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Big (1988)

 -  Comedy | Drama | Fantasy  -  3 June 1988 (USA)
7.2
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Ratings: 7.2/10 from 96,992 users   Metascore: 70/100
Reviews: 170 user | 65 critic | 15 from Metacritic.com

When a boy wishes to be big at a magic wish machine, he wakes up the next morning and finds himself in an adult body literally overnight.

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Title: Big (1988)

Big (1988) on IMDb 7.2/10

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Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Josh
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...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Kimberlee M. Davis ...
Oliver Block ...
Erika Katz ...
...
Mark Ballou ...
Gary Howard Klar ...
Ticket Taker (as Gary Klar)
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Storyline

A young boy makes a wish at a fairground machine to be big. He wakes up the following morning to find that his wish has been granted and his body has grown older over night. But he is still the same 12 year old kid on the inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown ups including getting a job, and having his first romantic encounter with a woman. What will he find out about this strange world? Written by Sami Al-Taher <staher2000@yahoo.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

wish | job | friend | best friend | toy | See more »

Taglines:

A wonderful new comedy See more »


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

3 June 1988 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Quisiera ser grande  »

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$114,968,774 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (extended edition)

Sound Mix:

| (Todd-AO/Glen Glenn Sound)

Color:

(DuArt)|

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Debra Winger was original considered for the Susan Lawrence role but could not take the part because she was pregnant at the time. She recommended Elizabeth Perkins. See more »

Goofs

When Susan chases after Josh after he runs out of the meeting, she just misses the elevator doors closing. She pushes the down button to call another elevator, but it was already lit - there's no reason for it to be lit when a descending elevator has just closed and left and nobody else is there to push the button. See more »

Quotes

Scotty Brennen: See that girl over there in the red? Say "hi" to her and she's yours. She'll have her legs around you so tight you'll be begging for mercy.
Josh: Well, I'll stay away from her, then.
See more »

Connections

Spoofed in Family Guy: The Story on Page One (2000) See more »

Soundtracks

"WELCOME TO OUR WORLD OF TOYS"
Written and Performed by Bobby Gosh
Courtesy of Bygosh Music
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Keeping Your Inner-Child
5 June 2001 | by (Eatontown, NJ, USA) – See all my reviews

This charming, sweet, hilarious gem of a film works because Tom Hanks makes you believe he actually is a small boy in the body of an adult.

The interesting trick of what makes the story appealing is not so much the magic that the boy gets his wish to be "big." It's that once he is in an adult, he has to navigate the adult world with the mind of a child -- and ultimately realizes that he is missing something if he makes the leap from boy to man without going through all the fun and the struggle in between. There are several other films that have the boy-to-man switch, but none of them have the depth of understanding about human nature that this film portrays.

The story is wonderfully written and directed, and Tom Hanks is a star. The film made me laugh, and it made me cry. What more can you ask of one movie?


52 of 54 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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