Big
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| Big | |
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 Promotional film poster for Big. |
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| Directed by | Penny Marshall |
| Produced by | James L. Brooks Robert Greenhut |
| Written by | Gary Ross Anne Spielberg |
| Starring | Tom Hanks Elizabeth Perkins Robert Loggia John Heard |
| Music by | Howard Shore |
| Cinematography | Barry Sonnenfeld |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | June 3, 1988 (USA) |
| Running time | 104 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18,000,000 (est.) |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Big is a 1988 comedy film about a teenage boy who is aged to adulthood by a magical fortune-telling machine. It stars Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard, Jared Rushton, David Moscow, Jon Lovitz and Mercedes Ruehl. The movie was written by Gary Ross, with Justin Schindler, and Anne Spielberg. Penny Marshall directed. It was based on a true story of an eight year old who was magically mutated to adulthood before gaining a job with a UK telecommunications company. His true age was only revealed when he opened his mouth as his topics of conversation were limited to games consoles and offers to "chip and lower" any form of wheeled transport.
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[edit] Plot
After being humiliated while trying to impress an older girl at a carnival, Josh Baskin (Tom Hanks) goes to a wish/fortune-telling machine, called Zoltar Speaks, in the shape of a gypsy wizard and wishes that he were "big." The next morning, Josh wakes up to a reflection in the mirror he does not recognize: a full grown man's reflection.
When his mother sees him, she drives what appears to be a menacing intruder out of her house, then finding Josh gone, believes he has been kidnapped. In desperation, Josh corners his 13-year-old best friend Billy Kopecki (Jared Rushton), and convinces him of his true identity (by singing a secret song only they know). With his help, Josh rents a cheap room in Manhattan, and gets a lowly data-entry job at the MacMillan Toy Company.
In a memorable scene, he meets the company's owner, MacMillan (Robert Loggia), checking out the products at the FAO Schwarz toy store, and impresses him with his childlike enthusiasm. They end up playing a duet together on a giant foot-operated electronic keyboard, performing Chopsticks and Heart and Soul. This earns Josh a promotion to a dream job for a kid: testing toys all day long and getting paid for it. With his insight into what sells to children, he quickly rises up the corporate ranks.
He soon attracts the attention of the beautiful, ambitious Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins), a fellow toy executive, and a romance begins to develop, much to the annoyance of her current boyfriend, Paul (John Heard). In time, Josh sees his friendship with Billy start to fade as his relationship with Susan begins to grow, and he is faced with a choice: return to his old life with his family and friends, or remain an adult with Susan. Ultimately, he decides to return to his normal life and seeks out the Zoltar machine, wishing himself back to childhood.
Susan catches up to Josh before he makes his wish. He tries to convince her to join him, but she isn't willing to relive her adolescence again. They part, with a hint that they may meet later, when he has grown up. The original ending for the film included a scene in which Josh is in class, and a "new girl in school" is brought into the classroom. Her resemblance to Susan and a shot of Josh's reaction imply that this is Susan, having also become young. The scene was cut after poor response in test screenings.
[edit] Acclaim
Big was received with almost unanimous critical acclaim, and is a popular example of the genre in which a child is trapped in an adult's body. Many critics praised Tom Hanks for his "believable" and "adorable" performance.[1]
Big was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks) and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.
The film is number 23 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".
[edit] Broadway musical
In 1996, Big was made into a musical for the Broadway stage. It featured music by David Shire, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., and a book by John Weidman. Directed by Mike Ockrent, and choreographed by Susan Stroman, it opened on April 28, 1996.
For more information, see Big, The Musical.
[edit] DVD
This movie is currently available on DVD. An extended edition of the movie will be released on May 8, 2007.
[edit] Cultural references
- The keyboard scene was parodied on a Simpsons episode, where Homer plays an off-key rendition of "Rock Around The Clock" and a near-perfect rendition of the Simpsons main theme at the toy store.
- In an episode of the Family Guy entitled "The Story on Page One" Stewie is angry about being so small and stumbles upon a Zoltar Speaks machine from the movie. When Stewie says "I wish I was BIG" Zoltar responds with a card that reads "I wish I could weigh people."
- There is a homage to Big at the end of an episode of Newsradio entitled Arcade. Video of scene on Putfile
- In the popular Game Boy Advance games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, there is a TV inside the house of the main character; if a player faces it, the main character will say: "There is a movie on TV. Two men are dancing on a big piano keyboard. Better get going!"
[edit] Trivia
- The movie takes place partially at Playland amusement park in Rye, New York. Young Josh supposedly lives in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.
- Debra Jo Rupp (who played Kitty Forman on That 70's Show) makes one of her first screen appearances as Josh Baskin's assistant "Ms. Patterson".
- Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams and Harrison Ford were all considered for the role of adult Josh.
- Steven Spielberg was the initial director of the film, but dropped out and Penny Marshall took over.
- The Zoltar machine was recently featured in a Microsoft Windows Live Messenger online ad campaign.
- Is one of the few PG-rated movies to use the word "fuck". Other ones are White Water Summer and Sixteen Candles.
[edit] See also
- 13 Going on 30
- Freaky Friday
- Vice Versa
- Jack
- Like Father Like Son
- Da Grande
- Big, The Musical
