Director: Penny Marshall
Writer: Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg (Screenplay)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard, Jared Rushton, David Moscow, Jon Lovitz
Plot: After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Enjoyable Family Comedy
Story: Big as teenager Josh (Moscow) is tired of the rules he must face, not being considered big enough to ride fairground rides and not being noticed by the girl he has a crush on. Josh goes to a wish granting machine wishing he could become big.
The next Josh (Hanks) wakes up as a 30-year old man, needing to hide from his parents. Josh moves to New York getting himself a job in a toy company where he gets promoted after befriending the boss MacMillan but deep down he is waiting for information about the machine which could bring him back to his original age. This gives Josh a chance to grew as a person and learn about himself too.
Thoughts on Big
Characters – Josh is the teenager that grows up overnight, he must learn to be an adult where his innocent charm helps his rise through the toy industry as the adults learn from him not to take things too serious. Susan is one of the co-workers also high up in the company, she learns the most from Josh about relaxing and enjoying life over the stress filled life she had been living. MacMillan is the boss of the toy company that takes a shining to Josh believing he can help continue to make the profits and making the toys fun once again.
Performance – Tom Hanks is fantastic through the whole film showing that he always had the ability to handle comedy and carries this movie throughout. Elizabeth Perkins is good in her role as is Robert Loggia as the friendly boss.
Story – The story shows us what would happen if a teenager became an adult overnight and having to learn about an adult life. The idea of this must have felt fresh for the time and with the first boom of technology it also works because the teenager would have been just as good with computers as a lot of the workforce. This is a feel good story about growing up fast and not taking life too seriously at times.
Comedy/Family – The comedy being played out in the film works because it isn’t this wild over the top which we have seen from the genre before and it is one the whole family could enjoy.
Settings – Putting the teenager as an adult in New York City needing to learn about grown up life.
Scene of the Movie – Piano scene, because it has become an iconic scene in cinema.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – As I saw Elf first, I just felt like I was watching the inspiration for that film.
Final Thoughts –This is a classic comedy that could and should be placed inside Tom Hanks’ top 5 of all time.
Overall: One of the all time classics.
Rating
