1983′s The Big Chill is a movie for my parents’ generation. It sets out to capture the “baby boomers,” ten-plus years after college, when many of their ideals, hopes, and dreams have changed. Brought together by the unexpected death of a friend, these thirty-something college buddies spend a weekend reliving old memories, and confronting underlying, unresolved issues, all to a wonderful 1960′s soundtrack (including The Temptations, The Band, The Rolling Stones, Smokey Robinson, and Three Dog Night).
The music alone is a throwback to their college days, a time when they were young, idealistic, and all together a family. It’s sad to see how time and life have come between them, and how unhappy some have become. By the end of the film, problems get resolved too quickly (or not at all), but it’s comforting to watch how old friendships can sustain time and distance, as well as the power of music, alcohol, and drugs, to bring you back to the good ol days.
Out of context this dancing-in-the-kitchen scene probably seems a little cliché (shouldn’t someone be using a slotted spoon as a microphone?), but I couldn’t help but think about my college friends, and our own impending “reunions” down the road (although hopefully on better circumstances). The premise of the film is pretty timeless: old friends coming together again, reminiscing about the past while facing the problems of the present and the threats of the future. So now, almost thirty years later, can there be a Big Chill for the Facebook generation? Would its kitchen-song-and-dance scene feature Lady Gaga and a Red Bull and vodka? And who would play these college friends? Many of today’s most accomplished actors got their break in The Big Chill, including Glenn Close, William Hurt, and Kevin Kline.
While some things change (namely clothing, hairstyles), many stay the same. Maybe I’m drawn to this film because I recently graduated college and now worry about where I’ll be in ten years, and if those friends will be with me in the future. I’d like to see an updated version of this story, equipped with an equally wonderful soundtrack as the original. (The closest thing to this film of late has been The Hangover, although it deals more with the imminent threat of a missing friend and large period of forgotten memory, rather than reminiscing about the good times the trio had together years ago). I could see (500) Days of Summer’s Marc Webb doing great things with the music after his hilariously fantastic Hall & Oates sequence for Joseph Gordon-Levitt (he was a music video director first, after all) and the film’s great soundtrack.
