Casting Coup Tuesdays: The Big Chill

The Big Chill 

Best Picture - Nominated

Best Supporting Actress, Glenn Close - Nominated

Best Original Screenplay, Barbara Benedek/Lawrence Kasdan - Nominated

Some time before eighth grade -- we were still living in the duplex, so I know it wasn't later -- The Big Chill came on AMC. Who can forget "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" playing while a sleeve was pulled over the stitches of a slashed wrist? My father identified it as a personal favorite, but was hesitant to have me watch it. I was too young, not for the sex and drugs, but for the experience of loss, regret, reunion. As my cousin Kathy would say, I had no patina. And after about ten minutes...I realized he was right.

The film takes place over one weekend. Alex (wrists and ankle played by Kevin Costner) has committed suicide, and his seven college friends reunite to mourn him, joined by his much-younger girlfriend. They look back on the past, pick it apart; they look on their present, some favorably, most with disappointment. These were college radicals, kids who protested and demonstrated and believed they were going to change things for the greater good. Only Harold, who owns the house they're staying in, seems content with his life, but his music selection is exclusively hits from the late 60s-early 70s. They're all stuck on the past, in one way or another.



I eventually watched it in college, and have revisited it once or twice in the years since. Each time I do, I pick up on something else. My feelings change, my perception shifts, and I think, "Oh, I must not have really understood it last time." Like my realization that the title was not, in fact, referring to Alex's death, but to the steady cool that comes when you're no longer young and idealistic. But I see it -- I have friends that I've known for years, friends who seem to be coasting, friends who are disappointed with where they are, friends who are doing well but want more, friends who think they were their best selves ten years ago. You're never too young for disillusionment.

Now, after all that, here's what I love about The Big Chill: it offers that introspection, but it's not so damn glum about it! Ultimately, it's about bonds and friendship, and when you get a close knit group of people together, whether it's the family God gave you or the one you formed yourself, shit gets fun. They know each other, they became themselves around each other -- they dance and get stoned and push each other's buttons and argue and make up and, yes, fuck. As Harold says, "How much sex, fun, and friendship can one man take?" It's a timeless story.

Which is why it's perfect for a Casting Coup!

Of course, the difficult thing about casting The Big Chill with today's actors is the idea of putting that story in a modern context. Timeless though the experience may be, it is a movie that's tied to the experiences of the 60s and 70s. Frankly, the 90s and 00s were neither idealistic nor radical in the same way. But, you know...it's fun. So we're doing it.

(n)Ever Too Early: Oscar Predictions

Ah, April. The Academy Awards are now a little over a month behind us, which means it's time to start speculating about next year's Academy Awards nominations. Why not? It's fun!

Hat tip to Nathaniel of The Film Experience, who began the tradition of April predictions long ago, and who's currently giving his far more thought than I am mine.

I did pretty well last year, actually -- though the fact that I made predictions after Cannes probably helped. Nevertheless, let's try it -- my predictions for eight of the Oscar categories for next year, after the jump!

The Messenger Delivers the Goods

When we speak of the indie film dealing with war without really taking sides, we're generally talking about The Hurt Locker. Entering the conversation on the side, however, is the exquisitely-made The Messenger, the directorial debut of screenwriter Oren Moverman (I'm Not There, Married Life). Known primarily for being the movie Woody Harrelson keeps getting nominations for, The Messenger is an intimate, emotional work about the war at home.

Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is discharged from the hospital, a war hero, the details of which will not be revealed until the end (naturally). With three months left, he is assigned to go to the homes of men killed in action and break the news to their families. His superior is Lt. Stone, played by Woody Harrelson. a lonely man who tries to get close to Will while also keeping his emotions in check. Samantha Morton is the widow whose reaction to the news of her husband's death affects Will deeply, and the two form a bond.

That's the plot. And the Morton thing is really a subplot, although the impact it has on Foster's character is significant. Really, it's a character study, as well as a meditation on the effects on war on soldiers and their families. It doesn't really take sides: it may be anti-war, but more in the general sense than Iraq specifically. War may be hell, but some people need the army. Morton has a beautiful moment in the mall where she confronts two recruiting officers after buying clothes for her husband's funeral. It's the only out-of-control moment we see from her, and it is startling -- but not melodramatic. All of the performances here are very real.

That goes, too, for the grieving families. I think we see five families besides Olivia's, and their scenes are wonderfully done. Moverman does not exploit the grieving scenes, does not give character actors their "Big Scene". In fact, we do not even see the reactions of the first family Will and Stone visit, we just hear their reactions. Actually, Moverman often keeps the focus on Ben Foster, rarely cutting away to other people or objects, even if they are referenced directly. This brilliant choice keeps us with his character, and we actually see the journey. 

It's as refreshing as the long takes, wherein Moverman opts not for close-ups and inter-cutting between lines of dialogue, but medium shots with subtle movements. Moverman actually seems to be interested in watching his actors, and requires no editorial flourishes here and there to cover his tracks. There are no cuts in the crucial Kitchen Scene between Morton and Foster, allowing us to actually see both actors at the top of their game, unhindered by new set-ups or separate takes. Foster's monologue about his "hero" status has but one cut, and it is effectively done.

Harrelson should be receiving an Oscar nod Tuesday for his performance. It's not just the precursors building buzz; he's got it. Lt. Stone is a complicated, sad, surprisingly funny creation. He can turn on a dime from friend to soldier, but his eyes keep the two connected. This is a man full of regrets trying to connect while maintaining a distance.

Foster delivers his best performance to date. Will Montgomery is haunted by things he has seen. He wants to connect with the families, and it's more than just simple humanity. He tries to keep a distance, at first, from Stone, pulling away from the army even as he serves it. Foster always has crazy eyes, honestly, but he puts them to good use here. I never thought of him as a subtle actor, per se, but I may have to reevaluate that.

This is, hopefully, not the last we shall see of Oren Moverman. The Messenger is a pleasant surprise, a quiet masterpiece, a jewel in the crown of 2009 Cinema. I fyou are able to see it, I highly recommend you do so. It's a honest-to-God FILM.