Big ***1/2 (out of 5) (1988)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard, Jared Rushton

Directed by Penny Marshall

 


A boy with low self-esteem makes a wish with a fortune teller vending machine at an amusement park, wishing he were "big". Upon waking the following morning, the boy discovers he now has the body of a 30-year-old man, although still 12 years old mentally. His mother refuses to believe it is really him, accusing him of abducting her son, and soon the boy-turned-man has to get his own place and find a job to make ends meet.

If you can suspend the obvious disbelief of the main plot, this film will reward with a heart-warming tale of the innocence of childhood and the complexities of adulthood in the modern world. Tom Hanks deserved the nomination he received for his brilliant portrayal of a man acting like a young boy...very convincing. Penny Marshall directs with ease, almost never missing a step in the duration. Credit the talents of everyone involved for making a longshot of a movie quite successful and entertaining. Funny, smart and full of heart.


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