Big (1988)
Retro Review #74: Big, yes, but a little smaller as time has gone by.
Big (1988)
+ Feature film, 1h 44m
+ 1️⃣/5 works in Big multiverse 🔜⭐
A->
Grade: A-> (8.0) / HOF: 15
EQ 👍A+ | 📖A+ 👥A 📽️A+ 🎼A+
DW 😎8.8 | 🌚8 🌝11
POPCAP 💯n/a 🍿n/a 🧢n/a
L-R 💻⬇️0️⃣ 👀⬇️2️⃣ 🛐⬇️3️⃣
In 1988, Big was big. It was the first motion picture directed by a woman to gross over $100 million in ticket sales, and they can never take that distinction away from Penny Marshall. It was the turning point in his career that skyrocketed Tom Hanks to the heights of the A-list, proving he had box-office draw and award-winning talent. But to me, its most impressive accomplishment as a film was to deliver an iconic scene that makes both “Heart and Soul” and “Chopsticks” entertaining, as opposed to annoying!
The simple premise of the film is that a 13-year old boy, Josh Baskin, makes a wish that comes true, to be “big”, and wakes up in a grown-up body. Unable to convince his mother of his true identity, he enlists his best friend Billy, who helps him move to New York City, where he finds a job working for a toy company. The story is a sweet fantasy with lots of laughs, scoring high on my Whimsy scale, and also delivering some poignant drama and a romance that is charming on first blush.
With the screenplay co-written by Steven Spielberg’s little sister, Anne, the development history of Big is noteworthy for the big names that were briefly attached, but didn’t end up participating in making the film. Steven was originally going to direct, but didn’t want to steal any thunder from Anne. A half dozen or so other big names were considered or turned down directing the movie.
Compared to finding a director, finding a lead actor was even more difficult. Well over a dozen big names reportedly received consideration, offers or even an audition. While it’s hard to imagine anyone but Hanks in this role, it’s fun to try. So here’s the list, as far as I know, alphabetically by last name:
Warren Beatty, Jeff Bridges, Albert Brooks, Gary Busey, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Andy Garcia, John Goodman, Steve Guttenberg, Michael Keaton, Matthew Modine, Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Dennis Quaid, Judge Reinhold, John Travolta, Robin Williams, and Debra Winger, who unsuccessfully lobbied to change the lead role to a female one.
Ultimately, it was Hanks who prevailed and gave a performance so funny, so endearing and so expertly delivered that he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, while also earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. When filming the adult-Josh scenes, they were first performed by David Moscow who plays young Josh, while Hanks looked on, studying how Moscow acted and reacted. Hanks then drew from that to emulate being thirteen himself, a smart tactic that really worked well.
The movie also earned co-writers Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the film was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy. Big has since landed on a few all-time lists of best comedies and fantasy films.
I personally enjoyed it quite a bit in a couple of viewings back in the 1980s, and was looking forward to enjoying it again for this review. While I did enjoy it, and will always cite the previously mentioned iconic scene as one of the great scenes in film history, to my surprise, I found it didn’t resonate as well with older me.
In my younger years, I was a sucker for romance. OK, I still am. But I think that older me has slightly higher standards.
Elizabeth Perkins as Susan Lawrence, Josh’s romantic interest, plays her part well, growing more attractive as she also starts accessing her inner child. But to be honest, the role wasn’t written all that well—Susan doesn’t really have much going for her. Josh calls her the nicest person he’s met, but of course, he has zero experience relating to adults as equals, and what woman wouldn’t be nice to a guy as charming as he is? Beyond what we see in their relationship, all we really know about Susan is that she smokes way too much, and that she slept her way through several other guys at work—hardly a stellar character recommendation, or a relationship I’m rooting for Josh to make permanent.
Big is yet another example of a movie that could have been a great family film, but isn’t. The premise is one that can be entertaining for all ages, but the execution makes it very borderline even for teens. The adult language includes one blatant F-word and another in the background that could easily be missed. There’s an assortment of lesser obscenities. Normally I just recommend filtering that stuff out if it’s not for you or your family. But the plot of the film includes a lot of sexual content too, and I’m not sure it can be effectively filtered, without losing some of the story. On the other hand, leaving it in is problematic and slightly creepy, when you think about the implications of the actual age difference between Josh and Susan.
Finally, Christians can rightly object to some profanity, “J***s” and more than one “G*dd*mn”, and also that the magic wish is delivered through occult means. Less devilish magic would have been preferable and more family friendly.
All-in-all, I still recommend Big for big folks, but not for small ones. Don’t go out of your way to see it, but if you are a movie lover who hasn’t seen it yet, it’s an important and entertaining film of the 80s that you should add to your list.
By the way, in 2007 an extended version of Big was released to home video, adding about a half an hour of footage not used in the theatrical version. At some point, I plan to watch that version, and either bring you a full review if warranted, or just a brief recap if the extended version isn’t significant enough to deserve a full review.
Onwards!
+ last viewed (3) 2025-06-17, HDX7, 1.85v, 2M
+ first viewed 1988, ThX, 1.85, 2
+ 🦄🧙🥰💘😏😥🥸
+ ❌0️⃣ Problematic for teens and sensitive adults. | PGa
+ 😡+0 😵💫-0 🤬-1^ 🤭-0 🫣-0
+ 👀⬇️2️⃣ ➖🗿🔮
+ ✝️ -2 ➖(🤬)♀️🚬
+ ✡️ -2 ➕🤍 ➖🤬🫢🫢
+ 🗽 -1 ➖💻
Last updated 2025-06-18
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