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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Maddie Thomas

The Big Chill at 40: rewatching the defining ensemble film of the 1980s

Lawrence Kasdan Glenn Close Jeff Goldblum Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Tom Berenger, William Hurt, Mary Kay Place, Jeff Goldblum and JoBeth Williams
The cast of The Big Chill: Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Tom Berenger, William Hurt, Mary Kay Place, Jeff Goldblum and JoBeth Williams. Photograph: Cinetext/Columbia/Allstar

Lost hope: when would you want to watch a film about that? Answer: when that film is The Big Chill.

Released 40 years ago this year, this comedy-drama directed by Star Wars fixture Lawrence Kasdan sees eight friends brought together by the death of a college classmate, Alex (played by Kevin Costner until his performance was entirely cut from the film). Descending on the home of Harold (Kevin Kline) and Sarah Cooper (Glenn Close), the friends – now all in their 30s with careers, partners and a lack of faith in the world – spend the weekend remembering Alex and trying to rediscover the idealism and ambition they felt as students.

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