Big Business

This movie is a real must-see, especially if you are a fan of either Bette Midler or Lily Tomlin. Throughout the story you're either smiling, laughing or having a good old giggle, it's an original storyline (how often do we see that!), with subtle themes of strong, wholesome values - not so much so that its offensive or boring though. If you want to smile and spend a fun evening in, then this is the movie for you - watch out for the mirror scene with Bette Midler, silly but very funny. Two great actresses with style, a sense of fun and a lot of talent, pull this movie off to make it one of my all time, favourite DVD's. Enjoy!

That this 1988 movie contains 2 sympathetic, non-stereotypical gay characters says a lot about the movie makers. There seems to have been some real care taken over what could've ended up a cheaply made throwaway farce.

Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler are simply superb in their roles as separated twins and in my view out-do Jeremy Irons in that year's other twin movie `Dead Ringers' - and he was fantastic.

This film has been criticised for not delivering laughs where you would predict them based on the film's premise. But is that a fault? Big Business builds comedic tension early on and sustains it throughout by clever use of supporting characters and the subtle way that from their scenes with them we learn about the 4 leads.

The eternal dilemma of nature v nurture is portrayed in a fairly non-preachy way coupled with a similar approach to town v country. To do this in a farce containing 4 romances plus all the rest is a tall order for any moviemaker but this rich premise is cleverly negotiated by Jim Abrahams & the writers with only a handful of misfires.

Now I'm not one for romances but the studly Fred Ward, who was unbelievably 46 years old at the time, as the whiter than white Roone Dimmick, manages an amazing feat - his meeting and courting of Lily Tomlin in the space of a few minutes is carried off quite plausibly by this accomplished and underrated actor and is a joy to behold.

10 out of 10 and a real shame that there is no more from these 2 writers.

I love Big Business. The plot device of babies or twins being mixed up at birth isn't new, but it's rarely been done as well as it has here. Credit for that must largely go to the two leads - Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. Both are outstanding and transition between their dual roles with ease. The support cast is excellent too. Not all of the scenarios that make up the plot are brilliantly funny in themselves, but they are performed so well you'll think they are. I especially love the scene where Bette Midler dances and yodels on a New York street. Something about that always makes me smile. Big Business is over 30 years old as I write this, but it's head and shoulders above lots of the so-called comedy that is foisted on us today. In this age of female empowerment there is a big push to give us movies of all types with strong female leads. Some older movies that originally had a male cast have even been rewritten as vehicles for female stars rather than men (Ghostbusters anyone??) Bette and Lily did it before this trend became a thing and they did it better. If you've never seen this movie, watch it. If you haven't seen it in a while, do yourself a favour and watch it again. It hasn't dated.

I saw this movie again last night and I laughed at it all over again.It is so much more funnier than so many comedies today, I think its unfair, the lack of repect it gets.the idea is obviously very silly and was probably used before back in the 50's but that does'nt take from the film at all.The two main actresses play two very different characters (each!!), and the fact that you see all four as completely different people show how brilliantly Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin have pulled it off.Lily Tomlin seems to have loads of fun with her outrageous country girl character.Its just ridiculous and unbelieveably funny at the same time.The plot is well thought out and it is clever the idea they have for the way the girls managed to end up staying in the same hotel at the same time.Better Midler is fantastic aswell, both as a superb**ch and a a little miss fancy from the country.Look, just don't put too much thought into this movie just watch it and suspend reality for a while.Let yourself get into the confusion and the mad situations the characters get themselves into and it'll just be sheer fun all the way.In the scene where the country Rose came into the Morromax offices for the first time, I nearly laughes myself silly.

Big Business is an updated version of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. It is directed by Jim Abrahams with astonishing split screen photography by Dean Cundey.

Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin play dual roles. A set of twins switched at birth. Rose and Sadie Shelton were raised by a wealthy couple from New York. Rose and Sadie Ratliff were raised by farmers in Jupiter Hollow where all of them were one born but two of the babies were wrongly mixed up.

The Shelton girls run their father's business Moramax in New York City and plan to shut down the main factory in Jupiter Hollow. Rose (Midler) is tough as nails while Sadie (Tomlin) is meeker and has more scruples.

The Ratliff's visit New York in order to save the factory from closure. Sadie Ratliff (Tomlin) is the more astute and sensible one. Both sets of twins are staying at the same hotel and narrowly avoid meeting each other and not releasing that they are doppelgangers, but they cause mayhem with hotel staff, Moromax employees and even their boyfriends.

Big Business is an easy going fun film, it captures the late 80s 'greed is good' mantra. We see one of the characters modelling herself on Alexis Carrington from Dynasty. It is just a shame that it is not laugh out loud funny.