Top
Plot
More than anything else, 13-year old New Jerseyite Josh (David Moscow) wants to be "big". That's the wish he makes at an odd-looking amusement pier fortunetelling machine. The next morning, Josh wakes up-only to discover that he's grown to manhood overnight! (At this point, the part is taken over by Tom Hanks). Still a 13-year-old mentally and emotionally, Josh decides to hide out in New York City until he can figure out what to do next. He lucks into a job with a major toy company run by kid-at-heart McMillan (Robert Loggia). By cannily bringing a child's eye view to McMillan's business, Josh rises to the top-and in process, he falls in love with fellow employee Susan (Elizabeth Perkins). But he's still a kid, and he'd like to go back to his own world and own body. Written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg, Big proved a crucial success for budding director Penny Marshall, who'd work harmoniously with Hanks again on the radically different A League of Their Own. The cinematography was by Barry Sonenfeld, who went on to become a director himself with The Addams Family. That Big was heavily reliant upon the input of Tom Hanks and Penny Marshall was proven by the failed attempt to turn the property into a Broadway musical. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
While Josh Baskin in Big was not Tom Hanks's first major role, it began to transform the star of Bachelor Party and Dragnet into one of the leading movie actors of the 1990s. Director Penny Marshall and screenwriters Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg tell their story with understated intelligence and a marvelous feel for the mind of a 12-year-old, a time when adolescent obsessions are just starting to edge into the child's psyche. Both physically and emotionally, Hanks does a nearly flawless job of putting the soul of a 12-year-old boy into the body of a 35-year-old man. His awkward gangliness and clumsy over-enthusiasm look and feel as if he's not yet used to the body he's grown into, and his naivete is convincing, unforced, and utterly winning. Josh never seems childish, but rather like a child who is out of his element and determined not to let it show (which, of course, just makes it show all the more). Hanks also had the good fortune to be cast alongside Elizabeth Perkins, whose sharp but sneakily charming personality has rarely been used to better advantage, and Jared Rushton, who in his scenes with Hanks achieves the goofy rapport of two kids talking after school with someone almost three times his age. Hanks's and Marshall's feel for details and willingness to take a subtle approach raise the film well above Vice Versa or Like Father, Like Son, two similarly themed films which took a much broader tone, making clear how big a difference a light touch can make. ~ Mark Deming, RoviCast
- Tom Hanks - Josh Baskin
- Elizabeth Perkins - Susan Lawrence
- John Heard - Paul Davenport
- Jared Rushton - Billy Kopeche
- Robert Loggia - "Mac" MacMillan
Credit
Speed Hopkins - Art Director, Tom Warren - Art Director, Juliet Taylor - Casting, Paula Abdul - Choreography, Patricia Birch - Choreography, James L. Brooks - Co-producer, Robert Greenhut - Co-producer, Gary Ross - Co-producer, Anne Spielberg - Co-producer, Judianna Makovsky - Costume Designer, Penny Marshall - Director, Barry Malkin - Editor, Judianna Makovsky - Composer (Music Score), Howard Shore - Composer (Music Score), Alan Bergman - Songwriter, Marilyn Bergman - Songwriter, Kimberly A. Bradstreet - Songwriter, Mario Cipolina - Songwriter, Johnny Colla - Songwriter, Joel Frankel - Songwriter, Bobby Gosh - Songwriter, Marvin Hamlisch - Songwriter, Chris Hayes - Songwriter, Sean Hopper - Songwriter, Billy Idol - Songwriter, Huey Lewis - Songwriter, David Pomeranz - Songwriter, Patrice Rushen - Songwriter, Freddie Washington - Songwriter, Steve Stevens - Songwriter, Bill Gibson - Songwriter, Mickey Scott - Makeup, Tony Jannelli - Camera Operator, Santo Loquasto - Production Designer, Barry Sonnenfeld - Cinematographer, Juliet Taylor - Producer, Susan Bode-Tyson - Set Designer, Les Lazarowitz - Sound/Sound Designer, Gary Ross - Screenwriter, Anne Spielberg - Screenwriter, Elizabeth Shelton - Assistant Costume Designer, George De Titta, Jr. - Set Decorator, Hoagy Carmichael - Featured Music, Frank Loesser - Featured Music, Glenn Miller - Featured Music| Biff Bang Buddy (1924 Film), Bierkampf (1976 Film) | |
| Big & Rich: Greatest Hits (2009 Film), Big Adventure (1921 Film) |
Big
Answers.com
ReferenceAnswers
- Home
- Search
- Settings
- Top Contributors
- Help Center
- Browse:
- Unanswered questions
- |
- New questions
- |
- New answers
- |
- Reference library
- Browse:
- Answers.com
- |
- Wiki.Answers.com
- |
- Coupons.Answers.com
Related Videos:
Top
Big
Top
In wine, a strong flavor with high amount of acidity and alcohol.
