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Big is a 1988 comedy film that tells the story of 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 and Anne Spielberg, and directed by Penny Marshall.
The movie takes place partially at Playland amusement park in Rye, New York, in the United States.
Tom Hanks was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role.
The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Characters
The main characters are:
- Josh Baskin - (Tom Hanks and David Moscow) a 12-year-old boy who magically becomes an adult overnight, although he retains his boyish charm and inexperience. As an adult, he gets a job at MacMillan's toy company.
- Susan Lawrence - (Elizabeth Perkins) Josh's beautiful and intelligent coworker at the toy company.
- Mac MacMillan - (Robert Loggia) Josh's boss at the toy company.
- Paul Davenport - (John Heard) Josh's bitter rival at the toy company who tries to win the respect of MacMillan and be better than Josh.
- Billy Kopecki - (Jared Rushton) Josh's 13-year-old best friend who keeps Josh company in New York City and ultimately finds the Zoltar Speaks machine for Josh.
Plot
After being humiliated while trying to impress an older girl at a carnival, Josh goes to a wish/fortune-telling machine, called Zoltar Speaks, in the shape of a gypsy 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. He leaves his family, rents an apartment in Manhattan, and gets a job at the MacMillan Toy Company. With his boyish charms and insight into what would sell to kids, he quickly rises up the ranks of the toy company. As he does so, a romance with one of his fellow employees, Susan Lawrence, begins to develop. As Josh sees his friendship with his 13-year-old best friend, Billy Kopecki, start to fade as his relationship with Susan begins to grow, he is faced with a choice: return to his old life with his family and friends, or stay as an adult with Susan. Ultimately, he rejoins his best friend and together they find the Zoltar machine and wish him little again. Later, while in school, Josh and Billy are in class, when the teacher introduces a new girl. She looks exactly like Susan only younger.
One of the film's most famous scenes features Josh and his boss, MacMillan, playing a duet on a giant foot-operated piano in the FAO Schwartz toy store, playing Chopsticks and Heart and Soul, which was parodied on a Simpsons episode when Homer plays an off-key rendition of "Rock Around The Clock" and a near-perfect rendition of the Simpsons main theme.
Acclaim
Big was received with almost unanimous critical acclaim. It was (and still is) generally considered the gold standard when it comes to movies in which a child is trapped in an adult's body.*
Big was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks) and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.
Broadway musical
In 1996, Big was musicalized 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 please see Big -The Musical
See also
External links
1988 films | Comedy films | Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award nominated performance | Films directed by Penny Marshall | 20th Century Fox films | Coming-of-age films | American films | Fish out of water films | English-language films
"Big"