Big Information

Big is a 1988 fantasy film directed by Penny Marshall, and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" and is then aged to adulthood overnight. The film also stars Elizabeth Perkins, John Heard, and Robert Loggia and was written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg.

Big was the latest, and most successful, of a series of age-changing comedies produced in the late 1980s, the others being: Like Father Like Son (1987), 18 Again! (1988), Vice Versa (1988), and the Italian film Da grande (1987).

Plot

Josh Baskin (David Moscow) is a 12-year-old living in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, who, after being told he is too short for a carnival ride while attempting to impress an older girl (Kimberlee M. Davis), puts a coin into an unusual antique arcade fortune teller machine called Zoltar Speaks, and makes a wish to be "big." After the machine dispenses a card stating "Your wish has been granted," Josh discovers that the machine is unplugged and continues to operate despite a lack of power.

However, the next morning Josh is shocked to discover that he has been transformed into a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks), and when he goes back to the plaza with the fortune teller machine, he finds that the carnival, as well as the machine, has moved on. Fleeing from his mother (Mercedes Ruehl), who thinks he is a stranger who has kidnapped her son, Josh then finds his best friend, Billy Kopecki (Jared Rushton), at the school they both attend; Billy is shocked at first, but Josh convinces him of his identity by singing a secret song that only the two of them know. With Billy's help, he learns that it would take a couple of months to find the Zoltar Speaks machine, so Josh rents a flophouse room in New York City and obtains a job as a data entry clerk at MacMillan Toy Company.

By chance, Josh runs into the company's owner, Mr. MacMillan (Robert Loggia), at FAO Schwarz, and impresses him with both his extensive insight into current toys and his happy-go-lucky childlike enthusiasm. The two end up playing a duet together on a foot-operated electronic keyboard, performing "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks." This earns Josh a promotion to a dream job: testing toys all day long and getting paid for it. With his promotion, Josh's larger salary enables him to move out of the working man's hotel and into a spacious apartment, which he and Billy fill with toys, their own Pepsi vending machine and a pinball machine. Josh soon attracts the attention of Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins), a fellow McMillan executive. A romance begins to develop, much to the annoyance of Susan's competitive boyfriend, Paul Davenport (John Heard). Josh becomes increasingly entwined in his "adult" life by spending more time with Susan, mingling with her friends and moving in with her. His new ideas become valuable assets to MacMillan Toys; however, after celebrating Josh's 13th birthday with him, Billy notices a change in Josh and begins to feel annoyed and neglected, suspecting that Josh has forgotten who he really is.

MacMillan asks Josh to come up with proposals for a new line of toys. Josh is intimidated by the need to formulate the business aspects of such a proposal, and Susan insists that she will handle the business end; that Josh need only rely on his affinity for toys to come up with a good idea. Nonetheless, Josh soon begins to feel overly pressured by this new life. When he expresses doubts to Susan and attempts to explain that he is really a child, she interprets this as fear of commitment on his part, and dismisses his explanation in frustration.

Longing to return to the life of a child, Josh eventually learns from Billy that the Zoltar Speaks machine is now at Sea Point Park. In the middle of presenting their proposal to MacMillan and other executives, Josh leaves. After Susan realizes something is wrong, she also leaves and encounters Billy, who tells her where Josh went. At the park, Josh finds the machine and makes a wish to become "a kid again." He is then confronted by Susan, who, seeing the machine and the fortune it gave Josh, realizes he was telling the truth. Susan becomes despondent at realizing their relationship is over. Josh tells Susan she was the one thing about his adult life he wishes would not end, and suggests she use the machine to turn herself into a little girl. She declines, indicating that being a child once was enough, and takes Josh home. After sharing an emotional goodbye, Josh, now 13, reverts to his child form and is reunited with his family.

Cast

• Tom Hanks as adult Joshua "Josh" Baskin
• David Moscow as young Josh Baskin
• Elizabeth Perkins as Susan Lawrence
• Robert Loggia as MacMillan
• John Heard as Paul Davenport
• Jared Rushton as Billy Kopecki
• Jon Lovitz as Scotty Brennen
• Mercedes Ruehl as Mrs. Baskin
• Josh Clark as Mr. Baskin
• Kimberlee M. Davis as Cynthia Benson
• Oliver Block as Freddie Benson
• Debra Jo Rupp as Miss Patterson
• Frances Fisher as Mrs. Kopecki (only in 2007 "Extended Cut" DVD version)

Reception

Big was received with almost unanimous critical acclaim; based on 53 reviews collected by the film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of critics gave the film a positive "Certified Fresh" review and the consensus stating "Refreshingly sweet and undeniably funny, Big is a showcase for Tom Hanks, who dives into his role and infuses it with charm and surprising poignancy." The New York Times praised the performances of Moscow and Rushton, saying the film "features believable young teen-age mannerisms from the two real boys in its cast and this only makes Mr. Hanks's funny, flawless impression that much more adorable."

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. In 2000, Big was ranked 42nd on the American Film Institute's "100 Years?100 Laughs" list. In June 2008, AFI named Big as the tenth-best film in the fantasy genre. In 2008, Big was selected by Empire Magazine as one of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time."

American Film Institute Lists

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs - #42
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • "Okay, but I get to be on top." - Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) - Nominated
• AFI's 10 Top 10 - #10 Fantasy Film

Extended cut

The film was re-released in 2007 in a 2-disc Extended Edition DVD. The DVD features the theatrical (104 minutes) and extended (130 minutes) versions of the film on the first disc. The second disc contains deleted scenes, featurettes, an AMC Backstory, and trailers and TV spots.

Broadway musical

See Big: the musical for more information 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 and closed on October 13, 1996, after 193 performances.