Top
This article is about the 1988 film. For other uses, see Big (disambiguation).
| Big | |
|---|---|
 Promotional film poster |
|
| Directed by | Penny Marshall |
| Produced by | James L. Brooks Robert Greenhut |
| Written by | Gary Ross Anne Spielberg |
| Starring | Tom Hanks Elizabeth Perkins Robert Loggia John Heard |
| Music by | Howard Shore |
| Cinematography | Barry Sonnenfeld |
| Editing by | Barry Malkin |
| Studio | Gracie Films Playtone |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Running time | 104 minutes 130 minutes (Extended cut) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Budget | $18 million |
| Box office | $151,668,774[1] |
Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical wishing machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight. The film also stars Elizabeth Perkins, and Robert Loggia and was written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg.
Big was the latest, and most successful, of a series of age-changing comedies produced in the late 1980s; the others being: Like Father Like Son (1987), 18 Again! (1988), Vice Versa (1988), the Italian film Da grande (1987).[2][3][4][5]
|
Contents
|
Plot
After being told he is too short for a carnival ride while attempting to impress an older girl (Kimberlee M. Davis), 12-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) from Cliffside Park, New Jersey goes to a wishing machine called Zoltar Speaks, and wishes that he was "big." His wish is granted, but he finds out that the machine is unplugged, and backs away. By the next morning he is shocked to discover that he has been transformed into a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks), and when he goes back to the wishing machine he finds that the carnival has already left. Fleeing from his mother (Mercedes Ruehl), who thinks he is a strange man who has kidnapped her son, Josh then finds his best friend, Billy Kopecki (Jared Rushton), at the school they both attend; Billy is shocked at first, but Josh convinces him of his identity by singing a secret song that only the two of them know. With Billy's help, he learns that it would take a couple of months to find the Zoltar Speaks machine, so Josh rents a flophouse room in New York City and gets a data entry job at MacMillan Toy Company.
By chance, Josh meets the company's owner, Mr. MacMillan (Robert Loggia), checking out the products at FAO Schwarz, and impresses him with both his extensive knowledge of current toys and his happy-go-lucky childlike enthusiasm. In a now-famous scene, the two end up playing duets together on a foot-operated electronic keyboard, performing "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks". This earns Josh a promotion to a dream job: testing toys all day long and getting paid for it. With his promotion, Josh's larger salary enables him to move out of the workingman's hotel and into a spacious apartment, which he and Billy fill with toys, their own Pepsi vending machine and a pinball machine. Josh soon attracts the attention of Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins), a fellow toy executive. A romance begins to develop, much to the annoyance of Susan's competitive boyfriend, Paul Davenport (John Heard). Josh becomes increasingly entwined in his "adult" life by spending more time with Susan, mingling with her friends and moving in with her. His new ideas become valuable assets to MacMillan Toys; however, Billy begins feeling annoyed and neglected, feeling that Josh has forgotten who he really is.
MacMillan asks Josh to come up with proposals for a new line of toys. Josh is intimidated by the need to formulate the business aspects of such a proposal, and Susan insists that she will handle the business end; that Josh need only rely on his affinity for toys to come up with a good idea. Nonetheless, Josh soon begins to feel overly pressured by this new life. When he expresses doubts to Susan and attempts to explain that he is really a child, she interprets this as fear of commitment on his part, and dismisses his explanation in frustration.
Longing to return to the life of a child, Josh eventually learns from Billy that the Zoltar Speaks machine is at Sea Point Park. In the middle of presenting their proposal to MacMillan and other executives, Josh leaves. After Susan realizes something is wrong, she leaves as well and encounters Billy, who tells her where Josh went. At the park, Josh finds the machine and makes a wish to become "a kid again." He is then confronted by Susan, who, seeing the machine and the fortune it gave Josh, realizes he was telling the truth. Susan becomes despondent at realizing their relationship is over. Josh tells Susan she was the one thing about his adult life he wishes would not end, and suggests she use the machine to turn herself into a little girl. She declines, indicating that being a child once was enough, and takes Josh home. After sharing an emotional goodbye, Josh, now 13, reverts to his child form and is reunited with his family.
