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. Read critic reviews
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Big videos
Big: Trailer 1
Big: 30th Anniversary (1988): Presented by TCM Fathom Events Trailer
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Movie Info
After a wish turns 12-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) into a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks), he heads to New York City and gets a low-level job at MacMillen Toy Company. A chance encounter with the owner (Robert Loggia) of the company leads to a promotion testing new toys. Soon a fellow employee, Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins), takes a romantic interest in Josh. However, the pressure of living as an adult begins to overwhelm him, and he longs to return to his simple, former life as a boy.
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Rating: PG
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Genre: Kids & family, Comedy, Fantasy
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Original Language: English
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Director: Penny Marshall
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Producer: James L. Brooks, Robert Greenhut
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Writer: Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg
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Release Date (Theaters): original
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $113.5M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: 20th Century Fox
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Production Co: Gracie Films, 20th Century Fox
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Sound Mix: Surround
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News & Interviews for Big
Critic Reviews for Big
Audience Reviews for Big
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Tom Hanks is a fucking national treasure. That's just the way it is, as this is fact, it's not a matter of opinion or up to debate. If you disagree with me, you are DB Cooper, the Zodiac killer and a yellow terrorist communist who works for ISIS. You're, basically, the worst person on earth. Seriously though, I do love me some Tom Hanks. I don't think he really gets enough credit for being a truly tremendous comedic actor. This is probably a result of the fact that, outside of a few films, Hanks has pretty much stuck to more dramatic roles since he made the transition to serious actor in the 90s. He's obviously still done comedies here and there, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail and The Ladykillers come to mind, but, other than the latter, none of those films really compare to his 80s output, at least in terms of the manic comedic performances he gave in, say, The Money Pit (which was a great performance). But I digress, I don't really remember seeing Big in its entirety. Much like a lot of these classic 80s movies, or many movies for that matter, I remember catching glimpses of it here and there on TV, but I never actually sat down and watched it for good. Not a big fan of watching movies on cable TV, unless it's an HBO-type channel, simply cause of the fact that they're edited down and commercials. And when I watch a movie, I like to watch it as it was intended or, at the very least, since several directors have released their preferred cuts of their films on DVD, as it was when it first came out in theaters. Anyway, I finally got the chance to watch this in one sitting and I don't know what I think of this. It's certainly a good movie, but is it a very good movie? I don't know, I'll come to that determination as I write out this review. If I'm being honest, this is one of those movies that I probably would have enjoyed more closer to when it was released. But this movie was released the first day of 1988 and I was born in February, so there you go. You know what I mean. Part of me feels that this is just another one of those movies that time has played its wicked game on. It's certainly a good movie to watch, even to this day, but I think its impact has sort of lessened the more time has passed. And not to mention the fact that, to this day, the romance between Susan and Josh just feels so fucking odd and, honestly, kinda wrong. I get the whole idea, Susan has no idea that Josh was a 13-year-old boy stuck in a 31-year-old man's body (Hanks' age at the time of this film's release). But it's still so odd seeing it. It's a whole coming-of-age story, that's for damn sure. At the very least, the romance between Josh and Susan, for 80s rom-com standards, feels more believable than, say, the romance between the leads in Mannequin. Susan is fed up with the whole stuffy executive types and Josh, who behaves pretty much like a man-child, who plays around isn't afraid to get silly, is appealing to Susan. At least that part of the movie worked. What I felt didn't work was how Josh got to be big in the first place. He went to this carnival and he couldn't get on the ride because he was too small. Therefore he made a wish, at this Zoltar machine, that he wanted to be big. I realize that he's a kid, but I'd have liked there to have been more of a reason for him to wanna make this wish. I guess you could say that he could also date his crush if he was big, but they don't really make that obvious as one of the reasons why he made this wish. It doesn't really matter, in the long run, all that matters is turning Josh into an adult. This is, obviously, when the movie certainly picks up. Like I said earlier, this is a good movie, I had a really good time watching it. It's obviously not a complex movie, but it wasn't meant to be. Not every film can explore the more dramatic issues at the core of someone who truly goes through something like this. Not that anyone would, of course, but you know what I mean. I've always maintained the fact that films like this, more lighthearted and family friendly flicks, need to exist just as much as the arthouse films do. You gotta maintain a balance. The most memorable scene in the film would, obviously, have to be the piano floor mat scene. It's not the best scene in the movie, for sure, but it's certainly the most memorable one. It's a pretty cool scene regardless. Tom Hanks is great here, what a fucking surprise huh? He's perfect for the role because he's always had an everyman quality about him, but he's certainly not afraid to be goofy. The character in this movie seems more like Tom Hanks than, realistically speaking, any other character he's ever played. Not that he's a literal man-child, but just that he's a person who's not afraid to get outright goofy when he needs to. So, yes, he's great here. Elizabeth Perkins is good as well. The cast is strong all around, even if none of them have any real depth. This a well-written movie, for sure, the characters are likable, but they also do a good enough job at making you care about them. They don't do a great job, mind you, but they do it better than every Transformers film in existence. Having written this review, I honestly don't feel comfortable giving this film 3.5 stars. I can see how people would see this as a really good movie, but I felt it was missing more consistent laughs in order to get to that level. As it stands, this is still a good movie that I would certainly recommend if you've never seen it. It's good, Tom Hanks is great and the story is sweet.
jesse o Super Reviewer -
A thirteen-year-old boy wishes to be big, and his wish comes true. Except there's no time travel element, which really sticks in my craw. This kidult immediately lands a job in the big city and masquerades as a genius toy titan for an entire month? A thirty-something woman has sex with a pre-pubescent? The floor piano scene IS really cute, but was 1989 just a slow enough talent year for Tom Hanks to be Oscar-nominated for his perfectly ordinary performance?
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Tom Hanks stars in the Penny Marshall family comedy Big. When 13-year old Josh Baskin makes a wish to be "big" at a carnival fortune teller machine he wakes up the next morning as a 30-year old man. It's a rather formulaic and overly simplistic fish-out-of-water story. And the comedy's pretty one note as well. Still, Hanks is able to make a lot of the material work, and his co-stars Elizabeth Perkins and Robert Loggia are also fairly good. While it delivers some laughs and is a bit of fun, Big never really goes anywhere.
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Big is a pretty good film that I enjoyed, but I felt it wasn't as good as what everyone has said about. The film is good for what it is, but it leaves a lot of room for improvement. I enjoyed Tom Hanks in the film, but he has made far better films later on in his career. The film is pretty funny, but it could have been improved upon in some areas. The cast do a fine job and there is enough good humor to make this film worth watching. At times the film is cheesy, but overall it is a fun and entertaining film that has lots to offer. Although it is far from being the masterpiece that critics have claimed it to be. Tom Hanks is good in his role, but he has starred in better movies. Big has heart, and it's something that lacks in many of today's movies. Of course the film is not without its flaws, but it overcomes them by being an amusing film that viewers of all ages can enjoy. If you want to watch one of Tom Hanks earlier hits, then Big is the one to watch. Like I said, I found some parts to be a bit corny, but overall, the story and cast make it enjoyable and there are enough good gags to make it worthwhile. The film has enough memorable moments top make it a stand out comedy that will entertain you from start to finish. Although far from perfect, I really enjoyed the film for what it was and it is charming despite it being a bit silly, but in the end that's the point. After all it's a 12 year old trapped in a 30 year olds body, so you're going to watch an adult act like a kid, which I must admit is amusing. A must see film if you love Tom Hanks, and this film would showcase his early skills as an up and coming actor that would make an impact on film.
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