Fresh and Exciting

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Glib and massively dishonest--this is my generation and everything about the movie is flalse--see "the Return of the Secaucus Seven instead

it's pretty much a dialogue movie, which is OK, but the dialogue is very tightly scripted. every word so carefully thought out, that it's unrealistic. people, even good friends, simply don't talk and interact like that. as for the music, it seems the producers realized there wasn't much beef, so to add some meat to the bone they overlayed popular songs every once in a while to make it seem cool and fill the time. parts almost seemed like a music video.in summary, i would say it's OK to watch to see some actors that eventually became quite popular, before they were well known. but expect to say to yourself "omg this is ridiculous", every once in a while. also, as others have stated, don't expect much of a story.

This one has it all. If you ever had a really tight knit group of school friends that you absolutely love and then spent years without them, this film will allow you to feel like you are having a reunion with your friends. The closeness, inside jokes, various personalities, mini-dramas all add to the flavor. The soundtrack is one of the best of all time and the storytellers use the music to connect the audience with the characters. For such a large cast of strong actors, this group does a wonderful job not to overshadow one another. It is a harmonious blend of styles and personalities that can make solid use of non-verbal communication. I have viewed thousands of movies. Very, very few deserve a second viewing. The Big Chill is one that I have enjoyed at least ten times over the years.

As one reviewer here mentioned already, there is not much talent in choosing extremely popular music hits to fit an era-specific film. I would be more intrigued if they chose obscure songs from the time or even psychedelic instrumental music from the 60's.It's like if you did a movie about people who went to college in the 80's and the soundtrack was Duran Duran, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Big Deal. I never understood why people compliment soundtracks that are just some mega-hits playing in the background to fit the era depicted in a film.Why did they all go to University of Michigan? Only one character now lives in Michigan. Some were raised in the South, and others generic. Where did William Hurt's character drive in from in an old Porsche? I've seen this film several times and I did not see Kevin Costner in any coffin. It must have been a quick shot. But I'm pretty sure he is way too young to have gone to college in the 60's.Congratulations to the writers and director for putting in some defense of conservatism. Two different characters explain the virtues of the conservative life and point out the childish self-indulgent nature underlying the 60's mentality.Why did Hurt's character go to Vietnam if they were all radicals? Did he get drafted? He had a Masters Degree. He would have been in college for the whole war. No one even mentions his army service, either to thank him or condemn him for it.Other than hearing about it in passing, there is no indication that Hurt and Williams' characters had been a couple in school. I saw little if any affection between them.I loved the scenery. I guess it was South Carolina or some such place.I don't like to see multiple adulteries depicted. But it was not necessarily condoning the acts, but rather saying that this is what those kinds of characters might do.When we watch a film, we need to remember that the film makers are not necessarily endorsing the actions of the characters they create. They are just making them do things that fit their personalities. It wouldn't be much of a movie if no one did anything wrong.I think the two conservative characters balanced the message of this film. Which is that the way to change the world is to take responsibility for yourself, your family, and your community. That doesn't entail simply protesting stuff or denouncing things. It consists of hard work, dedication,delayed gratification, and loyalty.Good dialogue overall, but they could have implemented a few deeper passages, like in the movie Network. Hence my title. It was like it wasn't sure if it wanted to be a lighthearted reunion picture, or make some deep statement about life. I think it was ultimately the first, with a little of the second.