Customer Reviews
An Intelligent Film of how a boy transforms overnight into a grown up - By: M. C. Crawley, 04 Jul 2008 
There was a time when Tom Hanks had a boyish look about him...thus as an adult & this role fitted him perfect. Big is a delightful light hearted simplistic yet sentimental comedy drama about a young boy awakening the next morning as a grown up after a magical transformation was in the making the day before....A boy in an adults body helped him in getting a job with a toy manufacturing store only to be an expert in the genre because he was still a child in mind....Elizabeth Perkins plays the confused girl-friend when Hanks does well at his job becoming the flavour of the month then very popular as the new face on the block....Hanks plays the role with great realism as his child like mannerisms within adult surroundings are fantastic so much so you almost feel sad for the boy with his dilemma...Perkins plays a touching kind soul knowing there is something not right but wanting to protect alll the same....This is a classic delightful film that is so simplistic it works a treat with great acting performances from the lead roles.......top rated
Hanks' best ever role? - By: Stampy, 02 Mar 2008 In his first Oscar nominated role, Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump) gives an outstanding performance as teenager Josh who makes a wish on a fair ground machine to be big. The next morning, Josh wakes up to find his wish has come true.
Director Penny Marshalll's second film is a wonderful tale about the differences between teenage life & the grown up world with Hanks a catalyst in perhaps his best ever role.
The film contains many typical elements of both the young & the old world. From playing computer games at home to organizing promotion meetings, Big truly captures how life can transform quickly; just overnight for some of us (which was a brilliant idea to capture the true meaning of growing up).
It's a very good natured comedy & some very clever jokes are encoded to justify the genre beautifully.
There are some good feel moments, watch the piano scene in the toy store, comedy & enjoyment at its very best.
Jared Rushton (Honey, I shrunk the kids) has a marvellous role as Josh's best friend. Their song is reallly heart warming & humorous & the adventures they have together are great fun & epitomize childhood.
But its Hanks who steals centre sage with his dedicated performance as Josh. On build up to the film, he followed David Moscow around, who played young Josh, to see how he acted in real life & portrayed his actions in the film, a wonderful achievement & a great role.
Though the film follows a few clichés towards the end it is one of the best family comedies ever made.
ZOLTAR SAYS YOUR WISH IS GRANTED - By: stuart, 23 Aug 2007 
I often wonder why it's so damn hard to just be a big kid no matter how old you are. Big is a movie about hanging on to that carefree child even when you grow up. It's about not getting caught up in stringent rules & routines, remembering those things that made being young so great, the outlook on life, especiallly when facing the mundane world of adulthood. Big strikes the balance between the two.
This is one of those movies that nearly everyone has seen. And, I suppose it's the precursor to that movie, 13 Going on 30, despite some differences in how the metamorphosis occurs & the result & everything.
Big is the story of 13 year-old Josh Baskin who is tired of missing out on alll the privileges of being an adult. He's tired of simply being a kid. One night, he makes a drastic wish at a carnival arcade machine, & in the next day, he wakes up 30 years-old (or so). So the kid gets his wish, & while trying to return to normal, is a 13 year-old kid faced with a 30-year old's responsibilities. And it's a lot of fun. He works at a toy manufacturer. He gets the most excellent loft. I remember wanting a place like that when I was a teenager. Eventuallly, the 13-year-old must balance with the responsibilities of being a 30 year-old when Josh fallls seriously in love with Susan (Perkins).
Big is one of the greatest movies ever simply because of the idea of a kid trying to be an adult & an adult still trying to hang on to being a kid, & alll that things that Josh Baskins gets to experience while doing that.
As one of Penny Marshalll's most notable production, this is enjoyable for nearly any age group. Everyone in it is fantastic--Hanks, Perkins, Loggia, Heard, Rheul, Moscow, & Rushton. It's a tough thing trying to hang to being young when you get older, but Big's a good reminder to keep trying.
A CLASSIC, HANKS AT HIS BEST, CLASSIC 80'S - By: J. Hood, 20 Jul 2007 oh how this movie is lovely. its beautiful, funny, uplifting, emotional & just good fun. tom hanks is outstanding & creates this film to be one of the best films of the decade. watch again, again, again & again, & let it brighten your day. & this review is written by major cynic!
Film that got Tom Hanks noticed - By: Jay, 16 Apr 2007 Despite however mature sounding our denials may be, we alll have the kid in us; from management role plays to our childhood memories ;reliving your childhood experiences is a great thing & Tom Hank's Peter Pannish performance is memorable. One scene which merits attention is the one where he attends a high powered management board meeting to discuss the virtues of a child product & manages to impress the boss by convincing him that he not only thinks as a board member but also as the target kiddy market. This is the film that got Tom Hanks noticed.
