The Big Chill

It's a throwback to a throwback: in the early 80s, "The Big Chill" apparently was a bit of a milestone among baby-boomers, a nostalgic remembrance of the days when they reigned supreme and a lament for the fact that they'd basically all settled into the old jobs that their parents held. The movie sees a bunch of archetypes come together all at once after a friend commits suicide; the 'Nam veteran (William Hurt,) the journalist (Jeff Goldblum,) the lawyer (Mary Kay Place,) and the housewife (Glenn Close,) among others. They talk, they laugh, they have sex, they do drugs -- you know the routine.

The jukebox soundtrack, bringing the Rolling Stones next to Procol Harum and stuffing in as many other era-appropriate hits as possible along the way, is indicative of the whole film: it's overly familiar, and a bit too self-consciously endearing, but we surely enjoy listening to the hits all over again anyway. "The Big Chill" is probably a bit more commercial than most films released by Criterion, but its rewatchability status isn't to be questioned: this is what Quentin Tarantino would call a hang-out movie. What you appreciate isn't the filmmaking craft so much as it is the opportunity to spend time with these characters, and to watch them interact with each other. That's why the film's occasionally stilted dialogue -- like that of the late Alex's younger girlfriend, who's saddled with unfortunate quips throughout the script -- can be such a hinderance. Still, you're willing to put up with the silly words in order to see the winsome faces spitting them out.

Fans of the film will be pleased to find that the disc brings with it a number of different extra features. (The package also comes with a DVD copy of the film and the extras, in addition to the Blu-ray.) Most appropriate, considering the plot, are a pair of reunions: first off is an hour-long panel, recorded about 15 years ago, bringing the cast together. After that, you can watch another long Q-and-A with the cast, recorded just last year at the Toronto Film Festival (Goldblum and Hurt are absent, likely shooting other films.)

There's also a few minutes of deleted scenes, mainly filling in gaps from the funeral scene, and a 12-minute interview piece with Kasdan himself. Those particular features aren't much, and there's not much quote-unquote "subtextual analysis" here, but maybe that's the point. The extras follow the same thesis that the film sets out to investigate: people love catching up with their old friends.

"The Big Chill"
Blu-ray/DVD Dual Format Release
$39.95
Criterion.com