The Big Chill

Synopsis: A seminal Thirty-Something movie in which a group of old college friends who are now all grown up and hardened by the big wide world come together for the funeral of Alex, a barely glimpsed corpse, who was at one time the brightest and the best of them, and yet who never managed to achieve half as much as any of the others. The friends use the occasion to reacquaint themselves with each other and to speculate as to what happened to their idealism which had been abundant when they were younger.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director(s): Lawrence Kasdan
Production: Columbia Pictures
  Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.2
Metacritic:
62
Rotten Tomatoes:
68%
R
Year:
1983
105 min
5,291 Views


Look at the water.

- What's this?

- Towel.

- What kind of towel?

- Super towel.

What does the super towel get

the super boy? Super clean, right?

Super boy.

That's super boy. Super, super clean.

Super wet.

Who's this?

Jeremiah.

He's a Jeremiah.

It's Jeremiah versus Moby Dick.

Jeremiah was a bullfrog

Was a good friend of mine

Never understood a single word he said

But I helped him drink his wine

Singing joy to the worid

All the boys and girls now

Joy to the fishes

In the deep blue sea

Joy to you and me

- Yes, this is Dr. Cooper.

- What's that?

Superman. Super nothing.

That's super nothing!

That's right, super boy is not

getting out of this tub...

...until he's as clean as a whistle.

And super mom is going

to be very happy.

I can't move that far.

Come here. Come here.

Head on down.

Down onto the end.

Come on.

Right on down there.

There's a spot.

- Harold.

- Sam.

Christ.

- Here, I'll get it.

- No, I'll get it.

Let me put it in here.

You can drive

this to the cemetery.

Oh, Christ.

Were you here?

What? No, Alex was staying

down here at the summer house.

Sarah and I were up at

the Richmond place with the kids.

- Well, you're looking fit.

- So are you.

Listen...

I want you to sit with Chloe.

I've got to be up there, and it's

a little tricky with Alex's folks.

I understand.

Who's Chloe?

It's Alex's girlfriend.

I'll take care of her.

Chloe, this is Michael.

This is Chloe.

Do you want to sit up with us?

I'm going to sit here

by myself for a while, okay?

Sometimes...

...it is hard for us to believe...

...that the good Lord had a plan.

This is one of those times.

I didn't know

Alex Marshall personally.

But after speaking

with his loved ones...

...I feel that I do.

A brilliant physics student

at the University of Michigan...

...who paradoxically chose to

turn his back on science...

...and taste of life

through a seemingly...

...random series of occupations.

When a man like Alex...

...chooses to leave us, there is

something wrong in this worid.

I'm a pallbearer.

This is not Alex.

This is the empty shell of his body.

Alex is spirit now.

But why are we left with this?

It makes me angry.

And I don't know

what to do with my anger.

Are not the satisfactions

of being a good man...

...among our common men...

...great enough to sustain us anymore?

Where did Alex's hope go?

Maybe that is the small resolution...

...we can take from here today.

To try to...

...regain that hope...

...that must have eluded Alex.

I did know Alex.

And I loved him.

See here today all those people

that Alex loved.

Not all of us have been able to see

each other much these last years.

But neither time nor distance...

...could break the bonds that we feel.

Alex drew us together

from the beginning.

Now he brings us together again.

I don't know...

...why this happened.

But I do know...

...that there was always something

about Alex...

...that was too good for this world.

I only hope...

...that wherever he is now...

Burial...

...will be at Westglade Memorial Park.

There will be a reception...

...at the home of Harold and

Sarah Cooper...

...immediately following.

And now...

...Karen Bowles, an old college friend

of Alex's...

...will play one of Alex's

favourite songs.

Nicholas, this is Richard.

Pleasure to meet you.

I just met Meg earlier.

Just before the-

Can I go over there?

Sam Weber, this is Richard.

Really enjoy your TV show.

My boys and I watch it all the time.

Thank you.

Well, we'll see you out there.

What is this?

It's pretty strong stuff.

I feel terrible.

Last time I spoke with Alex,

we had a fight.

I yelled at him.

That's probably why he killed himself.

What was the argument about?

I told him he was wasting his life.

You all right?

Yeah.

I'm a little disappointed, though.

I wanted to ride up there.

I've always wanted to ride

in a limo.

I do half my work in limos.

Are you a chauffeur?

No, a journalist.

I write for People magazine.

I can't believe you're still mad

about that thing.

This isn't the time.

Just drop it.

I will if you will. Today most of all

we should remember we're friends.

And you're an actor?

Nothing like you described.

Not at all.

Not one of those people looks

like I thought they would.

I can't believe these are the people

you've talked about all these years.

I'd love to hear the way you

describe me to them.

Amazing tradition. They throw you

a party on the one day you can't come.

So how long were they together?

Four months.

Can't believe it.

His funeral and she's stoned.

Karen and I are staying here tonight.

We fly back to Detroit in the morning.

Are you staying?

I have to fly

out to Dallas tonight.

I'm interviewing

a 14-year-old blind baton twirler.

Where do you

get those stories?

It's just good

investigative journalism.

- How's your life?

- Great.

- Yours?

- Not so great.

We're telling the truth.

You heard about my divorce.

Yeah, I'm really sorry.

Are you J.T. Lancer?

No, no, that's the character I play.

I'm Sam Weber.

Can I have your autograph,

whoever you are?

You think it's time we

should be thinking about Alex?

I'll give you a buck.

Okay, you're on.

You'd never get a crowd

this big at my funeral.

Come on. I'll come,

and I'll bring a date.

I know this is hard for you,

but it's all beautiful.

We put on a great funeral here.

Maybe I'll have mine here too.

We give first preference to people who

kill themselves in our bathroom.

That was a terrible thing to say.

I don't know why I said that.

That's why I don't smoke anymore.

Dope makes me stupid.

You talking about me?

Here's the guy who did this to me.

I no longer know

how to handle myself stoned.

You don't have to

handle yourself with us.

Will you marry me?

Both of you?

That sh*t they got

about your marriage wasn't from me.

I didn't know they were doing a story,

or why you don't believe me.

- Let's drop it!

- Say you believe me.

I believe you.

I always believe you.

Honest to God, I know it's crap.

That's why I'm getting out.

Yeah? What're you going to do?

I'm opening a club.

No sh*t!

Like Elaine's, but hipper.

Elaine's is dead.

You got the money?

Almost, almost.

Well, let me know.

What do you mean?

I might be interested.

Really?

So you and Alex were staying here?

We have a room downstairs.

Well, we did.

I do.

I found him.

God, it must have been awful.

It was. It was a real mess.

What will you do now?

We cleaned it up.

Are you going to stay here?

Yeah, till Sarah kicks me out.

I'm sure she'd never do that.

That's right, if I may.

That's why I'm calling, Jim.

That way, I can have a piece for you

this week and next week...

Give me a break.

I'll fly to Dallas on Monday.

She won't regain

her eyesight over the weekend.

I know, but I think I've got

something good right here.

I don't know.

It's about everything.

Suicide, despair, where did our

hope go...

Lost hope.

That's it, lost hope.

Rate this script:3.7 / 3 votes

Lawrence Kasdan

Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known as co-writer of the films The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Return of the Jedi. Kasdan co-wrote the Star Wars sequel trilogy film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and will co-write the series' Han Solo spin-off film.[ more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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