OT: The Big Chill (film) - 1983

Submitted by emGeauxBleu on

So, I was surfing Comcast's vast amount of OnDemand wealth last night and I came across this movie called The Big Chill (it was just meh to me, if you're interested). Now, the first thing I thought of was "Wow, what a coincidence, what are the chances that it could POSSIBLY have ANYTHING to do with Michigan". Then I found out it was about a bunch of Michigan grads who are reunited because of the death of one of their friends. Do you think this movie had anything to do with naming The Big Chill at the Big House? Maybe the reason they had to add "at the Big House" to the end of the name? I would like to see what anyone thinks/knows about this.

brewandbluesaturdays

December 20th, 2010 at 4:46 PM ^

2 cast members were at the game and the PA announcer  said something about it, but I was to inebriated to pay attention. Sorry I am not any help but there is some reference floating around somewhere.

bsand2053

December 20th, 2010 at 4:48 PM ^

The writers of the movie dropped the puck, the announcer made multiple references to the movie, they played clips of the movie during a break in the game, they played the soundtrack during the fireworks show, and the M football players featured in the movie, (Johhny Wangler and some TE I can't remember) were announced to the crowd.

Hail-Storm

December 20th, 2010 at 4:58 PM ^

but I'm pretty sure it's just a coincidence that they happen to have the same name, had the writers drop the puck, and play music from the soundtrack.

I also saw the movie On demand and decided to watch it. I really did not understand why it was such a great movie.  Perhaps it's a generational thing though, and people of that generation feel the same way as the characters, about going from hippies to money coorporates or something.

UM Indy

December 20th, 2010 at 4:47 PM ^

Writer/director of The Big Chill is Lawrence Kasden, a Michigan grad.  I was wondering whether the university actually might have had to get Kasden's permission to use the Big Chill title?

You may be selling the movie a little short.  It's a pretty good piece of nostalgia, especially when they all gather around to watch a Michigan football game on TV, although the lady asking her husband to impregnate their friend is pretty weird.

Michichick

December 20th, 2010 at 10:32 PM ^

Yes, the AD had to get permission to use the moniker, "The Big Chill", which Kasdan was only too happy to grant due to the untapped source of royalties he no doubt foresaw from introducing a brand new generation of Michigan students and fans to a movie that, while very good, did not burn up any box office records.

klctlc

December 20th, 2010 at 4:47 PM ^

You gotta be in your 20's.  The big chill was a big deal when it came out. The soundtrack, the cast, etc..  You really made me feel old with your post. Not being a smart ass, but yeah I think there was a correlation.

GoBlueInNYC

December 20th, 2010 at 4:52 PM ^

I actually had a pretty good discussion about the Big Chill not too long ago. My point was that the Big Chill's success as a movie (both in terms of commercial success and artistic success) is highly dependent on some generation-specific elements. So I didn't think it was all that great (I'm in my late 20s), 3 1/2 out of 5, maybe.

But, I wondered how the movie would fare over time. As the cultural torch gets passed from the boomers to a generation who can't identify with a lot of the issues in the movie, I wonder if the Big Chill's reputation as a good-to-great film will take a nose dive.

EDIT: Oh, also, I really hope the OP's kidding.

SFBlue

December 20th, 2010 at 5:05 PM ^

I think the missing element for the younger crowd is not generational specific, per se.  Yes, the characters in the movie used 60's idealism as a touchstone for their existential quandry, but post-college disillusionment cuts accross all generations.  Most of you are probably too young still to feel true nostalgia towards college (maybe you guys look at highschool that way?), and not yet disillusioned by the thought of who you were at age 21, and who you are now. 

In any event, nostalgia is definitely the keystone to that movie, as is evidenced by the "feel good" 60s hits on the soundtrack.  And nostalgia is mostly wasted on the young. 

Blue Blue Blue

December 20th, 2010 at 5:01 PM ^

most of you commentators must have missed the game, because alum Lawrence Kasdan was interviewed on camera.

he also was a part writer of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", two of the Star Wars movies, and Body Heat......where smokin' hot Kathleen Turner looks at William Hurt and purrs "You're not too smart.... I like that in a man"

WolverineHistorian

December 20th, 2010 at 5:00 PM ^

I assume it had something to do with naming the hockey game.  But I don't know for sure. 

I'm surprised you had never heard of the movie.  It was written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, who was a Michigan alum.

At one point in the movie, they're all gathered around the TV watching a Michigan football game.  On the TV screen is a clip from the 1980 UM/MSU game where John Wangler throws a short pass to Craig Dunaway for a 50 yard gain.  Then a second later, it shows a ref calling the play back because of a clipping penalty.  In reality, there was never a flag thrown on that play. 

Jeff Goldblum's character then throws popcorn at the screen and says, "Come on, Blue!  You're not supposed to fall until the 4th quarter."  (Ironic, given we won Big 10 titles with ease in those days.) 

