourn Alex's death, it becomes abundantly clear that none of them are happy in their current lives. With the group looking at their lives as they are now in contrast to their dreams for the future and expectation of changing the world they had when younger, the film is quiet, contemplative, and entirely solemn experience that truly captures real human emotion and feeling throughout, a rare and impressive accomplishment. Musing on the profound sense of loss felt by this friend group after the suicide of one of the members of the group, the film is often casually funny, profound, and poignant. Yet, despite the film firmly planting its feet in the early 1980s and reliving the college experiences of a group of friends during the late 1960s/early 1970s, The Big Chill is a film that is hardly dated thematically. Yet, despite the film firmly planting its feet in the early 1980s and reliving the college experiences of a The Big Chill dates itself considerably with a selection of 1960s and 1970s musical selections that would likely find a home on a nostalgic "classic rock hits" radio station nowadays. The Big Chill dates itself considerably with a selection of 1960s and 1970s musical selections that would likely find a home on a nostalgic "classic rock hits" radio station nowadays. ![]()
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