Return of the Secaucus 7

Nobody can act and it just rambles on and on. Big Chill much better with the same sort of material.

It is rough, and the acting is undistinguished, but the writing and directing is brave and honest, taking the sort of chances that I wish indie films still had the guts to take.

This tale of reuniting friends is proudly scruffy and unpolished, a reminder of what independent cinema used to look like. Sayles doesn't make his characters stand out as individual characters as clearly as he could, nor does he have especially pronounced subtextual ambitions leaving the film feeling just a but thematically wan. It does have an abundance of Sayles' trademark wonderful writing. It is filled with dialogue that is both naturalistic and smart as can be.

seems new for its time but now every cable comedy drama does this style and its all so self-aggrandising and boring.

Sayles' breakthrough didn't really work for me. It's a talky film but the dialogue, occasionally perceptive, rarely feels spontaneous. The acting is not very good - even the often brilliant Strathairn doesn't really impress in this early appearance - although the drunk in the jail cell makes memorable impression and steals the movie. I'm a fan of several of Sayles' later films so this counts as a heavy disappointment.