Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Greta Gerwig
Writer: Chad Taylor
Based on the 1984 film The Big Chill
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Greta Gerwig, Chris Evans, Jonah Hill, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Domhnall Gleeson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Grace Van Patten, Sterling K. Martin
Plot: When Alex McCoy commits suicide, a group of his college friends travel to his hometown of Missoula, Montana for the funeral. Dom (Domhnall Gleeson) and Mary (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), married parents of 3, already live in the city and offer to host everyone over in their 5-bedroom home over the course of the weekend.
Greta (Greta Gerwig) is a successful pastry chef in Seattle and is longing to have a child despite being single. Chris (Chris Evans) is a divorced television star who is in his second season of starring in a police procedural. Gugu (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Chris's long-term girlfriend in college, is now a dissatisfied housewife to Sterling (Sterling K. Brown), a lawyer 8 years older than her. Jonah (Jonah Hill) is a jovial music blogger, the class clown of the group who also uses his charisma to constantly flirt. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, who has returned to their alma mater after his service to get his graduate degree. Although he is openly gay to his family now, he was still in the closet during his college and military days - so the rest of the gang doesn't know. They also invite Grace (Grace Van Patten), Alex's college-aged girlfriend who is also visiting from out of town.
After Alex's funeral, the gang have a large dinner where they share memories of their deceased friend. Joe speaks fondly about a letter he got from Alex while overseas. Jonah is clearly infatuated with Grace, but she politely turns down his subtle advances as he seems well-intentioned. Later that night, Mary reveals to Gugu and Greta in private that she had an affair with Alex a couple of years ago. She remains guilt-ridden, despite Dom's willingness to forgive. Chris has a frank discussion with Dom about being around Gugu again. He doesn't want to erase the memories they had together, but is also eager to keep moving on from that era of his life.
The next morning, Sterling must leave for work duties but Gugu stays behind with her friends. Dom and Joe go for a jog, where Dom tells him about Mary's affair with Alex. Joe is supportive and wants to tell his secret too but backs out at the last second. Confiding in her best friend, Greta tells Mary that she feels now is the only time she will be ready for motherhood and that if she is going to have a surrogate father, it might as well be someone she trusts. And so she is going to ask Joe later that day if he will father her child.
By the afternoon, word has gotten around about Greta's predicament. Jonah jokingly recalls to her their drunken fling from college and offers his services to no avail. Chris reminisces with Grace about Alex, to which she says Chris reminds her of him. While Chris is flattered at first, he then reads it as a form of flirtation and the situation becomes awkward for the both of them.
Jonah pulls Chris aside for a heart-to-heart. He opens up about his disappointment with his life, which seems a bit directionless at the moment. Despite the constant jokes and flirtatiousness, he is really lonely deep down. Chris informs him that he will be coming to New York City for a promotional tour in a couple of weeks. He says they should hang out some more and hit the town. Jonah appreciates Chris's kind words and apologizes for practically losing touch with him (and everyone else) over the years.
Greta takes Joe to the attic and asks him in private about the baby. He initially rejects and is adamant that he would BUT...there's things going on in his life that make this not the right time. Seeing the disappointment in Greta's reluctant acceptance, he takes a deep breath and reveals to her that he is gay. She is shocked and they talk in detail about it - including him having to cover it up while in the military. She encourages him to tell the whole group.
When the kids get home from school, Dom is eager to spend time and play games with them. Mary watches from afar, fond of the father that Dom is, and cracks a smile. She asks him if he would be willing to father Greta's child and he says he would. At dinner, Joe reveals is secret, much to the relief of himself and the others - they say all had some inclination (which makes Greta wonder aloud about what clues she was missing out on).
After dinner, Gugu and Chris have a private conversation that is meant to just be catching up but evolves into a passionate kiss. She reveals to him that she is not happy in her marriage and wants to get back together with him. He kisses her again but tells her that would not be a wise decision and that she would end up regretting it. He points to his previous failed marriage as proof of his unsuitability. They end up having sex anyway.
While Greta and Dom hook up, Mary shares a joint with Jonah as they go through pictures and listen to CDs from their college days. Grace joins them and enjoys seeing younger pictures of Alex with his friends. She begins to cry and opens up about how vulnerable she feels after a partner to suicide. Jonah sheds his flirtatious façade and offers a shoulder for Grace to cry on in this moment. Mary and Jonah re-assure her that Alex's issues have run deep for years and that she should not put any of the blame on herself.
The next morning, everyone prepares to go their separate ways. Things are left unspoken between Gugu and Chris, both seemingly content to go back to their normal lives. Mary apologizes to Grace for having to put up with this zany cast of characters over the last couple of days. Chris reminds Jonah that he will see him in a couple of weeks. Joe requests that they all do better in keeping in touch with each other this time around. Before they head out, they make one last toast to Alex.
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