Return of the Secaucus 7

Return of the Secaucus 7 is a 1980 drama film written and directed by John Sayles. It features Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp, Jean Passanante, and others.[2]

The picture may have inspired The Big Chill (1983), which is a more widely known film. [3]  However, writer/director Lawrence Kasdan has denied having seen Return of the Secaucus 7 before working on The Big Chill.[4]

It tells the story of seven friends who spend a weekend together in New Hampshire. The weekend is marred by the break-up of a relationship between two of the friends. This causes a ripple effect among the group and brings up old desires and problems.

Contents
[hide]  *1 Cast ==Cast[edit] == ==Reception[edit] == ===Critical response[edit] === Film critic Emanuel Levy liked the film and wrote, "The movie became influential, launching a cycle of "reunion" films, which included The Big Chill and the TV series Thirtysomething. As a portrait of disenchantment, Return was more authentic and honest than Lawrence Kasdan's star-studded Big Chill...A rueful movie about unexceptional lives that have prematurely grown stale, Secaucus is a bit commonplace, lacking genuine drama. But Sayles uses effectively a discursive, episodic format; he constructs strong scenes with resonant dialogue. The characters are complex and individually distinguished by speech, gesture, and manner."[5]
 * 2 Reception
 * 2.1 Critical response
 * 2.2 Accolades
 * 3 References
 * 4 External links
 * Bruce MacDonald as Mike Donnelly
 * Maggie Renzi as Katie Sipriano
 * Adam LeFevre as J.T.
 * Maggie Cousineau as Frances Carlson
 * Gordon Clapp as Chip Hollister
 * Jean Passanante as Irene Rosenblum
 * Karen Trott as Maura Tolliver
 * Mark Arnott as Jeff Andrews
 * David Strathairn as Ron Desjardins
 * John Sayles as Howie
 * Marisa Smith as Carol
 * Amy Schewel as Lacey Summers
 * Carolyn Brooks as Meg
 * Eric Forsythe as Captain
 * Nancy Mette as Lee

Critic Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat wrote, "Here's a nice little movie about the baby boom generation...Novelist John Sayles wrote, directed, and edited this movie. It is a labor of love. We watch these laidback individuals share their stories and reminisce about the past...But these baby boomers can't handle tension; the rift between Jeff and Maura sends tremors through the weekend. And although they put up a front of having a good time, one senses that things haven't turned out well for them — either in terms of meaningful relationships or in terms of personal fulfillment. Return of the Secaucus Seven leaves one with a rueful feeling about this generation."[6]

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 79% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on eleven reviews.[7] ===Accolades[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Wins

<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Nominations
 * Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: LAFCA Award; Best Screenplay, John Sayles; 1980.
 * Boston Society of Film Critics Awards: BSFC Award; Best Independent Film; 1981.

<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Other distinctions
 * Writers Guild of America, East: WGA Award (Screen); Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen, John Sayles; 1981.


 * In 1997, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".