scrobble.life
← All reviews
Movie

Big (film): Tom Hanks in the first role I recall seeing him in

Review by @gooddream · 2832d · of Big

Hanks had of course been around for a long time before 1988 and I am not trying to suggest that he wasn't noteworthy before this film. This was merely the first recollection I have of him as a kid, and this movie was great.... It still is

tom-hanks-big-movie-poster.jpg

This family-friendly comedy-drama finds a young boy going through the troubles that every pre-teen goes through in the form of Josh Baskin, who one day stumbles upon a carnival machine where you are meant to make a wish and normally such a machine would just be a gimmick to steal your money, but not on this day because otherwise the film would never get moving or even have Tom Hanks in it.

hqdefault.jpg

Josh puts a coin in, makes a wish and his wish was "I wish I was big." The machine spits out a ticket that states "your wish is granted" and Josh walks away noticing that the machine isn't even plugged in. He goes home and goes to sleep only to wake up in the body of Tom Hanks although he still has his 12-year old brain and thought process.

Without spoiling too much of the film lets just say that he has to be a grown up and has his ups and downs as far as that is concerned. In many ways he is much better at being an adult than most adults are, but much of this has to do with the fact that he ends up landing a job with a toy manufacturing company. He tries his best to act like an adult but since he isn't one aside from how he looks, he sometimes acts a bit foolish for a 30-ish year old man.

ac89695f-42f6-49b5-bb7c-b225b3af83a3.png.jpg

What makes this movie great is that Hanks is able to pull off being a man child so well. I don't know what it was that he did to prepare for this role but he pulls it off so well. From him being excited about a several-hundred-dollar paycheck that everyone else in the office is complaining about all the way down to how he handles accidental dating to not really enjoying "adult beverages" is just extremely well done.

Of course Josh (Tom Hanks) realizes over time that he misses his family and doesn't want to be "BIG" anymore and well, I am sure you can put the pieces together here.

overall, i believe this is one of the best movies from the 80's and also one of the best movies that Tom Hanks has ever been in. It stands the test of time as long as you can put into perspective that technology was very very different in the late 80's than it is today. If you are young and have never heard of this movie -see it. If you are older and somehow managed to not watch it as a young person - see it.

For me it says a lot about how all young people want to be older only to wish for a return to youth once they achieve it. Absolutely fantastic film

9 / 10

Comments · 2

  • @as-abir(45)· 2832d

    I really enjoyed this movie. Everything from the concept, to the humor, to Tom Hanks' excellent acting. This movie is just my style and pace. This movie will always be one of my favorites of all time. I finally saw the EXTENDED version tonight. Nearly 30 minutes longer and it was certainly interesting. This movie is good for the heart and soul. If you have never seen this, you need to let yourself experience this film. Tom Hanks is amazing in this and he really sells the ridiculous premise. I love this movie with all my heart! Big is an extremely funny and charming movie that can be enjoyed by all ages. Tom Hanks is excellent as the older Josh by playing the character with charisma and innocence. Highly recommend for a family movie night.

  • @nuthman(74)· 2832d

    Another one of my big favorites. Even though Tom Hanks can be a bit of a wet blanket (UK term I learned from my ol lady) I think he's played some of the most endearing characters in movie history.

    This movie had me running around trying to find a Zoltar machine for years. I remember one time I actually found one and about lost my shit. Not because of finding the machine, but because as a joke, me and my cousin wished to be showered in money.

    We just laughed it off and walked away into the carnival where the machine was placed. About 20 minutes later we walked up to a soda machine and put coins in for a soda. Nothing happened so we pushed the button to get a refund and like $5 worth of quarters came out. In fact, we kept putting in 50c, pushing the button and $5 more would come out.

    We did that until the machine was empty! The moral of the story is that magick is real! Or we just got really lucky. haha.

    BTW, I wanted to upvote your post but after the HF, my VP dropped to zero, so waiting for a recharge, so I'll come back in a few days...