Big(1988)

PG
1h 44m

Release Date: Jun 3, 1988 | Wide

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

Releases

Original Release | Jun 3, 1988

2018 Re-release (Fathom Entertainment) | Jul 15, 2018

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Box Office Results

All Releases (2)
Total US & Canada:
$115,227,281
Total International
$36,700,000
Total Worldwide:
$151,927,281

Total US & Canada:
$114,968,774
Total International
$122
Total Worldwide:
$114,968,970

Current Showtimes

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(U.S. Only)

Director & Top Cast

Penny Marshall
Director

Tom Hanks
Josh

Elizabeth Perkins
Susan

Robert Loggia
MacMillan

John Heard
Paul

Jared Rushton
Billy

David Moscow

Young Josh

Jon Lovitz

Scotty Brennen

Mercedes Ruehl

Mrs. Baskin

Josh Clark

Mr. Baskin

Kimberlee M. Davis

Cynthia Benson

Oliver Block

Freddie Benson

Erika Katz

Cynthia's Friend

Allan Wasserman

Gym Teacher

Mark Ballou

Derek

Gary Howard Klar

Ticket Taker

Alec Von Sommer

First Brother

Chris Dowden

Second Brother

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English,Spanish

Summaries

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old, Josh Baskin is in line to go on a ride at a carnival. Directly behind him is a cute girl he knows from school, who strikes up a conversation with him. When he gets to the front, he is smaller than the wooden cutout used to determine whether one is big enough to go on the ride, and he is extremely humiliated. Moments later, he puts a coin in a fortune-telling machine and is told to make a wish. In the wake of his embarrassment, he, innocently enough, wishes that he were big.To his astonishment, when Josh awakes the next morning, his wish has been granted. Though still a twelve-year-old child in every respect but physically, he is no longer recognizable to his mother, he must leave home and, once he learns that resolving his problem will take a long time, has no choice but to try to make his own way This means getting a job and mingling in the world of adults. As it turns out, the job he gets at a toy manufacturer is perfect for him, as his insight into what toys kids will like greatly impresses senior management, and leads to an executive position.Handsome with an understandably youthful exuberance, Josh is attractive to a female executive in his company, and the result is a romantic interlude which, due to his inexperience, he is largely incapable of handling. Eventually, he shares his secret with her, but, at first, she doesn't believe him. As she gets a closer and closer look at his behavior, however, she comes to understand.Finally, Josh finds the arcade machine that had granted his wish and wishes to have the original wish undone, returning to his mother after weeks away form home.The real beauty of the movie lies in the realization that an adult that manages to maintain the exuberance of youth is one to be greatly envied, and while the means by which this message is conveyed is highly unconventional, the message is delivered with insight and clarity.

Storyline

Josh Baskin would do anything to be big to hang out with his crush, Cynthia, at the carnival. He finds a Zoltar machine, and he wishes to be big. After Zoltar tells him, "Your wish is granted," he notices that it's unplugged. He wakes up the next morning in an adult's body, but he still has the same personality. With the help of his best friend, Billy, he learns how to act like an adult. But as he gets a girlfriend and a fun job, he doesn't want to be a kid again. Will Josh stay big or become a 13-year-old boy again? Tired of being pushed around, thirteen-year-old Josh Baskin, is convinced that all his problems would disappear if only he were an adult. Then, as if by magic, he receives a helping hand from Zoltar, a mysterious wishing machine, and just like that, he wakes up the following morning in the body of a thirty-year-old version of himself. At last, his wish came true beyond his wildest imagination, however, it seems that being an adult is not a walk in the park. Now, he will have to look for a job, and above all, keep his extraordinary secret safe as the perks of childhood slowly fade away. But is this what he truly wished for? — Nick Riganas After a wish turns 12-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) into a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks), he heads to New York City and gets a low-level job at MacMillen Toy Company. A chance encounter with the owner (Robert Loggia) of the company leads to a promotion testing new toys. Soon a fellow employee, Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins), takes a romantic interest in Josh. However, the pressure of living as an adult begins to overwhelm him, and he longs to return to his simple, former life as a boy. — maschzentertainment A young boy ( David Moscow ) makes a wish on a carnival machine to be big. He wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of adults including getting a job and having his first romantic encounter with a woman. What will he find out about this strange world? — Sami Al-Taher <staher2000@yahoo.com> 1 more All