Return of the Secaucus Seven

Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980)

Genres - Drama, Culture & Society, Sports & Recreation  |   Sub-Genres - Ensemble Film, Reunion Films  |   Release Date - Apr 12, 2002 (USA - Limited Rerelease)  |   Run Time - 110 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - R
  • AllMovie Rating
    8
  • User Ratings (0)
  • Your Rating

Share on

Synopsis by Norm Schrager

College friends reunite for a New England summer weekend in this low-budget first feature by accomplished independent filmmaker John Sayles. A predecessor of the well-paced, character-driven films in Sayles' future, Secaucus Seven also looks ahead to the 1980s ensemble movies that it inspired, most notably Lawrence Kasdan's The Big Chill, which arrived in theaters three years later. As each friend arrives at the house (or travels to the house), characterizations build, dialogue expands, and the house (and film) are full of people getting reacquainted and re-examining themselves and each other. Sayles builds the plot by testing the characters' connections: Will these former radicals accept the uptight boyfriend of the well-loved politico? What happens when a couple splits up? How does the educated set treat the local blue-collars? Many critics cited Secaucus Seven in their decade-end list of the best films of the 1980s.

Characteristics

Keywords

reunion, anti-war, arrest, college, friendship, identity, protester, radical, slice-of-life, student, weekend, activism

Attributes

High Historical Importance