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Big

  • 1988
  • PG
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
255K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
555
162
Tom Hanks in Big (1988)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer2:25
4 Videos
57 Photos
Body Swap ComedyComing-of-AgeHigh-Concept ComedyComedyDramaFantasyRomance

After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.

  • Director
    • Penny Marshall
  • Writers
    • Gary Ross
    • Anne Spielberg
  • Stars
    • Tom Hanks
    • Elizabeth Perkins
    • Robert Loggia
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    255K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    555
    162
    • Director
      • Penny Marshall
    • Writers
      • Gary Ross
      • Anne Spielberg
    • Stars
      • Tom Hanks
      • Elizabeth Perkins
      • Robert Loggia
    • 307User reviews
    • 107Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 11 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos4

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Official Trailer
    Big
    Trailer 1:16
    Big
    Big
    Trailer 1:16
    Big
    'Big' 30th Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:01
    'Big' 30th Anniversary Mashup
    What Roles Has Tom Hanks Turned Down?
    Video 3:22
    What Roles Has Tom Hanks Turned Down?

    Photos57

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    + 51
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    Top Cast67

    Edit
    Tom Hanks
    Tom Hanks
    • Josh
    Elizabeth Perkins
    Elizabeth Perkins
    • Susan
    Robert Loggia
    Robert Loggia
    • MacMillan
    John Heard
    John Heard
    • Paul
    Jared Rushton
    Jared Rushton
    • Billy
    David Moscow
    David Moscow
    • Young Josh
    Jon Lovitz
    Jon Lovitz
    • Scotty Brennen
    Mercedes Ruehl
    Mercedes Ruehl
    • Mrs. Baskin
    Josh Clark
    Josh Clark
    • Mr. Baskin
    Kimberlee M. Davis
    • Cynthia Benson
    Oliver Block
    • Freddie Benson
    Erika Katz
    Erika Katz
    • Cynthia's Friend
    Allan Wasserman
    • Gym Teacher
    Mark Ballou
    Mark Ballou
    • Derek
    Gary Howard Klar
    Gary Howard Klar
    • Ticket Taker
    • (as Gary Klar)
    Alec Von Sommer
    • First Brother
    Chris Dowden
    • Second Brother
    Rockets Redglare
    Rockets Redglare
    • Motel Clerk
    • Director
      • Penny Marshall
    • Writers
      • Gary Ross
      • Anne Spielberg
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews307

    7.3255.2K
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    Featured reviews

    arkadin-1

    The Child in You.

    What we're talking about is a wonderful fantasy comedy about the child, who sleeps in everyone's soul and waits to get free. Superbly written scenes follow each other, not to mention Tom Hanks' performance, which should have been awarded. He seems to me the only contemporary actor, who was able to play the role of a 13-year-old teenager, who becomes an adult from one day to another. Elizabeth Perkins and especially John Heard form a strong supporting cast and this time they really support Hanks' work. This film bothers to talk about more important things, like the loss of innocence, friendship and the first love, not just tells a story about a boy in the big city. This was Hanks' star-making role after a string of stupid comedies in the middle 80s and he deservedly became one of the biggest stars of the 90s. And don't forget, this was his first film in his "outsider" series: he made his biggest successes playing somehow outsider figures: Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump or the Cast Away. Go and see it, you won't be disappointed even if you think you've lost the child inside you...with the help of this film you will find it. Believe me.
    7lord-of-the-lez

    Emotional and Nostalgic

    I watched this when I was the same age as the main character of this movie and I found it just...okay. I remembered the Zoltar machine, the big piano, and all the toys Josh plays with but not much more.

    Rewatching it as an adult makes me appreciate it on a whole new level. I did not care for the emotional nuances of the movie and the dilemma that Josh was in because I myself was a kid the first time I watched it. I couldn't understand the depth of the movie's themes in the same way that Josh fails to have a truly deep, mature, emotional connection with another adult. Watching this movie as an adult also gives me this blissful sense of nostalgia for the little blip of time I spent as a child. Childhood is such a small part of your life compared to the time you spend as an adult, yet it makes a tremendous impact on you and what happens to you in those brief years leaves a lasting impression. Those are the thoughts and feelings this movie elicited in me and that's why it's highly recommended from me.
    ngorevic

    Special

    For some reason this movie makes me well up with tears of joy every single second I'm watching it. I think it's the concept of adults discovering the children inside themselves. The simple innocence and well-meaning intent of josh baskins in this movie is like a magic elixir that changes everyone and everything he comes in contact with.

    This movie is amazing because I saw it when it came out, when I was 13 years old, the same age as josh baskins in the movie, and I loved it then. It speaks to you as a child because it's completely realistic, everything is just the way a kid would see it. Most of the time when adults try to simulate what it's like to be a child, they fail miserably (see all the 80's anti-drug propaganda ads as an example). It takes an immense amount of creativity and sensitivity to be able to write something like this. But then when I see this movie as an adult, it speaks to me on a completely different level. This film is a lesson to adults as well as children. Don't miss out on the fun and spirit of life! Don't get to wrapped up in your petty concerns of status and materialism, just try to enjoy every moment the most that you can, because you'll never get another chance to relive each moment of your life.

