Big [PG]

When thirteen-year old Josh is refused admission onto a fairground ride, he finds a wish machine and wishes that he were big. The next morning, Josh awakes to discover that his wish has been granted and he is now a thirteen year old in thirty-year old body. Having to flee his home, Josh takes a stab at being a grownup, getting a job in a toy factory and, with his inner child guiding him, fast becoming the boss’ favourite. But the more Josh tastes the grownup life, the more he wishes that he were little again. 

The whole body-switching thing has been successfully done time and time again in Suddenly 30, 17 Again, Freaky Friday, and The Hot Chick, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a body-change movie quite like this one. It wasn’t overdone in any way. There was no overly clever or crude humour to bring a sour taste to the innocence of the whole thing. I like that. It was all very innocent. 

When thirteen-year old Josh is refused admission onto a fairground ride, he finds a wish machine and wishes that he were big. The next morning, Josh awakes to discover that his wish has been granted and he is now a thirteen year old in a thirty-year old body. Having to flee his home to New York to find the wish machine, Josh takes a stab at being a grownup, getting a job in a toy factory and, with his inner child guiding him, fast becoming the boss’ favourite. But the more Josh tastes of the grownup life, the more he begins to wish that he were little again. 

As I mentioned before, this film was entirely innocent, but at the same time really powerful. It’s a classic tale of “be careful what you wish for”, but one that benefits the hero in more than one way. In most transformation stories the hero is transformed so he can receive spiritual enlightenment and learn really important emotional lessons. In Big, Josh does not only learn the lesson of waiting for life to go on naturally, he gets a sneak-peek into what sort of world lies in his future. He takes responsibility and makes it on his own in the adult world, which is something that you never see in most transformation movies, because there is always a friend who believes the hero and then the entire thing becomes a massive charade. Yes, there is the believing friend in Big, but for the most part, he leaves the hero to his own devices and only really helps out in the beginning. I think what all the words I’m using boil down to is that Big was a really natural sort of transformation movie, where the hero has to adapt to his new surroundings and not change them to suit him. I really liked that. 

With Tom Hanks as the hero and delivering a really memorable performance, and starring Elizabeth Perkins, Jon Lovitz, David Moscow, Jared Rushton, Robert Loggia, and John Heard, Big is a timeless be-careful-what-you-wish-for classic that’s fit for all ages and stands the test of time. Filled with the supernatural, comedy, action, friendship, innocence, and romance, it’s a wonderful film that will never cease to captivate audiences.