Big

Big
by Penny Marshall

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DVD details

Actor: Elizabeth Perkins, Jared Rushton, John Heard, Robert Loggia, Tom Hanks
Director: Penny Marshall
Cinematographer: Barry Sonnenfeld
Producer: Anne Spielberg
Writer: Anne Spielberg
Producer: Gary Ross
Writer: Gary Ross
Producer: James L. Brooks
Producer: Robert Greenhut
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.85:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-10-05
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox

DVD Reviews of Big

DVD Review: Hanks' star rises again
Summary: 5 Stars

This movie is the fortituous meeting of a truly great script, and an actor who was primed and ready for superstardom. Tom Hanks had already been showing a lot of potential for several years (on TV, in "Bosom Buddies" and "Family Ties", and on the big screen in "Splash" and "The Money Pit"), but this film gave Hanks his first opportunity to really flex his considerable acting muscle. And flex it he does. Hanks' performance as overgrown 12 year-old Josh Baskin garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

However, his is not the only great performance in this movie. He's often nearly upstaged by Jared Rushton, who plays Billy Kopecki (Josh's best friend). Billy gets a few of the script's best zingers.

The basic storyline of "Big" was fraught with potential pitfalls and potential violations of taste, but it managed to avoid every one of them. It's often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, and several scenes can either make you smile or cringe, depending on from which character's perspective you're viewing the scenes. Simply brilliant filmmaking.

DVD Review: Big Review
Summary: 5 Stars

This is a movie about a 12 year old boy who makes a wish at a carnival to be "big" and gets his wish the next morning. He eventually gets a job at a toy company, but still wants to go home because he is, after all, still 12 years old. This movie is full of laughs, Tom Hanks is at his best, making you laugh in every situation. This movie has no nudity, no language, is definitely suitable of kids, and is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Definitely a movie to watch if you are feeling down.

DVD Review: Extended edition worth the money
Summary: 4 Stars

My wife received it for Christmas as one of her favorites. We enjoyed the extra scenes (extended edition) and loved the quality. Recommend it.

DVD Review: A fun adventure
Summary: 5 Stars

This 1988 movie, at least in my mind, established Tom Hanks as a star. If he could pull off this role, what couldn't he do. As we've learned through the years, very little.

The Big story is about a thirteen year old boy that is suddenly transformed into a full grown man. This premise is fraught with potential landmines, but the film is tasteful and consistent with an adolescent view of the world. Hanks is perfect, playing the part with body language that never lets the audience forget that he is still a kid only beginning the tough journey into adulthood.

This is a fine, fun film that deserves to be in home libraries of classic and noteworthy movies.

DVD Review: Tom Hanks's Exuberance Makes This Film A Classic
Summary: 4 Stars

Every child ever born on this earth, at some point in his/her life, wants to experience life as a grown-up before their time. Well, this comical little film shows what would happen if one of those children were to get their wish.

For a short synopsis, this film tells the story of a 13-year old boy, Josh, who loses the "girl of his dreams" due to his short stature and lack of adult characteristics (such as driving). So, in a moment of self-pity, Josh makes a wish on a carnival game machine that he wants to be "big". The next morning, Josh wakes up with is 13-year old mind in the body of a 30-year old, and hilarity (and some emotional drama) ensues for the rest of the film.

Tom Hanks, one of the few truly great actors of our day, plays the "old Josh", and really does carry this film in what turned out to be the start of his brilliant leading-role career. Hanks absolutely nails the silliness and mannerisms of a young teenager, which makes for some hilarious physical and situational comedy. Plus, the script is also very conducive to his acting, as the plot feeds into the mentality of a child (I mean, what could have possibly been a better job for the old Josh than Toy Tester?!). Whether Hanks is failing to convince his mother that, at heart, he is still 13, goofing around with his best buddy, or trying to maintain an adult romantic relationship, Hanks is brilliant in every nuance of the character.

A particularly touching scene comes towards the end of the film, when the Old Josh must decide whether he wants to revert back to childhood. As he walks through his old neighborhood, he observes the simple moments that make childhood great, such as playing in a pile of leaves, a junior-high class picture, or starting a pick-up baseball game. I'll leave you in suspense as to what Old Josh decides to do, but suffice it to say that the scene will have you wondering whether you would have made the same choice.

I don't consider this film to be one of my all-time favorites, thus the 4-star rating instead of five, but it is a very engaging little film that can be enjoyed by pretty much all ages. Children will love Hanks' crazy antics, while adults will appreciate Hanks' performance and be drawn into the conundrum he ultimately faces.

Description of Big

A perfect marriage of novel but incisive writing, acting, and direction, Big is the story of a 12-year-old boy who wishes he were older, and wakes up one morning as a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks). The script by Gary Ross (Dave) and Anne Spielberg finds some unexpected ways of attacking obvious issues of sex, work, and childhood friendships, and in all of these things the accent is on classy humor and great sensitivity. Hanks is remarkable in the lead, at times hilarious (reacting to caviar just as a 12-year-old would) and at others deeply tender. Penny Marshall became a first-rate filmmaker with this 1988 work. --Tom Keogh

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