Big thanks to my colleague, Glen, who, after discovering I do this in my free time, said, so you’re like Big?  Upon watching, yes, I am kind of like Big.

Big stars a young Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, who, as a thirteen-year-old boy, makes a wish to be big, which magically comes true thanks to a fortune-teller machine called Zoltar. The next morning, he wakes up in the body of an adult, unrecognizable to his mother. Luckily, he convinces his best friend Billy of his true identity, and with no place else to go, the pair head to New York City. Josh gets a low-level job at the MacMIllan Toy Company, but soon the CEO, Mr. MacMillan, becomes infatuated with Josh, drawn in by his childlike enthusiasm. After the pair compose a duet of “Heart and Soul” on the Walking Piano at FAO Schwarz, Mr. MacMillan invites Josh to a big-time marketing campaign meeting, and to the shock of everyone in the room, Josh challenges the senior executive.

This move not only caught the eye of Mr. MacMillan and earned him a promotion, but also earned him the attention of Susan Lawrence, another executive, and the two begin spending a lot of time together. But can Josh Baskin, a real life thirteen-year-old, navigate adult life? And more importantly, does he want to?

Big was directed by Penny Marshall, produced by Gracie Films, and distributed by 20^th Century Fox. The screenplay was written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg. (Yes, Anne is the younger sister to Steven Speilberg. He was originally supposed to direct the film and wanted to cast Harrison Ford as Josh, but Steve dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Empire of the Sun and Ford pursued other options. Steven later said his decision to not direct the film was because he didn’t want to take away any credit from his sister.)

This movie was pretty pivotal to Hanks’ career – he received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy category. I’m not saying this is what made him a household name, but it certainly put him on the right path. (Fun Fact: Josh was almost played by Robert De Niro, who dropped out at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts) Hanks took this role very seriously: he spent a lot of time with Jared Rushton (Billy) and David Moscow (young Josh) to study their body language and acting style. He and Robert Loggia (Mr. MacMillan) made cardboard versions of FAO Schwarz’s Walking Piano and practiced at home so they could actually perform themselves (take that, studio-hired stunt doubles). His hard work paid off.

The film released on June 3, 1988, and grossed over $150M against a production budget of $18M. It became the first feature film directed by a woman to gross over $100M. Critically acclaimed and scoring a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, reception was high.

In a refreshingly light way, there were no big themes (pun intended). It was a simple, heartwarming film with the helpful reminder that you’re never too old for joy.