‘The Big Chill’ 40th anniversary: Remembering Lawrence Kasdan’s 3-time Oscar nominee

One of the most beloved movies of 1983 is “The Big Chill,” starring Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, William Hurt and Meg Tilly. Written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek and directed by Kasdan, the film is an ensemble comedy-drama about a group of former college friends who reunite for a weekend after one of their college friends dies. Released 40 years ago on September 28, 1983, “The Big Chill” did well at the box office, making $56 million worldwide on a budget of just $8 million. The movie marked another financial triumph for director Kasdan, whose feature debut two years earlier, “Body Heat,” did well at the box office and with critics. Read on as Gold Derby celebrates “The Big Chill” 40th anniversary.

Critics for the most part gave positive notices to “The Big Chill,” including Richard Corliss in TIME Magazine, who called it “funny and ferociously smart.” Vincent Canby in The New York Times said, “The performances represent ensemble playing of an order Hollywood films seldom have time for, with the screenplay providing each character with at least one big scene.” And Lisa Schwarzbaum in Entertainment Weekly referred to the movie as “an irresistibly satisfying cultural artifact.”

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With “The Big Chill” being popular with audiences and many critics, it seemed probable the film would be an awards player going into 1984. However, some critics dismissed it, like Dave Kehr in Chicago Reader who said, “There is no place for depth or nuance in this slickly engineered complacency machine,” so winning prizes and getting into the Academy Awards was going to be an uphill climb to be sure. At the Golden Globes, “The Big Chill” received only two nominations, Best Screenplay for Kasdan and Benedek as well as Best Comedy Film. Nothing for acting, sadly — the large cast in the film that also includes Jeff Goldblum, Mary Beth Hurt, Tom Berenger and JoBeth Williams had such a wealth of talent that it was likely difficult for voters to single out one performer.

As the awards season progressed, Kasdan continued to be recognized in a few places — BAFTA and WGA for his screenplay, and DGA for his direction. National Board of Review also named “The Big Chill” one of the Top 10 films of the year. But still, there wasn’t a single critics’ prize or major nomination for anybody from the impressive cast. It wasn’t until Oscar nominations morning when an actor from the movie was finally recognized — Close made it into Best Supporting Actress for her emotionally resonant performance as Dr. Sarah Cooper. “The Big Chill” also received nominations for Best Original Screenplay as well as the big one, Best Picture, alongside “The Dresser,” “The Right Stuff,” “Tender Mercies” and “Terms of Endearment.”

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“The Big Chill” didn’t have a strong chance at winning any gold trophies the night of the 56th Academy Awards on April 9. 1984. Best Original Screenplay might have looked possible to some given all the screenplay nominations “The Big Chill” received throughout the awards season, but the only prize it won was Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen at WGA. When it came to the Oscars, there was no stopping that year’s big winner — “Terms of Endearment,” starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger and Jack Nicholson. The acclaimed comedy-drama from writer-director James L. Brooks received six Golden Globe nominations, winning four, including Best Drama Film, and it got a whopping 11 Oscar nominations, including seven in the top categories. There was just no way for “The Big Chill” to compete, as “Terms of Endearment” took both Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture, along with Best Director, Best Actress for MacLaine and Best Supporting Actor for Nicholson.

The one category “Terms of Endearment” didn’t appear in that “The Big Chill” was a part of was Best Supporting Actress, but Close had stiff competition, including Cher, who had won the Golden Globe for “Silkwood,” and Linda Hunt, who had claimed multiple critics’ prizes for “The Year of Living Dangerously,” including the Los Angeles Critics, New York Critics and National Board of Review. Close had received her first Oscar nomination the year before for “The World According to Garp,” but she wasn’t overdue for a win yet, and so she smiled and clapped from her seat for Hunt, who was named the 1984 Best Supporting Actress winner.

“Terms of Endearment” might have been named the best movie of the year by the academy, but “The Big Chill” four decades later continues to be a favorite among film lovers and is considered a classic of the 1980s. The writing is strong, the cinematography is gorgeous, and how can you not love the soundtrack of great oldie songs? Everybody in the cast is a familiar face to movie fans today, and they all give some of their finest performances in this cozy, funny, emotional motion picture. Emanuel Levy in EmanuelLevy.com wrote, “More significant sociologically than artistically, Kasdan’s portrait of the Baby Boom generation is a zeitgeist film that is enjoyable due to strong ensemble acting and popular tunes.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

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