Cast
- Tom Hanks as Joshua "Josh" Baskin
- David Moscow as Normal Josh Baskin
- Elizabeth Perkins as Susan Lawrence
- Robert Loggia as MacMillan
- John Heard as Paul Davenport
- Jared Rushton as Billy Kopecki
- Jon Lovitz as Scotty Brennen
- Mercedes Ruehl as Mrs. Baskin
- Josh Clark as Mr. Baskin
- Kimberlee M. Davis as Cynthia Benson
- Oliver Block as Freddie Benson
- Debra Jo Rupp as Miss Patterson
- Frances Fisher as Mrs. Kopecki (only in 2007 "Extended Cut" DVD version)
Reception
Big was received with almost unanimous critical acclaim; based on 53 reviews collected by the film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of critics gave the film a positive "Certified Fresh" review and the consensus stating "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."[6] The New York Times praised the performances of Moscow and Rushton, saying the film "features believable young teen-age mannerisms from the two real boys in its cast and this only makes Mr. Hanks's funny, flawless impression that much more adorable."[7]
Big was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks) and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.
The film is number 23 on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies. In 2000, Big was ranked 42nd on the American Film Institute's "100 Years…100 Laughs" list.[8] In June 2008, AFI named Big as the tenth-best film in the fantasy genre.[9] In 2008, Big was selected by Empire Magazine as one of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time."[10]
- American Film Institute Lists
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - Nominated[11]
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs - #42
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
- "Okay, but I get to be on top." - Nominated[12]
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) - Nominated[13]
- AFI's 10 Top 10 - #10 Fantasy Film
Extended cut
The film was re-released in 2007 in a 2-disc Extended Edition DVD. The DVD features the theatrical (104 minutes) and extended (130 minutes) versions of the film on the first disc. The second disc contains deleted scenes, featurettes, an AMC Backstory, and trailers and TV spots.
Broadway musical
Main article: Big: the musical
In 1996, Big was made into a musical for the Broadway stage. It featured music by David Shire, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., and a book by John Weidman. Directed by Mike Ockrent, and choreographed by Susan Stroman, it opened on April 28, 1996 and closed on October 13, 1996, after 193 performances.
In popular culture
.jpg)
The piano scene has been parodied in many forms, including The Simpsons and Family Guy. The Zoltar Speaks scene has also been parodied on Family Guy and Futurama. The Zoltar Speaks scene was also mimicked (albeit in reverse) in Neon Trees' music video, 1983.
References
- ^ "Big (1988)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=big.htm. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (January 15, 1990). "The Media Business; Buchwald Ruling: Film Writers vs. Star Power". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/15/business/the-media-business-buchwald-ruling-film-writers-vs-star-power.html?scp=2&sq=%22da%20grande%22&st=cse. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ "Da grande (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/da-grande/. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ "Da grande - Un classico della fantasia di un bambino: diventare adulto". Corriere della Sera. http://cinema-tv.corriere.it/film/da-grande/68_17.shtml. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ "Cinema Italiano 2010: Master of Ceremonies and Jurors". Cinema Italiano in Hawaii. http://www.cinemaitalianoinhawaii.org/judges2.php. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ "Big (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/big/. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (June 3, 1988). "Review/Film; Tom Hanks as a 13-Year-Old, in 'Big'". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE4D91E3DF930A35755C0A96E948260. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
- ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs". American Film Institute. 2000. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5jSAXyBRR. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
- ^ "10 Top 10: Top 10 Fantasy". American Film Institute. 2008. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5jSA6VG9J. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
- ^ http://www.empireonline.com/500/60.asp
- ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees
- ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees
- ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) Ballot
External links
- Big at the Internet Movie Database
- Big at AllRovi
- Big at the TCM Movie Database
- Big at Box Office Mojo
- Big at Rotten Tomatoes
- Big at Metacritic
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
TV listings
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Movie Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
Read more
Wiley Dictionary of Flavors
Copyright © 2008 by Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley and the Wiley logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Used here by license. Read more
