| | | | The Big Chill
(1983) |
dozen or so years after they graduated from University together, a group of friends are suddenly pulled back together by the death of Alex, the brightest star in their group.
The friends have gone on to lead very different lives to the ones they dreamt of, some are married, some are divorced. Some are famous, some are not. Some are wealthy, some are struggling.
But this story is all about how they come to terms with their grief for Alex, their concerns for themselves and each other, their regrets about missed opportunities, and the question "what happened to the fire of our youth?"
Don't think for a second that this is a quiet, introspective movie, there are some powerful performances here by some of the screen's most accomplished actors - Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Tom Berenger, JoBeth Williams, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Meg Tilly - reads like a "who's who" of 80s drama, doesn't it?
All of this is set against a backdrop of Fall in a Southern house, and is dressed with one of the most memorable musical scores to come out of the eighties.
It's funny, it's sad, it's gripping. It will give you a big chill... [Euwww, sounds gross! -Editor]
 Don't forget that The Big Chill is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
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The casting of this movie works so well, and is spot on: the actors are a roll-call of success with 80s drama. From Glenn Close to William Hurt, Kevin Kline to Jeff Goldblum, Meg Tilly to Jobeth Williams, Tom Beremger to the absent Kevin Costner (as Alex, the deceased friend), all the familiar faces are there and work well together.
Where the movie really succeeds is simple: it provides the audience with a small glimpse into each character's settings in which they all believed they were emotionally happy, but are shown in the context of the group to be anything but.
The score is stunning, the scenery inspiring, the acting understated and exact.
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An unused ending for the movie was a flashback to the 60s with the gang at college (with deceased friend Alex played by Kevin Costner) having a Thanksgiving dinner. It was scrapped because it confused the preview audience. Other flashback scenes with Kevin Costner were deleted as well, though they don't appear with the other deleted scenes on the DVD.  -Thanks to Brett Hardel
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Although not credited, Alex's corpse, seen at the start of the movie, is played by Kevin Costner.
Director, Lawrence Kasdan, cast his whole family in the movie! His wife, Meg, is the airline hostess, his son, Jon, is Harold and Sarah Cooper's son and his other son, Jacob, is the autograph hunter. -Thanks to Kara Victoria
Writer / Director Lawrence Kasdan also scripted "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" !!
Apparently, Tom Berenger [Sam] liked the location in S.C. so much that he bought a house there! -Thanks to Brian Peterson
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Find much more great trivia in the filmmaker's commentary on the Big Chill DVD.
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
The Big Chill or 80's Drama / Historic classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Outsiders ..... Elephant Man ..... Rain Man ..... Drugstore Cowboy ..... Stand By Me ..... Wall Street ..... Mask ..... Amadeus ..... Full Metal Jacket ..... Witness ..... Breakfast Club ..... Glory ..... Platoon ..... Scarface ..... Six Weeks ..... Urban Cowboy .....[More]
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The main cast members lived together for a few weeks before filming began. The night before filming began they all stayed in character.
Kevin Kline met Phoebe Cates during a read-through for "The Big Chill". She was reading for the role that would eventually go to Meg Tilley. Phoebe and Kevin met again a year later while performing at New York's public theater. They married in 1989.
Kevin Kline originally wanted the part that Jeff Goldbloom got. He wanted it bad because it had more laughs than the part that Kline eventually got. -Thanks to Glenn
The fog completely disappears after Harold's brief close-up shot, when he and Nick are jogging through town.
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|  |  |  | | The Big Chill
Locations |
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 Featured Movie Location: Kevin Kline's Southern Mansion
Wanna see the real life filming location used for Kevin Kline's Southern Mansion in the movie? These scenes were actually shot at Tidalholm House, located in Beaufort, South Carolina. [New! Show Google Map]
After leaving the church, the road into town is Bay Street coming east into the city of Beaufort off of Ribaut Avenue. The water view is low tide on the Beaufort River. The bridge in the distance is the Wood Bridge. It's a draw bridge on the Intercoastal Waterway that goes from Beaufort to Lady's Island crossing the Beaufort River.
The bridge they actually drive across is the Cat Island bridge off Ribaut Avenue. It's about half way between Beaufort and Port Royal. It is not close particularly close or related to the road in the previous scene. [Thanks to Bill Shearer]
The church is Sandhill Baptist Church located at 15480 Pocotaligo Rd, just West of Varnville SC. [Thanks to daryl rigby]
Can you help? Do you know any of the (or any other) filming locations used for The Big Chill, particularly The church? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[Letterbox -NOT 16:9 Enhanced]](lbx.gif) | ![[5.1 CH SURROUND]](dd5.gif) | Commentary, Featurette, Score |
| | | | Commentary, Featurette, Score |
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This is one of the all-time greats: It was a big hit when the movie was released, and has never been out of print since. With ther Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Wilson Pickett, it gives as much insight into the characters in the movie as does the dialogue - a rare thing.
If you ever wondered why so many tv commercials from the mid-eighties onwards have used classic tunes, well you can blame The Big Chill for it! It was entirely due to the success of this soundtrack album that 'retro' music became so popular and marketable.
To coincide with the movie's release on DVD, the soundtrack has been remastered. Use our search feature to locate it.
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Soundtrack Available:
On CD
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