Then the worst line of the whole movie where Goldblum's character says we have the worst helmets in football.  Blasphemy!  A Michigan alum writes that line coming out of a character who is also a Michigan alum?  Insanity, I tell ya.

maineandblue

December 20th, 2010 at 6:30 PM ^

Yeah, I hate that line. But then you gotta remember that Goldblum played an annoying twit. He is the guy who pretends to be superior because he is always honest, and has no problems admitting that his true intentions are selfish (based on the works of Ayn Rand?). Most of us know that guy, and even if he is a friend most of us disagree with him often, whether it's about the purpose of life, sensitivity to the emotions of others, or our perfect winged helmets.

(BTW, I'm 32, and I absolutetly love that movie. I think the themes are timeless.)

Section 1

December 20th, 2010 at 8:01 PM ^

At one point in the movie, they're all gathered around the TV watching a Michigan football game.  On the TV screen is a clip from the 1980 UM/MSU game where John Wangler throws a short pass to Craig Dunaway for a 50 yard gain.  Then a second later, it shows a ref calling the play back because of a clipping penalty.  In reality, there was never a flag thrown on that play.

I don't think Craig is on MGoBlog very much.  But he was always kind of cheesed that they made it look like that play was called back.  Then again, he's glad they didn't show a dropped td ball he had early in the game, on a low pass into the North endzone.  No matter; we got three, and went on to win, 27-24.  Craig had a real good game, as a sophomore.

Many of you probably know that the one huge character who ended up entirely on the cutting room floor during final editing, was Kevin Costner, who played the guy who died and whose funeral they all gathered for.  The scenes with Costner were cut in with lots of old black and white footage of the Ann Arbor student protests of the 1960's and early 70's.  All cut out of the film.

WolverineHistorian

December 20th, 2010 at 8:58 PM ^

27-23 actually.  That was an extremely rare time during the Schembechler years where it was a close win over MSU.  Almost all of Bo's wins over Sparty were blowouts. 

Skip ahead to 5:36 to see the play that was shown in the movie. 

superstringer

December 20th, 2010 at 5:00 PM ^

So, I'm almost afraid to ask... ok kid, when the characters were watching the UM football game during the movie, they had a brief shot of the UM football coach during the game.  Some guy named Bo Somethingorother.  Um, did you KNOW who that was?

Cuz, based on your post, I'm tending to think you didn't.... where do we begin....

jtmc33

December 20th, 2010 at 5:10 PM ^

Kevin Costner played the friend that died.  He had a limited role (IIRC in flash-back scenes) that didn't make the cut.  At the first public showing the movie started with an open casket with Costner laying dead.  That too was cut before the final version.

I believe that was Costner's first role.

He's been playing the same character ever since.... 

Michigasling

December 20th, 2010 at 5:30 PM ^

the Big Chill.  His co-writer, Barbara Benedeck, assisted in the puck at the Game.  Blue,Blue,Blue gives some of his multitudinous credits above.  (EDIT:  I see Wolverine Historian already added the directing credit.) 

Kasdan's a big deal in the biz.  Amongst other nominations and awards, he's been nominated for a few Oscars (including Big Chill screenplay, for which he was also nominated for Best Director from the Directors Guild of America) and won the Laurel Award for Screen Writing from the Writers Guild of America (the guild of screenwriters, so, as with the Directors Guild, it's recognition by colleagues).  More (including pix, which I can't seem to embed) can be found on his page at Internet Movie DataBase.  You can click on Big Chill to link to the cast list and other info.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001410/

As for the Jeff Goldblum character's helmet remark when watching the game on TV, I'm sure that was a brilliant alumni writer's way of letting us know what we were supposed to think of the character (i.e., that he was a bit of a jerk).  It's been a long long time since I saw the movie, but I assume the other characters would have some reaction, but all I remember was how thrilled I was to hear "Let's Go Blue" coming from the little TV on the big screen.

Truly don't think it was an accident that the name was used for the hockey game.  Most grads of Brandon's generation knew the film well. 

leftrare

December 20th, 2010 at 5:48 PM ^

I graduated in 1982.  Absolutely loved that movie.  Grand Canyon, also by Kasdan, is in some ways a segue to a later point in the same generation's ongoing ennui.  Has to be among the 50 most distinguished Michigan grads.  He even looks a little like Dave Brandon.

 

Lawrence Kasdan Picture

Geaux_Blue

December 20th, 2010 at 5:54 PM ^

any coincidence that MSU called theirs The Cold War because i was on wikipedia and saw that the US and Russia had this like showdown thing where they were bitter rivals and thought maybe the two might be related

Hail-Storm

December 20th, 2010 at 6:01 PM ^

Made the same comment just three comments ahead of you. I am sick of reading redundant comments on the same thread, especially since it is on the same page.  I took 2 minutes to write this, so I could complain about reading the same-ish comment twice and wasting a valuable 20 seconds of my life.