USA, 1988
104m
35mm film, colour, 1.85:1
Dolby Stereo, English
An American fantasy film directed by Penny Marshall.
Plot Summary
13-year-old Josh Baskin is madly in love with Cynthia and at a carnival wishes on a Zoltar machine, wanting to be “big.” Unexpectedly, Zoltar grants his wish and wakes up the next morning in an adult body. Helped by his best friend Billy, he starts to navigate the complexities of the adult world but soon starts longing to be a child again.
Credits
* = uncredited
Crew
Directed by: Penny Marshall
© 1988 by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation [logo] Produced in association with American Entertainment Partners II L.P. Released by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Gracie Films * A Penny Marshall film
Produced by: James L. Brooks, Robert Greenhut
Co-produced by: Anne Spielberg, Gary Ross
Written by: Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg
Director of Photography: Barry Sonnenfeld
Edited by: Barry Malkin
Music by: Howard Shore
Production Sound Mixer: Les Lazarowitz
Costume Designer: Judianna Makovsky
Makeup Artist: Mickey Scott
Hair Stylist: Lyndell Ouiyou
Production Designer: Santo Loquasto
Casting by: Juliet Taylor, Paula Herold
Cast
Tom Hanks (Josh)
Elizabeth Perkins (Susan)
Robert Loggia (MacMillan)
John Heard (Paul)
Jared Rushton (Billy)
Jon Lovitz (Scotty Brennen)
David Moscow (young Josh)
Mercedes Ruehl (Mrs Baskin)
Harvey Miller (personnel director)
Debra Jo Rupp (Miss Patterson}
Josh Clark (Mr Baskin)
Kimberlee M. Davis (Cynthia Benson)
Oliver Block (Freddie Benson)
Erika Katz (Cynthia’s friend)
Allan Wasserman (gym teacher)
Mark Ballou (Derek)
Gary Klar (ticket taker)
Alec Von Sommer (first brother)
Chris Dowden (second brother)
Rockets Redglare (motel clerk)
Alternative Titles
Big – isoksi yhdessä yössä – Finland (video)
Böyük – Azerbaijan, Turkey
Didelis – Lithuania
Duży – Poland
Katta – Uzbekistan
Petit bonhomme – Canada (French)
Quero ser Grande – Brazil
Quisiera ser grande – Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay
Segítség, felnőttem! – Hungary
Suur – Estonia
Trở Thành Người Lớn – Vietnam
Ülken – Kazakhstan
Velik – Slovenia
Veliki – Croatia
Velký – Czech Republic, Slovakia
Vreau sa fiu mare – Romania
Was ik maar groot! – Netherlands
Μπιγκ – Greece
Большой – Kazakhstan, Russia
Велики – Serbia
Великий – Ukraine
Голям – Bulgaria
Үлкен – Kazakhstan
ビッグ – Japan
बिग – India (Hindi)
飛進未來 – Taiwan
Links
Extracts included in
20th Century-Fox: The First 50 Years (1997)
61st Annual Academy Awards (1989)
65th Annual Academy Awards (1993)
AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Laughs: America’s Funniest Movies (2000)
And the Oscar Goes To… (2014)
Boffo! Tinseltown’s Bombs and Blockbusters (2006)
The Greatest 80s Movies (2014)
The Oscars (2016)
The Oscars (2018)
Precious Images (1986)
Tom Hanks: The Nomad (2023)
References
Periodicals
- Cinefantastique vol.19 no.1/2 (January 1989) p.116 – review (by Taylor L. White)
- City Limits no.368 (20 October 1988) pp.18-19; 27 – interview with (Penny Marshall); review
- DGA Quarterly vol.5 no.2 (Summer 2009) pp.66-73 – illustrated note (Funny Pictures)
- Empire no.109 (July 1998) p.50 – illustrated interview with David Moscow (Where are they now? by Adam Smith)
- Empire no.125 (November 1999) p.138 – illustrated video review (Videos to buy by Ian Freer)
- Empire no.140 (February 2001) p.138 – illustrated article (Classic scene: Big (1988) )
- Empire no.214 (April 2007) p.34 – illustrated interview with Davis Moscow (News etc.: Where are they now?)
- Empire no.231 (September 2008) pp.113-123 – illustrated article (10 years of DVD)
- Empire no.233 (November 2008) pp.88-172 – illustrated article (The 500 greatest movies of all time)
- Empire no.240 (June 2009) pp.179-184 – illustrated interview with Tom Hanks (In conversation with Tom Hanks by Ian Freer)
- Films and Filming no.409 (October 1988) pp.30, 31 – illustrated credits, review
- Monthly Film Bulletin vol.55 no.657 (October 1988) pp.298-299
- Music from the Movies no.38 (2003) p.54 – soundtrack review (Film music review: Archival releases by Brendon Kelly)
- Positif no.332 (October 1988) pp.44-45 – illustrated credits, review (Big by Robert Benayoun)
- Screen International no.657 (18 June 1988) p.18 – review
- Sight and Sound vol.9 no.1 (January 1999) pp.14-16 – illustrated article (Under the rainbow by J. Hoberman)
- Starburst no.277 (September 2001) p.66 – illustrated DVD review (Big by Ian Atkins)
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.299 no.2 (22 September 1987) p.22 – credits
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.302 no.32 (31 May 1988) p.3,38
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.302 no.36 (6 June 1988) p.3 – article
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.302 no.38 (8 June 1988) pp.6; 22 – note; credits
- The Listener vol.120 no.3085 (20 October 1988) p.42
- Time Out no.948 (19 October 1988) p.27 – review
- Variety 1 June 1988 p.13
- Written By vol.11 no.4 (May 2007) pp.44-47 – illustrated interview with Anne Spielberg and Gary Ross (Big laughs by Sandra Berg and Pat Sierchio)
Books
- The Best 80s Movies by Helen O’Hara pp.156-157 – illustrated review
- The Films of the Eighties by Douglas Brode pp.234-237 – illustrated credits, review
- The Films of the Eighties by Robert A. Nowlan and Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan p.45 – credits, synopsis
- The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy by David Pringle (general ed.) p.80 – credits, review
