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The Big Chill

The Big Chill

Comedy · Drama · 1983

Seven old college friends gather for a weekend reunion after the funeral of one of their own.

Movie details

The Big Chill

“The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other.”

1983 Comedy · Drama 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Seven old college friends gather for a weekend reunion after the funeral of one of their own.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Big Chill?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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A young college student in London moves into a flat and becomes best friends with a flatmate; the former moves into her own flat 4 years later but 6 years after their parting, the former returns to London to pay the latter a visit.

The Last Word

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A retired businesswoman – who tries to control everything around her – decides to write her own obituary. A young journalist takes up the task of finding out the truth, and the result is a life-altering friendship.

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When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.

My Cousin Vinny

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Beaches

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The Upside of Anger

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Comedy · 2005

After her husband runs off with his secretary, Terry Wolfmeyer is left to fend for herself -- and her four daughters. As she hits rock bottom, Terry finds a friend and drinking buddy in next-door neighbor Denny, a former baseball player. As the two grow closer, and her daughters increasingly rely on Denny, Terry starts to have reservations about where their relationship is headed.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lawrence Kasdan

Written by

Barbara Benedek · Lawrence Kasdan

Tom Berenger

Tom Berenger

Sam Weber

Glenn Close

Glenn Close

Sarah Cooper

Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum

Michael Gold

William Hurt

William Hurt

Nick Carlton

Kevin Kline

Kevin Kline

Harold Cooper

Mary Kay Place

Mary Kay Place

Meg Jones

Meg Tilly

Meg Tilly

Chloe

Court is in session

Put The Big Chill on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.