Big

After discussing Little, we now discuss one of the best movies of the 1980s and one of the most heartwarming comedies of all time. Big came out around the same time as three films which showed adults switching bodies with children in their families but all of those (Like Father Like Son, Vice Versa, and 18 Again) were assigned to the trash heap of history (to be fair, although Like Father Like Son sucked Vice Versa was wonderful). In the mid-00s one of the first Jennifer Garner-headlined films, 13 Going on 30, had the same plot as Big and deserved the slight critical praise and small profit it earned. Hasn’t been remembered much since though. Freaky Friday was well-received enough that it got an even more acclaimed remake-I don’t think anyone would argue that the remake was better than Big either though.

So the question is-when movies about children in adult’s bodies are plentiful, what makes Big so special? The answer is how beautifully it actually captures the innocence of childhood.

Director Penny Marshall, God rest her soul, deserves major props for the sense of whimsy with which she imbues the film. The script by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg (yes, HIS sister) does a beautiful job exploring how a preteen would love the opportunities that would come with being an adult and having a lot of money but still feel sad.

The movie’s biggest asset though, is Tom Hanks. Four years after Splash transformed him from the dark-haired guy in Bosom Buddies into a movie star, Big showed what a gifted actor he was – so much so it became the rare comedic role to get someone a Best Actor nomination. It’s easy to see why. From Josh’s early utter shock at his transformation to his fear at being a kid who can suddenly no longer get cared for by his family to his joy at getting to design toys and live in unsupervised luxury to his longing for his suddenly vanished childhood, Hanks gives a performance so riveting you can’t turn away from the screen.

The best parts are when he’s just being rambunctious, as you would expect from a 12/13-year-old. Hanks apparently had David Moscow, who played young Josh, act out Hanks’s scenes first and Hanks would imitate Moscow so as to create the feel of a real kid. Brilliant idea and it serves Hanks beautifully in those scenes and all the other ones I mentioned too.

It’s too bad neither Moscow nor Jared Rushton, who played Josh’s best friend Billy, went on to stardom as they got older. Rushton is also fantastic and while the scenes of Josh being a fun-loving kid are the movie’s most entertaining the ones of him and Billy give it its heart. The bond between the best friends is beautiful, when that starts to sour as Josh becomes immersed in his new life it’s heartbreaking, and perhaps that whole part of the film could be viewed as a metaphor for pursuing hedonistic pleasures at the expense of real human connections.

As I’ve said before, a mark of great fiction is ability to be interpreted in multiple ways. However, whether or not you want to do any analysis on Big, at least enjoy a magnificent time you’ll never forget.

Bottom line: Come on people, watch it!