Big (Blu-ray) (1988)

"Unpretentious as it is, Big takes you beyond laughter, to where you live. And there's nothing small about that.  Donna Britt, USA Today
"...has a warmhearted sweetness that's invigorating...  Hal Hinson, The Washington Post
"Charming fantasy...Hanks [gives a] superb, seemingly guileless performance...  Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"Great performance by Hanks makes this a winner.  Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review
"Will always remain Hanks' best comic performance.  Rob Thomas, Capital Times

Editor's Note A boy asks a mechanical swami at a fair to grant his wish to be grown up -- oops! Luckily his best friend recognizes him and helps him get a job at a toy factory where his fresh, uncomplicated innocence wins the president's respect, his colleagues' envy -- and a beautiful woman's love. Academy Award Nominations: Best Actor--Tom Hanks, Best (Original) Screenplay.

	Mercedes Ruehl
	Elizabeth Perkins
	Jamie Tirelli
	Tom Hanks
	Rockets Redglare
	Robert Loggia
	John Heard
	Samantha Larkin
	Josh Clark
	Jared Rushton
	David Moscow
	Tracy Reiner
	James Eckhouse
	Jon Lovitz
	Barry Malkin - Editor
	Judianna Makovsky - Costume Designer
	Barry Sonnenfeld - Director of Photography
	Santo Loquasto - Production Designer
	James L. Brooks - Producer
	Anne Spielberg - Screenwriter
	Juliet Taylor - Producer
	Robert Greenhut - Producer
	Howard Shore - Composer
	Gary Ross - Screenwriter
	Penny Marshall - Director

A 13-year-old boy named Josh wants, more than anything else, to be "big". And when he makes a wish on a carnival wishing booth his dreams come true: he transposes into the body of a 35 year old man -- though his mind and spirit remain that of a child. Since he can't really go to school looking like an adult, and his mother doesn't know him in his new guise, he heads to New York with his pal Billy, where they proceed to goof off, play around, and act basically like the kids they are. But when Billy leaves, Josh is subjected to the encroaching needs and responsibilities of adulthood, and he quickly discovers both the pleasures and the problems of being grown-up. New York Times
"...Buoyant summer comedy....Hanks is an absolute delight..." 06/03/1988 p.C8

Los Angeles Times
"...Funny, warm, sophisticated and above all, imaginative, from start to finish..." 06/03/1988 p.C1

USA Today
"Tom Hanks accomplishes something quite special here....He convinces you that he really is a 12-year-old-trapped in a body 20 years older..." 03/24/1989 p.3D

Apollo Movie Guide 9 of 10
Tom Hanks progressed from television sitcom star to one of Hollywood's best and favourite actors, culminating in back-to-back Academy Awards for Best Actor (Philadelphia in 1993 and Forrest Gump in 1994). However, I think Big, for which he was also nominated as Best Actor, is better than either of his Oscar-winning performances. It also stands as director Penny Marshall's best work to date. Needless to say, it's a pretty good film. It's not an "important" film, but it sure is a lot of fun...Hanks plays the grown-up sized version of twelve-year-old Josh Baskin, who makes a wish to be big after being embarrassed in front of a girl while at a carnival. Little does he know the wish would come true. The rest of the film deals with the now-physically-big Josh (who is still a kid inside) and his little best friend, Billy (Jared Rushton), in a search for the travelling carnival so he can get back to normal. Along the way, Josh gets a job in New York City at a toy company, where he quite understandably excels. He also attracts the attention of a beautiful co-worker (Elizabeth Perkins)...Hanks is perfectly believable as a twelve year old without going over the top, as he could so very easily have done. This is no Jerry Lewis-like performance. Hanks gives us many looks, from wide-eyed and innocent, to scared, to rambunctious. In short, he plays a twelve year old like a twelve year old. There's not a wrong note in the whole film. Big is one of the best examples of the otherwise hackneyed body transference genre. Special mention must go to Rushton, who holds his own with Hanks as the wise best friend...This is one, as they say, for the whole family. Kids will love the laugh-out-loud fantasy. Adults will laugh, too, as well as appreciate the sweetness that lies underneath. - Guy MacPherson

DVD Verdict 9 of 10
Around 1987-1988, theaters were flooded with so-called "body-swap" movies. Based on the old Freaky Friday formula, but without that movie's oddball water skiing stunts, these movies dealt with kids being transformed into adults, and adults being transformed into kids. There was 18 Again! with George Burns, Vice Versa with Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage, and Like Father, Like Son with Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron. After these came and went, the fad appeared over, except for one similar film that had yet to debut, Big...Big earned critical raves and huge box office, thanks in part to a star-making turn by Tom Hanks (The Green Mile), in his first of many Oscar-nominated roles. Another key to its success was some confident direction by Penny Marshall (A League of Their Own), with this being the first female-directed film to make more than $100 million...Sure, we've all heard the lame-o cliches about age, such as "You're only as young as you feel," or "wise beyond your years." In the media, these lines are usually abutted with footage of 90-year-olds running marathons or 6-year-olds winning chess tournaments. But you'll find no better example of "age is only a number" than Big...Of course, most of the above is just subtext. On the surface, Big is a goofy comedy with a lot of big, slapstick laughs. Hanks does his share of pratfalls, such as when he tries to fit into a pair of kids' jeans. He also gets plenty of humorous moments when hanging out with Billy, as the two of them pal around like two kids do. Hanks gets to pour on the dramatics in some scenes, including those first few nights of his newfound adulthood, when he finds himself alone and confused, as well as the more serious scenes between him and Susan. Overall, he loses himself in the role, and Big continues to be one of his best performances. The other actors spend most of their time reacting to Hanks, but they each perform nicely, especially Loggia as the kid-at-heart boss. - Mac McEntire