The Big Chill

Seven college friends from the 1960s reunite for a weekend after the funeral of Alex, the eighth member of their group, who has died by suicide. Once nonconformist students, most have since settled into established careers and marriages. Together with Alex's girlfriend, they gather at a South Carolina home, where memories of their shared past and questions about the death of the friend they all loved force each of them to take stock of how their lives have turned out.

Lawrence Kasdan directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Barbara Benedek, and the film was released in September 1983. It was his second film as director, arriving two years after Body Heat. The cast includes Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline and Mary Kay Place, and Michael Shamberg produced. Made for 8 million dollars, it took about 56 million worldwide, a strong return. On IMDb it holds 7.1 from roughly 45,000 votes, on TMDB 6.8 from a much smaller number, and its critics' rating of 6.7 from 43 reviews sits close to both audience scores.

Running 105 minutes, the film mixes comedy and drama, using the reunion to set individual reckonings against the group's history. Kasdan continued directing steadily afterward, with Silverado following in 1985.