Big is an 1988 comedy-drama film about a boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine, and is then aged to adulthood overnight. It stars Tom Hanks. The film was written by Gary Ross, with Justin Schindler, and Anne Spielberg and directed by Penny Marshall who replaced Steven Spielberg.

Plot

After being humiliated attempting to impress an older teenage girl at a carnival, Josh Baskin (David Moscow) goes to a wish/fortune-telling machine, called Zoltar Speaks and wishes that he were "big." The next morning, he sees a face in the mirror he does not recognize. Overnight, he has become a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks). With the help of his 13-year-old best friend, Billy Francis Kopecki (Jared Rushton), Josh rents a cheap room in New York City and gets a lowly data-entry job at the MacMillan Toy Company. 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 Big piano, a foot-operated electronic keyboard, performing "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks." This earns Josh a promotion to a dream job for a kid: testing toys all day long and getting paid for it. He soon attracts the attention of the beautiful, ambitious Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins), a fellow toy executive. A romance begins to develop, much to the annoyance of her current boyfriend, Paul (John Heard). As Josh becomes more and more entwined in his "adult" life, much to the annoyance of Billy, he soon begins to wish for the carefree life of a child again and becomes determined to find the Zoltar Speaks machine to reverse the wish. He eventually finds it, and wishes to be a kid again. Susan gives him one last kiss, on the forehead, before Josh walks out of her car, and as he does so, turns back into a kid again. He goes to his house and he and his mother share a happy moment and show how much they missed each other.

Reception

Big was received with almost unanimous critical acclaim. Based on 51 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of critics gave the film a positive review. 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 in 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.

Alternate ending

The alternate ending shows young Josh sitting in his classroom at school when he turns around to notice a young female classmate whom he recognizes as Susan. This long rumored ending was confirmed by Anne Spielberg in an interview on British television.

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.

References

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