Two fine examples of American instrospection

Press, 19 March 1984, Page 5

Two fine examples of American instrospection

at the cinema

hans petrovic

DINER Directed and written by Barry Levinson THE BIG CHILL Directed and written by Lawrence Kasdan Introspection, and trying to put the personal past, present and future into some perspective, is an exercise that American film makers have turned into a fine art in recent years. Two excellent examples are in town at the moment:

In “Diner” (Academy), we follow a few days in the lives of five young men not long out of high school during the late 19505, contemplating marriage and jobs, and meeting regularly at a local eating house to reaffirm the one thing they consider immutable — their friendship — while they look dimly into the future. Shrevie (Daniel Stern) is married already but does not know how to talk to his wife, escaping from her presence and leaving her distressed.

Eddie (Steve Guttenburg) is about to be married and puts his fiancee through a gruelling test of football facts that she must pass if their nuptials are to take place. Billy (Timothy Daly) is a college student who has been having an affair with a technician at a television station. She is pregnant but is more intent on her career than getting married. Fenwick (Kevin Bacon) is the discontented son of rich parents, who drinks too much and has no aim in life.

Boogie (Micky Rourke) is the most prominent of the group, a happy-go-lucky gambler in love and life.

Set in industrial Baltimore, in locations seemingly not too far from Coronation Street, “Diner” paints a dark but realistic picture of the Eisenhower era, when rock ’n’ roll was just making its presence felt through the rhythms of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Bobby Darin, and “A Summer Plaqe,” with Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee, was showing at

the local movie house. The little-known, uncinematic faces of the main actors are refreshing, with Rourke (also seen in “Body Heat”) assuming command whenever he is on screen. With a loving eye for every small detail, phrase and gesture, “Diner” is similar to “American Graffiti” in evoking memories of younger days we may care to remember.

In “The Big Chill” (Westend), the seven protagonists, on the verge of middle age, also look back — not in anger but puzzlement — at their college years during the turbulent but colourful 60s, when life and idealism seemed to stand for more than they do today.

The best summation is again given by listing the seven main characters who gather together for a weekend to mourn the death by suicide of a common friend, Alex, from their college days: Harold (Kevin Kline), the host, is the successful owner of a chain of sports goods stores.

Sarah (Glenn Close), is his attractive wife, who has given up being a doctor to become a mother, and who had a secret affair with Alex five years before. Sam (Tom Berenger) is a successful TV actor who looks as if he has just stepped out of “Magnum P. 1.” and has a lot of doubts about his:own real worth.

Karen (Joßeth Williams) is now the restless wife of an advertising executive. Michael (Jeff Goldblum) is a cynical disillusioned journalist who considers writing his next article about this encounter weekend instead of a profile of a 14-year-old, blind baton twirler.

Meg (Mary Kay Place) is a lawyer tired of defending minority criminals who are obviously guilty, and has gone to a law firm whose “clients are raping only the land.” To put some meaning into her life, she makes it known that she is contemplating attaining the state of motherhood.

Nick (William Hurt) cannot help her there, for he lost his manhood in Vietnam. Now a drug dealer, he is bent on his own road of self-destruction.

The eighth member of the group is Chloe (Meg Tilly), Alex’s former girlfriend, a decade younger but often seeming much wiser as she observes the behaviour of the others.

“The Big Chill” refers to that moment of truth which the group seems to be approaching — realising that they are mortal, reaching middle age, assessing their aspirations and actual achievements, and the knowledge that “we’re all alone out there, and we’re going out there tomorrow.” This all may sound like heavy stuff, but the writerdirector, Lawrence Kasdan, somehow has managed to turn it into a delightful, light comedy, in which one can enjoy the characters’ various moments of truth with vicarious feelings of identification.

The actors take on their roles with a convincing air of reality that shows them on a smaller scale than that of most film characters.

It takes only a subtle glance between them to speak many words, involving the audience with their thoughts. “Time” magazine praised the acting by recommending one big, collective Oscar for all.

Kasdan already has shown his wide-ranging talents in the writing of “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and writ-

ing-directing the atmospheric “Body Heat.”

This time, he has moved into a completely different field, directing his intelligence and perceptivity to the behaviour and problems of supposedly every-day people.

Just as “Diner” belongs to the 50s nostalgia genre of

“American Graffiti,” “The Big Chill” falls into a newly-developing category about college reunions begun by “Return of the Secaucus Seven” (screened by the Canterbury Film Society about 18 ‘months ago).

This theme of friendly reunion has also been explored in “The Four Seasons,” with Alan Alda and Sandy Denis, in which a group of married couples got together on a holiday to let all their hang-ups hang out.

This is all very well, but as the above itemised lists of the individual characters show, such material boils down to the basic ingredients for any soap opera, possibly “The Young and the Feckless,” “Days of Our Sophomores” and “Pensioner.”

Every year, one such well-acted, highly-polished kitschen caper is offered by Hollywood just in time for the Academy Award nominations.

In recent years,’ these have included “Ordinary People,” with Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland, “Kramer vs Kramer,” with Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman, “On Golden Pond,” with Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda; and now, “The Big Chill.” Of these four, I believe that only “Kramer vs Kramer” warrants to be still remembered in a decade’s time; with an additional sentimental acknowledgement to Fonda’s last film. “The Big Chill” will end up being classified with Woody Alien’s black-and-white efforts at existentialist agonising, which proved in vogue for a few years but are now starting to wear a bit thin.

Let’s face it, the problems of these people seem very true to life, but how many of your friends carry on like the people in “The Big Chill”?

Nevertheless, a laugh uttered or tear shed in a cinema in empathy or compassion with the characters has never done anybody any harm. Indeed, such cathartic experience can prove revelatory and beneficial.

FOOTNOTE: “Diner” is not like “Porkv’s.”