Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles (writer)

Release Date:

5 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Seven former college friends, along with a few new friends, gather for a weekend reunion at a summer house in New Hampshire to reminisce about the good old days, when they got arrested on the way to a protest in Washington, DC.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | New Hampshire | Protest | Reunion | College Friend

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Bruce MacDonald	...	Mike Donnelly
Maggie Renzi	...	Katie Sipriano
Adam LeFevre	...	J.T.
Maggie Cousineau	...	Frances Carlson
Gordon Clapp	...	Chip Hollister
Jean Passanante	...	Irene Rosenblue
Karen Trott	...	Maura Tolliver
Mark Arnott	...	Jeff Andrews
David Strathairn	...	Ron Desjardins
John Sayles	...	Howie
Marisa Smith	...	Carol
Amy Schewel	...	Lacey Summers
Carolyn Brooks	...	Meg
Eric Forsythe	...	Captain
Nancy Mette	...	Lee

Also Known As:

Return of the Secaucus 7 (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (2006) | UK:AA (original rating) | Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Jackson, New Hampshire, USA

Company:

Salsipuedes Productions

Quotes:

[Chip returns to the car to find Ron talking to Irene]
Chip Hollister: Hi.
Ron Desjardins: Hi.
Chip Hollister: I'm, uh, Chip Hollister.
Ron Desjardins: [shaking his hand] Pleased to meet you.
Chip Hollister: You're...?
[Ron looks down at the name tag on his chest. Chip sees it]
Chip Hollister: Ron.
Ron Desjardins: Very good. Last name's Desjardins, but, uh, I gotta have another tit to fit it all. You Irene's old man?
[Chip chuckles nervously]
[...]

Movie Connections:

References The Hustler (1961)

Soundtrack:

Coast to Coast

Groundbreaking

John Sayles made this film for only $60,000 and only one person in the film had any previous acting experience. It's just amazing how well this turned out. It's about a couple (Mike and Katie) who invite all their college friends to spending the weekend in a cabin in New Hampshire. They all spent their college years as radicals...and now they're all turning 30. We learn who they were and how they are now. No big catastrophes or changes are made with any of the characters--we just see how these former radicals are now dealing with life. Sounds boring but I found it absolutely fascinating. The acting is all natural and realistic--I found myself actually believing these people all have been friends for 10+ years! The dialogue was sharp and on target...but John Sayles has always been a master at writing great scripts.

I was in my first year of college when this came out. It was a HUGE hit in Boston (I believe it played at one independent cinema for over a year!) and I saw it again and again. Even though I was too young to really identify with the characters (there moaning about turning 30 struck me as silly) I was fascinated by their characters and situations. They do discuss issues that were relevant in 1980--that's probably what I found so interesting. Seeing it now (28 years later) it's dated (of course) but still fascinating. The references to late 70s issues, politicians and life style may confuse younger viewers. Also it was interesting to see that casual sex and drug taking is shown as being OK! I also liked the surprising and casual male nudity in a skinny dipping sequence. (None of the female actors get nude but it seems the guys had no problem). This was later remade (sort of) in Hollywood as "The Big Chill". "The Big Chill" is an excellent COMMERCIAL film...this is an excellent independent film. This made John Sayles and is also David Strathairn's first film! Absolutely fascinating motion picture. I wish Sayles had revisited these characters again in 1990 and 2000--by the end I was really wondering what happened to this people. A one of a kind and a groundbreaking independent film that was very profitable. A must see!