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There's a part of me that will, I suspect, forever dislike this movie. Having seen it when I was much younger, I suspect a lot of that comes from the overly scary fortune-telling machine that is the source of the story in this relatively early Tom Hanks vehicle. But being a critic is all about taking the rough with the smooth (why else would anyone subject themselves to the likes of "The Room" and "Santa With Muscles"?) and as it happens, this was one of my better revisits. Driven by my wife's excited reaction upon discovering it in the TV schedules, I sat down to reacquaint myself with what turned out to be a surprisingly deep and intelligent film driven by a fantastic turn by its future star.
12-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) is tired of being a kid - the girl of his dreams remains out of his league, his parents (Mercedes Ruehl and Josh Clark) make him share a room with his infant sister and he's too short to ride a roller-coaster at the fair. Despondent, he stumbles across a mysterious fortune-telling machine and uses it to wish himself big. The next morning, he is astonished to find that he now lives inside the body of a 30-year-old (Hanks). Fleeing from his frightened mother, he is forced to rely on his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton) and makes his way to New York to try and survive as an adult. Against the odds, he gets a job at a toy company alongside repressed owner Mr MacMillan (Robert Loggia) and ambitious corporate-ladder climber Paul (John Heard). Can Josh's childlike-mind cope in the often unfathomable world of adults, particularly given the growing attraction to fellow employee Susan (Elizabeth Perkins)?
"Big" is an unashamed fairy-tale about the dangers of getting what you want and the innocence of childhood being lost. Without doubt, Hanks is the best thing about the movie as he perfectly encapsulates the mannerisms and thinking of Moscow and is utterly convincing. A little too convincing at times as I felt more than a little awkward during the improbable romantic scenes. But just as good are Moscow and Rushton who feel like actual kids rather than the sugary version we normally get in movies. "Big" doesn't work too hard on a practical level but as a fable, it is a sure-fire winner. However, I didn't feel it particularly effective as a comedy. Oh it has its moments but generally, it feels like a gentle reflection on the difference between generations instead of playing for belly laughs like a lot of Hanks' films did at the time. The movie's stand-out scene, the famous Walking Piano sequence, is rightly highlighted as a classic - a rare moment when you can't help but smile as Loggia & Hanks jump around playing Chopsticks.
As much as it may pain that part of me still scared by the creepy Zoltar, "Big" is a fantastic watch for kids of all ages. It has a unusual degree of intelligence in the script without it being overly preachy (even if it is slightly predictable) and captivating performances from Hanks, Rushton and Moscow. I didn't reckon it was an outright laughter-fest and at times, it does feel excessively sentimental and sugary. I also felt bad for the family left behind - Ruehl had little to do besides mourn for her missing son while Josh's father disappeared altogether from the movie. But really, I'm being picky due to my long-held reluctance to watch it again from my own childhood. I feel that I owe "Big" and Hanks an apology because this isn't anything like as terrible as I recalled. It's fun, smart, subtle and written and performed with a genuine heart and soul. And remember kids, never play with slot-machines that nobody else is interested in!
score 8/10
Benjamin_Cox 15 December 2014
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3142265/ |
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30-11-2019 00:37:40
