The Big Chill (1983)

The Big Chill is a 1983 comedy-drama film directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams. It is about a group of baby boomer college friends who reunite briefly after 15 years due to the suicide of a friend. Kevin Costner was cast as the dead character Alex, but all scenes showing his face were cut.

The Big Chill was filmed entirely on location in Beaufort, South Carolina and was shot at the same antebellum home used as a location for The Great Santini. The soundtrack features ten late '60s/early '70s pop/rock songs, including "The Weight", "Good Lovin', "In the Midnight Hour" (the Young Rascals version), "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine (the Marvin Gaye version)", "My Girl" (the Temptations version), "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Joy To The World" (the Three Dog Night version).

The television show thirtysomething was influenced by The Big Chill. Earlier, however, the movie was directly adapted to television in CBS' short-lived 1985 comedy-drama Hometown.