    Any of these fools that didn't like this movie are just that, they've probably missed out completely on the message because they can't remember what it was like to be a kid, to see the world as one big optimistic toy you're lucky to be able to play with. Think about that and see this movie again if you don't remember how amazing it is...

    >
    bppihl

    A terrific comedy/fantasy and great early role for Tom Hanks

    Tom Hanks earned his first Oscar nomination in the late 1980s with the Penny Marshall comedy/fantasy "Big." I saw it for the first time when I was about 9, and have loved it ever since. I like how it is aimed at both the kid and adult in all of us!

    Young Josh Baskin (David Moscow) goes with his family to a carnival one evening, and sees the girl of his dreams. When he finally works up the nerve to talk to her, her date appears with her. Then, he does not meet the height requirement for the roller coaster ride he wants to go on. So, off he goes to a deserted part of the carnival to the "Zoltar" machine, a devil's head encased in glass, to "make his wish." He wishes he "were big." Suffice it to say, Josh wakes up the next morning to discover he is an adult (Tom Hanks). Mom (Mercedes Ruehl) thinks he kidnapped her son, and calls the police. Josh eventually convinces best friend Billy (Jared Rushton) that he (Josh) is his true 13-year-old self trapped in a man's body. They take off to New York, where Josh manages to get a job as a product tester for a large toy company. He befriends the boss (Robert Loggia), who likes Josh's understanding of the toys kids really like. However, Josh finds himself at odds with Paul (John Heard), vice president of marketing, who perceives Josh's simplistic views as an invasion of Paul's more experienced, competitive ways. Never fear, as successful co-worker Susan Lawerence (Elizabeth Perkins) finds comfort in Josh's views and company, and falls in love with him. But the more Josh experiences the privileges and responsibilities of adulthood, the more he longs for his youth again. Should he stay with Susan or find the Zoltar machine and wish to be a kid again?

    An impressive film about growing up and making wishes. When you're a kid, you can't wait to grow up. But when you're an adult, you have to make sacrifices and accept responsibility, ideal and not-so-ideal. Also, be careful what you wish for, as you might get it! A Broadway musical version of "Big" opened in the mid-1990s. The piano dancing sequence is its trademark. I had the privilege to play the role of Paul (the John Heard character) in a summer musical production, and loved it! I highly recommend both the film and the musical!
    8Andreas_N

    Growing up as a lesson of life

    This movie is great. I mean, really. That's what every boy dreams of - becoming an adult overnight! It's absolutely gorgeous to see Tom Hanks' performance - that's real acting, it requires a lot to play this part as genuinely and cordial as he did. The message is so clear and so honest. The nostalgic edge is of such profound significance to the story. It's about the differences between being a kid and being an adult. It's about two very different perceptions of the same world that surrounds us. It's just us and how we make the best out of every day of our lives, and all it needs is to see the world through the eyes of a kid. A kid perceives all the things differently, with much more native and modest simplicity - the keystone to imagination and magic, the keystone to cherish the daily miracles in our lives. This movie has a deep and very pervasive message. It has so much charm and vitality mingled with nostalgia and witchcraft. One of those movies I enjoyed watching when I was a kid. Recommended.

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    Related interests

    Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30 (2004)
    Body Swap Comedy
    Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade (2018)
    Coming-of-Age
    Jim Carrey in Liar Liar (1997)
    High-Concept Comedy
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to Robert Loggia, on the day they filmed the famous Walking Piano scene at FAO Schwarz, he and Tom Hanks noticed that doubles dressed like them were on hand just in case they could not do the dance moves correctly. It became their goal to do the entire number without the aid of the doubles. They succeeded.
    • Goofs
      Before Josh and MacMillan play the Walking Piano at FAO Schwarz, Josh throws a bag down on the ground. When they leave he leaves it there and doesn't take it with him.
    • Quotes

      Young Josh, Billy: The space goes down, down baby, down, down the roller coaster. Sweet, sweet baby, sweet, sweet, don't let me go. Shimmy, shimmy, cocoa pop. Shimmy, shimmy, rock. Shimmy, shimmy, cocoa pop. Shimmy, shimmy, rock. I met a girlfriend - a triscuit. She said, a triscuit - a biscuit. Ice cream, soda pop, vanilla on the top. Ooh, Shelly's out, walking down the street, ten times a week. I read it. I said it. I stole my momma's credit. I'm cool. I'm hot. Sock me in the stomach three more times.

    • Alternate versions
      The Extended Edition is 130 minutes. It was released in 2007, and contains 26 minutes of previously deleted scenes, including Frances Fisher's role as Mrs. Kopecki.
    • Connections
      Edited into 5 Second Movies: Big (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      The Way We Were
      Written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Marvin Hamlisch

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    FAQ28

    • How long is Big?Powered by Alexa
    • Why is Josh acting like an 'idiot'?
    • Does this film really depict an incident of statutory rape in a lighthearted way?
    • What is 'Big' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 3, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Quisiera ser grande
    • Filming locations
      • Rye Playland, Rye, New York, USA(where Josh finds Zoltar at the end of the film)
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Gracie Films
      • American Entertainment Partners II L.P.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $18,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $115,227,281
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $8,216,190
      • Jun 5, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $151,927,281
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 44m(104 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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