Return of the Secaucus 7
Dir: John Sayles
1979
**
It's hard not to think of Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 drama The Big Chill when watching John Sayles's 1979 debut Return of the Secaucus 7. John Sayles' drama is about a simple reunion of old college friends who are all on the brink of entering their thirties. They sit around and talk politics, about their work and romance as well as eat, drink, take drugs and jump naked into a nearby river. They also reminisce about past relationships and a particular event they all have in common when they were arrested on the way to a demonstration. Much like The Big Chill, I don't think it represents the Baby Boom generation particularly well, indeed, I don't think you're going to learn that much about a generation when they are in their late twenties. None of the characters had anything of much value to say, none of them were particularly well written and the acting was pretty shaky throughout. I think it's a missed opportunity that had no relevance then and has no relevance now. I liked it to a point and some of the ideas interested me but generally I think Kasdan improved on the story greatly. An interesting look at the beginnings of a great director but not really that entertaining.