I'll bet some of you will be glad to see the end of this review as it signifies the end of the Jeff Goldblum movie review marathon that has been going on for a while now. I decided to end with The Big Chill because although it is not quite as good as The Fly it is an interesting, surpirisingly deep comedy and for once old Jeffy is not, I repeat NOT, a scientist but a journalist which on the surface would be sorta like if Morgan Freeman played a nazi. But there are two compensating factors for this. Firstly Jeff is once again a sly, sexy, quirky motherfucker with some solid dialogue that's well delivered. Secondly is that he stars alongside a cast of about 8 others who are all interesting and well developed in their own right. So basically there's less screen time for him.
The plot of the movie is fairly light. Nine college friends are reunited for the funeral of the tenth friend who killed himself for some reason and catalyses the coming together and healing of these once close but now estranged aquaintences. So they spend a weekend together and that's about it for plot. Instead of playing the story card the movie decides to go for the character developement and it pays off. It's like watching real people with real feelings and real lives. Even the characters in danger of becoming stereotypical are well realised and fleshed out. That's pretty much the movie in a nutshell, just some guys doing stuff. There's no answers, no closure but that's the intent. It reminded me of a weekend I'd recently spent with my friends for a 21st. We all got togther, hung out, traded stories and partied. Then when it was over we went our seperate ways vowing to keep in touch until next time (which incidently is this weekend). The movies end conjured up the same feelings as though I'd actually spent the weekend with these people, comparing their lives and wondering what changed. I gotta say it's pretty impressive to be able to claim that as a movie. I didn't walk away from Spiderman and think to myself "I wonder what Peter's doing right now?" It's like escapism that not all of you returns from.
Now onto the bad points, or point I should say "point" because there is really only one. Sex. There are nine thirty-something adults staying in a big house and somehow it turns into a lusty, sex romp. These characters are married to characters outside the party but they hook up. One character wants to hook up to harvest some sexy man-juice and get a baby. Even the suicide victims girlfriend doesn't give a second thought to boarding the greasy meat train of one of the greiving friends. I'd say it reminds me of highschool parties but then I realise that in comparison highschool hookups were a minor thing. Is this really necessary guys? Then to top it all of Jeff's character tries so hard to get some but comes up short everytime. It's funny. It's painful. But most of all I don't buy it for a second. I mean if young Jeff every came on to me and delivered his sexy wit directly into my excited ear canal then I'd just...*ahem* anyway sorry I guess I started sleep typing or something there. I just blanked out and it turns out I'd written a bunch of...stuff...can't quite understand it myself.
Tune in next time for something a bit more ranty and mundane.
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