The 1983 film "The Big Chill" focuses on seven friends who reunite one weekend following the suicide of one member of their group. It's a weekend filled with painful self-exploration where goals and missed opportunities are examined and, in some cases, resolved.
Mark Pellington, director of "I Melt With You," refers to his film as a punk rock version of "The Big Chill." Pellington's film looks at four old college friends who have an annual guys' week in Big Sur, but this year's reunion takes a decidedly ugly and painful turn.
When reached by phone earlier this month, Pellington said that it's good to get the movie out in the world.
"It's done from a real place of passion and commitment. It was done for under a million bucks and done in a spirit of 'Let's just go make this,'" he said. "The fact that it's now out in the world and the pop culture vortexes, it's satisfying."
Richard (Thomas Jane), Ron (Jeremy Piven), Jonathan (Rob Lowe), and Tim (Christian McKay) leave their lives and significant others behind for a weekend of drinking, recreational drugs, and male bonding. Each character is so richly defined that the viewer can't help but identify with at least one of the guys.
"They are all strong, strong actors. They all responded to the script. My philosophy is let them act alone." Pellington noted. "Push them when they need to be pushed and give them specific direction when they need it, but let them do their thing. You don't have to beat the performances out of them.
"We were shooting in sequence, so I would say we had a long way to go. You had to keep them focused on behaving the way they need to behave on any one day."
Pellington, the director of such popular music videos as Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" and Foo Fighters' "Best of You," also accentuates the story with a hard driving soundtrack.
"All my videos have been emotional and very intense," he said. "Using music to tell the story, I feel very comfortable with."
"I Melt With You" is a film that contains themes which resonate particularly well with guys approaching middle-age. Pellington said that the plot can be called "mid-life crisis terror" or an honest exploration of how someone is living their life and how they want to live the rest of it.
"I found no one was making a movie for me that portrays a contemporary male experience," he said. "It's just meant to provoke, reengage memories. When I come out the other end, I'm thinking 'Wow, I have a 9-year-old daughter.' Let's hope for 30 years; give me 25. It's made me take care of myself physically and hire a trainer. I want to be around for her and I want to make a lot more movies."
"I Melt With You" starts its theatrical release on Friday, December 9. It currently is available to view on Magnolia on Demand.
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