Before becoming a pillar of pop culture and a mainstay of both television and film, Jeff Goldblum starred as struggling journalist, Michael Gold, in The Big Chill. The 1983 comedy follows a group of college friends, reunited after their friend, Alex, commits suicide. While spending the weekend together, the friends grapple with the grief of losing their friend and contend with the changes they’ve undergone since their university days. Now better known for his performances in blockbuster hits like Jurassic Park and Wicked, The Big Chill gives Jeff Goldblum fans a unique opportunity to watch Goldblum develop his skills as an actor and witness the formative period of his comedic talents.
The Big Chill has become better known for its soundtrack, and its characters’ deep pockets. But the film is also a poignant portrayal of grief. Jeff Goldblum’s character, Michael Gold, and his friends navigate the aftershock of Alex’s suicide in a circuitous manner that powerfully reflects real life. The film focuses on small, intimate moments, giving Michael Gold and other characters time to wade through the murky waters of bereavement. The Big Chill is empathetic and genuine in a way that’s rare to see in film and television.
Michael’s Journalistic Dreams are Dashed by Reality
Goldblum Shows Off His Comedy Chops While Playing the Disgruntled Writer
Jeff Goldblum plays Michael Gold in The Big Chill, a frustrated journalist writing fluff pieces for People magazine. Michael is sarcastic and self-involved, obsessed with proving he’s the coolest and funniest guy in the room. Before Alex’s body is even cold, Michael begins to pursue Alex’s girlfriend, Chloe. The callousness of his actions never seems to cross his mind. Throughout the film, he also tries to convince his grieving friends to invest in his plans for a nightclub, and casually dismisses Sam Weber’s questions about how information from the actor’s divorce was leaked to the press. When Michael unpacks his suitcase, there’s nothing but condoms, underwear, a tape recorder, and batteries, painting a perfect picture of the chaotic man-child that Michael grew up to be.
Michael’s cynical, mocking dialogue provides some of the best examples of The Big Chill’s excellent gallows humor. At the wake, between mouthfuls of cheese and crackers, Michael remarks, “Amazing tradition. They throw a great party for you on the day they know you can’t come.” Jeff Goldblum’s performance as Michael shows the beginnings of the comedic style Goldblum has become known for. Michael is a less refined version of iconic Goldblum characters like Ian Malcom from Jurassic Park.
College-Age Michael Wouldn’t Recognize His Adult Self
Michael is in a Limbo Between Childhood and Adulthood
Michael, like the rest of the friends in The Big Chill, struggles to reconcile his college self’s ambitions with the realities of adulthood. He finds no sense of joy or personal fulfillment in his professional life as a writer for People. When discussing his work woes with his friends, Michael explains, “You can’t write anything longer than the average person can read during the average crap.” His dreams of being a hard-hitting journalist have been dashed, and the sense of purpose he had as a university student continues to elude him. The Big Chill has been lauded as a poignant portrayal of the Boomer generation’s experience during the dramatic cultural and economic changes between the late 60s and early 80s. Michael’s character has a frantic aimlessness that stems from abandoning the ideals that invigorated his youth.
Unlike the rest of the friend group in The Big Chill, Michael lacks many of the markers of adulthood. His plan to start a nightclub is a perplexing response to his professional struggles and sounds like a get-rich-quick scheme Homer Simpson would dream up. Michael clearly has the intelligence and energy to achieve great things, but his flakiness prevents him from accomplishing anything.
Alex's Death Is a Catalyst for Michael’s Self-Reflection
When Facing the End of a Friend’s Life, Michael Must Take Stock of His Own
The Big Chill only shows brief glimpses of Alex’s body being prepared for the funeral. Rather than attempting to explain why Alex committed suicide, the film instead focuses on his friends, who must learn to live without him. When the friends question why Alex didn’t leave a note, Michael explains how he can sum up anyone’s life in thirty-two paragraphs. Michael’s glib response and his constant denigration of his magazine writing highlights why it’s a fool’s errand to try to explain why people commit suicide. It’s tempting to neatly line up the events of someone’s life, like a magazine article, and find a person’s motivations, but ultimately, it’s impossible to know what is going through a person’s mind when they choose to end their lives.
While grappling with the death of their college friend Alex in The Big Chill, Michael and the other characters reflect on how they’ve all changed since their days as students. They have all in some way failed to follow through on their youthful aspirations. Michael especially feels like he’s lagging behind the friend group. Throughout the film, he tries to put up the front of a cool guy, but deep down, he knows that he is not the chic NYC intellectual he pretends to be.
Michael is the Immature Child Among His Adult Friends
Goldblum's Performance Captures Michael’s Self-Loathing
Most of the friends in The Big Chill have been able to achieve a certain level of financial and professional success. Kevin Kline’s character, Harold Cooper, does admit to dabbling in insider trading, but for the most part the group’s financial gains have been legal. Michael, on the other hand, has found little success in his career as a writer. This lack of professional fulfillment has led to a delay in Michael’s emotional maturity. Throughout the weekend, Michael acts like a teenager. He is always the last to wake up in the morning and complains that Glenn Close’s character, Sarah Cooper, never wakes him up when something interesting happens. While the friends discuss Alex’s motivations to commit suicide, Michael gobbles up ice cream, eating straight out of the carton.
Michael has a clear sense of inferiority throughout The Big Chill that manifests in his often cruel attempts to seem like an iconoclast. Goldblum’s comedic talent adds an edge to the characters’ mockery. Michael defends his immature actions by explaining, “I may seem opportunistic or jerky, but my transparent efforts are more honest and admirable.” Despite his weak efforts to justify his behavior, his friends are all able to see through the facade.
Michael Is Pushed Into Adulthood
Goldblum Turns on His Charm in the Film’s Finale
As The Big Chill reaches its conclusion, Michael bounces into the kitchen, greeting everyone by saying, “Good morning, youngsters,” finally on time for breakfast. Michael spent the weekend having his romantic advances rejected and his smart-alecky jibes ignored. The death of his friend and the sense of alienation among his college companions forces Michael to take a hard look at his life. By the end of the film, he’s realized the path he’s heading down is one of isolation and bitterness. Adamant about changing, Michael abandons his plans for a nightclub and plans to return to writing novels. But Michael hasn’t made a complete 180. When he finds an old article he wrote about Alex during college, he gushes over how well-written it is, despite everyone insisting Alex hated it.
The Big Chill ends on a hopeful note. The friends promise to stay in touch and make plans to visit each other. Even Michael offers to show people around New York City, but admits he can’t host people in his small apartment. Michael has changed in small, realistic ways. The film is thoughtful and measured in the way it handles the effects of a loved one’s death.
In a 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, Jeff Goldblum reflected on his experience working on The Big Chill, saying “The whole thing is predicated on our having a backstory. You feel a little bit us having been close, and now you feel a little bit the aftermath…in most movies you don’t have anything like that.” The sense of camaraderie and chemistry created by Goldblum and the cast of The Big Chill enhances the film’s exploration of friendship and how people can influence each other’s lives.
Jeff Goldblum’s character, Michael, in The Big Chill perfectly portrays the dangers of aloofness. Throughout the film, Michael tries to prove he’s too cool to care what other people want or think, but his actions always leave him starving for real human connection. It is only when Michael lets down his walls of sarcasm that he is able to alleviate his sense of vexation. By coming together, overcoming both physical and emotional barriers, the entire friend group is able to support each other through the perplexing and agonizing experience of grief. The Big Chill is a touching depiction of mourning in which Jeff Goldblum began honing the skills that have made him a beloved actor today.
