Lawrence Kasdan makes adventure characters worth listening to between chases, and we rate his feel for human weakness. His dialogue can be a pleasure, though he occasionally polishes a line until we hear the writer instead of the character.
Fi1m perspective
In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), the exchanges between Harrison Ford and Karen Allen make us wish the next chase could wait. Kasdan gives them enough humour and friction to make conversation worth staying for. Steven Spielberg keeps the adventure moving, but the screenplay is often most enjoyable when the actors have room to spar. We would happily lose a little action for more time with Allen’s Marion Ravenwood.
His first produced credit, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), already shows how well he can write uncertainty without making everyone solemn. George Lucas supplies the story; Leigh Brackett and Kasdan share the screenplay credit. Under Irvin Kershner’s direction, characters have time to argue and hesitate even with danger nearby. Luke’s difficulty listening to Yoda is particularly useful: the lesson can be ponderous, but the pupil’s frustration gives the writing something recognisably human to work with.
Body Heat (1981), his directing debut, makes foolish desire the reason to keep watching. We were drawn into the affair because William Hurt makes Ned’s susceptibility plain and Kathleen Turner makes the temptation convincing. Kasdan gives their attraction time to develop, so the crime matters because we believe in the people contemplating it. The difficulty comes when his fondness for older noir dictates how those people speak and behave. Some lines strain to sound dangerous, and the plotting occasionally makes us notice the preparation when we ought to be worrying about what happens next.
Return of the Jedi (1983) is a less persuasive example of his relationship writing. His screenplay with Lucas handles immediate danger more confidently than the stretches connecting one adventure to another. Han and Leia have too little interesting conversation to make their romance convincing, despite Ford and Carrie Fisher’s company. The film remains good fun, but these scenes need more than our existing affection for the characters.
His directing continued with the ensembles of The Big Chill (1983) and Silverado (1985). He later returned to Star Wars for The Force Awakens (2015) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). Start with Raiders of the Lost Ark, then try Body Heat if a little conspicuous cleverness will not spoil the suspense.
Biography
Lawrence Kasdan is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Return of the Jedi (1983), The Bodyguard (1992), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). He also directed Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Silverado (1985), The Accidental Tourist (1988) and Dreamcatcher (2003).
Kasdan has received four Academy Award nominations: for Best Original Screenplay for The Big Chill and Grand Canyon (1991), and for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for The Accidental Tourist. He has frequently collaborated with his wife Meg Kasdan and his sons Jonathan Kasdan and Jake Kasdan. He appeared as Dr. Green in As Good as It Gets (1997).
