Big (1988)

After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.

Director:

Penny Marshall

Writers:

Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Josh
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Susan
Robert Loggia	...	MacMillan
John Heard	...	Paul
Jared Rushton	...	Billy
David Moscow	...	Young Josh
Jon Lovitz	...	Scotty Brennen
Mercedes Ruehl	...	Mrs. Baskin
Josh Clark	...	Mr. Baskin
Kimberlee M. Davis	...	Cynthia Benson
Oliver Block	...	Freddie Benson
Erika Katz	...	Cynthia's Friend
Allan Wasserman	...	Gym Teacher
Mark Ballou	...	Derek
Gary Howard Klar	...	Ticket Taker (as Gary Klar)

Storyline

Josh Baskin would do anything to be big to hang out with his crush at the carnival. He finds a Zoltar machine, and he wishes to be big. After Zoltar tells him, "his wish is granted", Josh notices the machine is unplugged. He wakes up the next morning in an adult's body but he still has the same personality. With the help of his best friend, Billy, Josh learns how to act like a grown up. But as he gets a girlfriend and a fun job, he doesn't want to be a kid again. Will Josh stay big or become a 13 year old boy again?

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Plot Keywords:

carnival | chopsticks the song | wish | new york city | body switching | 

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Taglines:

You're Only Young Once But For Josh It Might Just Last A Lifetime.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Big

Filming Locations:

Garden State News 666 Anderson Ave, Cliffside Park, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,216,190, 5 June 1988

Gross USA:

$114,968,774

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$151,668,774

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Entertainment Partners II L.P., Gracie Films, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 130 min (extended edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (Todd-AO/Glen Glenn Sound)

Color:

Color (DuArt)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Hanks was the first choice to play Josh Baskin, but was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts with the films Dragnet (1987) and Punchline (1988). Robert De Niro was then offered the lead role, and was rejected because his salary demand ($6 million) was too high. Hanks then became available and accepted the lead role for $2 million. David Moscow was originally cast not as young Josh, but as Billy, since he didn't look like De Niro. When Hanks was given the role, Moscow was recast as young Josh.

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Goofs

When (old) Josh calls his mom, even in 1988 police (or at that stage, FBI) would have had some sort of track-and-trace on the phone line, and the film would have ended with Josh being arrested at Macmillian.

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Quotes

Billy: [about the luxuries in Josh's office] You're the luckiest guy I know!
[Josh plays with a punching hand puppet until he hits himself]

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Alternate Versions

The Extended Edition is 130 minutes. It was released in 2007, and contains 26 minutes of previously deleted scenes, including Frances Fisher's role as Mrs. Kopecki.

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Connections

Spoofed in Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks/Keith Richards (1988)

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Soundtracks

Heart and Soul
Written by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser

User Reviews

Remember when we used to want to be big?

Ah, those were the days. All of us have done it. Wished we were older, so we could do more. Well, in the movie "Big", a child's wish to become big comes true.

Josh is a boy who is not tall enough to ride a roller coaster at a theme park. Humilated in front of a girl he likes, he goes to a "fortune telling" machine, and wishes he could be bigger. He wakes up the next day as a man. When everyone he knows throws him out of their lives, except his best friend, he goes into the adult world. Just by knowing what kids want in toys, he becomes a success in a toy company. He also manages to get a girl wanting him(even though he is completely oblivious to it). All he wants is be himself again.

9/10