Big

"Big" instantly became one of my favorite films. 20 years later, I can still say the same thing. This film not only "holds up" well, it is still a timeless classic. Hanks & Perkins give outstanding performances; instead of "playing" a 12 year old, Hanks actually becomes one. His innocence is totally believable. Perkins plays the part of the ambitious Susan to perfection, and she is the perfect love interest for Hanks. Talk about chemistry here! The acting was great and the entire cast did an superb job. The movie is definitely a feel-good piece, but it's more than just fluff. If you think about some of the messages, it's telling us just to take things at face value and enjoy life. Josh succeeds because he has no ulterior motives. We are regularly reminded about the importance of friendship, and how events in our lives can sometimes threaten our relationships with established friends when we find something or someone new that we think deserves our full attention. Of course, a good friend will forgive you for such indulgences.

Overall, the movie deserves more stars for it's clever laughs, amazing acting, magnitude of imagination and nostalgia. Nonetheless, when the ending came along, I was left in shock wondering what just happened. Is that it? What happens next? There has to be additional footage. It cannot end like this. It called for a sequel perhaps, but I don't know if it ever came out. If you never watched this movie and would like to experience 80's nostalgia, it is highly recommended! My Ratings: 9 out of 10.

This charming, sweet, hilarious gem of a film works because Tom Hanks makes you believe he actually is a small boy in the body of an adult.

The interesting trick of what makes the story appealing is not so much the magic that the boy gets his wish to be "big." It's that once he is in an adult, he has to navigate the adult world with the mind of a child -- and ultimately realizes that he is missing something if he makes the leap from boy to man without going through all the fun and the struggle in between. There are several other films that have the boy-to-man switch, but none of them have the depth of understanding about human nature that this film portrays.

The story is wonderfully written and directed, and Tom Hanks is a star. The film made me laugh, and it made me cry. What more can you ask of one movie?

I saw this film again yesterday for what must now be the tenth or so time and it's a film that makes me stop whatever I'm doing and immerse myself in the unfolding story. Never mind the fact that I am by now familiar with the premise, which incidentally far exceeds similar ones of the genre released at this time - Vice Versa and 18 Again (the latter being truly dire).

I think this is one of Hanks' finest hours and see it as the pinnacle of his early pre-90's career. His later performance in Philadelphia would eclipse this role, although this was obviously more serious in its message.

It takes real talent to act the young boy in the body of a thirty something and Hanks' copes admirably, from the comical leaping around the bedroom when he is trying to put on the jeans of the child on discovering his transformation to the child-like reaction displayed on Perkins' advances toward him. He captures the essence of youthful innocence both in the company of his younger peers and older 'work' colleagues.

Elizabeth Perkins complements the performance of Hanks' and it seems a shame that on searching the database that her career perhaps hasn't mirrored the success of Hanks' since making 'Big'.

I don't know why, but I always shed a tear at the end of the film. Perhaps it is the longing in all of us to want to return to the days of our youth and that we cannot turn back the clock as one can in the imaginary world of film.

As I grow older, and watch my children grow-up it makes me realise that time is a precious commodity and that life is a gift that should be cherished and nurtured carefully. This film somehow reinforces these feelings.

"Big" is a magnificent movie. Tom Hanks portrays a young boy trapped in the body of a grown man. Imagine one morning, to find yourself trapped in an unfamiliar body. Mr. Hanks creates a vivid character and plays a convincing role as a 13 year old boy who has to deal with the confusion of this sudden change. The child shines through the grown man throughout the movie, in classic scenes such as his first day on the job at the MacMillan Toy Company when he curls his legs underneath him to sit at his desk, and at the company cocktail party when the entire staff chuckles at his choice in tuxedo and his first reaction is to check the fly on his white-sequined pants. Also his nervousness and restlessness during a marketing meeting, and the way he holds up his hand and waits to be called on before making a comment, are all childlike actions. Such small details are what make the character so convincing and Tom Hanks pulls it off brilliantly.

What we're talking about is a wonderful fantasy comedy about the child, who sleeps in everyone's soul and waits to get free. Superbly written scenes follow each other, not to mention Tom Hanks' performance, which should have been awarded. He seems to me the only contemporary actor, who was able to play the role of a 13-year-old teenager, who becomes an adult from one day to another. Elizabeth Perkins and especially John Heard form a strong supporting cast and this time they really support Hanks' work. This film bothers to talk about more important things, like the loss of innocence, friendship and the first love, not just tells a story about a boy in the big city. This was Hanks' star-making role after a string of stupid comedies in the middle 80s and he deservedly became one of the biggest stars of the 90s. And don't forget, this was his first film in his "outsider" series: he made his biggest successes playing somehow outsider figures: Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump or the Cast Away. Go and see it, you won't be disappointed even if you think you've lost the child inside you...with the help of this film you will find it. Believe me.