Big Business (1988)

Two couples of sisters from New York and from the countryside discover that they are connected in an incredible way.

Director:

Jim Abrahams

Writers:

Dori Pierson, Marc Reid Rubel (as Marc Rubel)

Stars:

Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, Fred Ward

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bette Midler	...	Sadie Shelton / Sadie Ratliff
Lily Tomlin	...	Rose Shelton / Rose Ratliff
Fred Ward	...	Roone Dimmick
Edward Herrmann	...	Graham Sherbourne
Michele Placido	...	Fabio Alberici
Daniel Gerroll	...	Chuck
Barry Primus	...	Michael
Michael Gross	...	Dr. Jay Marshall
Deborah Rush	...	Binky Shelton
Nicolas Coster	...	Hunt Shelton
Patricia Gaul	...	Iona Ratliff
J.C. Quinn	...	Garth Ratliff
Norma MacMillan	...	Nanny Lewis
Joe Grifasi	...	Desk Clerk
John Vickery	...	Hotel Manager

Storyline

In the 1940s in the small town of Jupiter Hollow, two sets of identical twins are born in the same hospital on the same night. One set to a poor local family and the other to a rich family just passing through. The dizzy nurse on duty accidentally mixes the twins unbeknown to the parents. Our story flashes forward to the 1980s where the mismatched sets of twins are about to cross paths following a big business deal to closedown the Jupiter Hollow factory.

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Plot Keywords:

neo screwball comedy | twin | identical twins | nurse | small town | 

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Taglines:

Mixed up at birth, two sets of twins finally meet their match.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

10 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sopa de gemelas

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$40,150,487

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures,Silver Screen Partners III

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of a mid-late 1980s mini-cycle of movie comedies which starred Bette Midler that were all produced by the then new adult Walt Disney brand of Touchstone Pictures. The films include Big Business (1988), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987) and Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986).

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Goofs

In the beginning, when Dr. Parker is handed the glass of cider by Nanny Lewis, and he sips it, there's only a tiny bit left. But when Mr. Stokes comes in with the Sheltons moments later, it's more than half full.

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Quotes

Sadie Ratliff: That's what the French call a bedet.
Rose Ratliff: Well, those French must be taller than me.

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Crazy Credits

Triplets try to check into the hotel.

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Connections

Version of The Comedy of Errors (1989)

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Soundtracks

Higher Love
Written by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings
Performed by Steve Winwood
Courtesy of Island Records

User Reviews

Situational Humor, Strong Point of View

I rushed right out and located the DVD of "Big Business," even though I knew that Disney had a bad reputation for minimal value in extras on their DVD releases. That situation has improved over time, and seeing BB in wide screen made it all worthwhile. This movie started out funny for me and has gotten better with repeated viewings. It has an excellent pedigree with Jim Abrahams directing and Dean Cundey manning the camera, and the leads are definitely up to the challenge of dualie roles.

It is unusual for a comedy to have the strong viewpoint and values expressed in this movie. Fred Ward's Rune talks about the simple pleasures of living in the rural country and you know that somebody involved with the script knew those pleasures personally. The characters rarely become stereotypes. Even the secondary characters are treated with respect.

Dean Cundey, Director of Photography, must have been specializing in trick photography as he went on to shoot "Back to the Future 2" and "3" with even better results. The effects budget for BB was high enough to keep the believability intact.

To me this is an all-around enjoyable light comedy.