Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980)

80% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(1,073 ratings)

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… More 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. ~ Norm Schrager, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: John Sayles
Written By: John Sayles
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 5, 1980 Wide
On DVD: Sep 16, 2003

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, Variety
Preeiding the glitzy Big Chill by three years, John Sayles' first feature offers a poignant look at the reunion of 1960s activists; there's not much to look at this talking heads feature, which was shot for $40,000, but the dialogue is good.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Granola theater on the cusp of the New Right
Brent Simon, Shared Darkness
Stagy and at times unevenly acted, but full of discerning and engaging judgments about what it meant to be a childless thirtysomething couple -- or, egads, even single -- at the close of the 1970s.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The much praised film upon its release, a tribute to indie filmmaking, seems to have badly dated.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
The sort of small-scale, sharply observed character drama Sayles' admirers know and love.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Return of the Secaucus Seven delivers a rueful portrait of a handful of members of the baby boom generation.
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Fresh, smart, endearing.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ken S

A film that is more important as a piece of film history than it is a good film. What it really is, is...nice. Well directed, but clearly low budget. A fun story full of drama, a bit of comedy and a very young David Statham. Worth checking out. and don't believe the gossip,… More
A film that is more important as a piece of film history than it is a good film. What it really is, is...nice. Well directed, but clearly low budget. A fun story full of drama, a bit of comedy and a very young David Statham. Worth checking out. and don't believe the gossip, while it predates Big Chill it neither inspired it, nor is it the first of the "old friends get together and..." genre.
Cinema F

John Sayles' directorial debut provides a poignant look at the baby boom generation -- a reunion of 1960s activists. Back in the 1960s, seven restless friends, the children of Kennedy and Abbie Hoffman, were burning with worthy causes like the War on Poverty and Vietnam. They… More
John Sayles' directorial debut provides a poignant look at the baby boom generation -- a reunion of 1960s activists. Back in the 1960s, seven restless friends, the children of Kennedy and Abbie Hoffman, were burning with worthy causes like the War on Poverty and Vietnam. They smoked dope, engaged in affairs--and talked politics. They took off for Washington to march on the Pentagon, but only got as far as Secaucus where they were arrested on a phony charge and spent a night in the local cooler. Dubbing themselves "The Secaucus Seven," they missed the big event in the capitol, but the experience strengthened their bonds. Now, a decade later, they come together for a reunion weekend in New England, hosted by Mike and Kate, both teachers. T.J., who still dreams of becoming a folk-singer, arrives with his guitar. Irene, who once had an affair with T.J., brings her new preppie lover, Chipp. Maura, having left Jeff, is also alone. Jeff, a former Vista volunteer who now works with drug addicts, is almost tempted to try drugs himself. It's apparent that 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. It's the story of a weekend reunion of a large group of old friends with complexly interconnecting life histories. In fact, watching it is like walking into a party with a bunch of strangers who all know each other and trying to digest who's married to who, who's sleeping with (or has slept with) who, who's friends, who has old scores to settle and so on. It's confusing and it reveals itself to be sloppily made, overwritten, and horrendously performed (with the exception of David Strathairn and Gordon Clapp).