Kasdan's initial effort as a director seemed to herald the arrival of a major talent. An updated version of Billy Wilder's noir classic DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944), BODY HEAT (1981) featured William Hurt and Kathleen Turner as the steamiest screen couple of the early 1980s. Peppered with intriguing dialogue and propelled by a tight plot, the film paid homage to the genre without being merely derivative. Along the way, Kasdan demonstrated a knack for subtle characterization, creating a cynical gem that belies his more optimistic work as a Spielberg-Lucas hired pen.
The follow-up, 1983's THE BIG CHILL, proved more commercially successful, but less satisfying, than his promising debut. Instead of reaching back to the 40s, this time Kasdan covered ground explored by a contemporary film, John Sayles's low-budget RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7 (1980). A group of "baby boomers" (played by, among others, Hurt, Glenn Close and Kevin Kline) spend a mournful weekend lamenting their lost innocence, but instead of Sayles's touching character study, Kasdan's film comes off as knee-jerk 60s nostalgia -- complete with Motown soundtrack. The film's success paved the way for other Reagan-era films that would romanticize 60s ideals in order to reach that most desirable demographic, the disillusioned hippy. Politics aside, the most disappointing thing about THE BIG CHILL was the two-dimensionality of Kasdan's characters. Similar problems plagued his next feature, the Western saga SILVERADO (1985). Kasdan's early strength, characterization, was now only a memory, as still more hip young actors in flat, underwritten roles paraded through a film that tried too hard to be a parody. SILVERADO suffered from an overly complex narrative, but its real downfall was the film's condescending tone: it ultimately ridicules, rather than satirizes, the Western genre. In the process, Kasdan revealed that writing action pictures and directing them are two different things.
THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (1988), based on Anne Tyler's quirky bestselling novel, returned Kasdan to his original form. Once again his characters were impeccably drawn, and this time his camera, making generous use of the close-up, worked to highlight the brilliant performances offered by Oscar-winner Geena Davis and the reunited Hurt and Turner. Poignant and well-observed, THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST is the kind of intelligent, well-crafted work that Kasdan proved himself so capable of producing with BODY HEAT.
GRAND CANYON (1991) was an ambitious but glib attempt to address the issues of class, race and violence as they permeate life in contemporary Los Angeles. Co-written with Kasdan's wife Meg, the film received mixed reviews, being dubbed by some critics a "BIG CHILL for the 90s." A considerably worse reception greeted THE BODYGUARD (1992), a Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston vehicle directed by Mick Jackson from a script Kasdan had originally written for Steve McQueen in the 1970s.
Other notable producing, directing and screenwriting credits include CONTINENTAL DIVIDE (1981), WYATT EARP (1994), MUMFORD (1999), DREAMCATCHER (2003). and THE RISK POOL (2008). He also directed I LOVE YOU TO DEATH (1990) and FRENCH KISS (1995).
Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1983: THE BIG CHILL (w. Barbara Benedek)
Nominated for Best Picture of the Year 1988: THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST - Producer at Warner Bros. (w. Charles Okun & Michael Grillo)
Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium) 1988: THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (w. Frank Galati)
Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1991: GRAND CANYON (w. Meg Kasdan)
4 nominations