|
Big (1988)
In director Penny Marshall's body transference
and
"fish-out-of-water" fantasy, it told about a 13 year-old
boy in the body of a 30 year-old man:
- in a carnival scene one evening where teenaged 13
year Josh Baskin (David Moscow) was with his parents and baby sister
Rachel, he was humiliated after being told that he was too short
for the "Ring of Fire" roller coaster ride - witnessed by a pretty
blonde female classmate Cynthia Benson (Kimberlee M. Davis)
- by himself, he approached toward an automated, wish-granting
machine known as "Zoltar Speaks"; after inserting 25
cents, suddenly Zoltar became animated with glowing red eyes and
a sign lit up: ZOLTAR SAYS - MAKE YOUR WISH; he made a wish to
be 'big' ("I
wish I were big"); he received a card - from the strangely
unplugged machine - telling him: "Your
Wish is Granted" but didn't feel anything different
Making
a Wish at the "Zoltar Speaks" Machine
|
|
|
|
- the next morning, Josh became panicked when he realized,
in front of his bathroom mirror, that he was a full-grown, unrecognizable
young adult male (now Tom Hanks as a 30 year-old);
he reached into his pocket and found
a 'Zoltar Speaks' card in his wallet - informing him: "Your Wish
is Granted"
- Josh quickly rode his now-undersized bicycle back
to the carnival grounds, but found them empty; he returned to his
home in Cliffside Park NJ, where his freaked-out mother didn't recognize
him and thought he was an intruder-kidnapper; to convince her of
his identity, Josh pulled down his sweatpants to show her his birthmark
behind his left knee, but she was even more aghast that he was wearing
her son's underwear; he was forced to flee from his own house when
she threateningly grabbed a butcher knife
- fortunately, at his school, he was able to convince
Billy Kopecki (Jared Rushton), his next-door neighbor and best friend,
of his predicament, and confirmed his identity by singing a recognizable
nonsense song; Billy stole cash and some of his father’s
clothes for Josh, and the two rode together on a bus to New
York City - to locate the Zoltar machine so that his life
could be restored; soon after Billy helped Josh to find a cheap
flophouse room at the St. James Hotel, where Josh cried himself to
sleep; Billy left and promised to return the next day; meanwhile,
Josh's parents filed a "Missing Persons" report
- the boys' efforts at a Consumer Affairs office to
locate the carnival or fair that might help reconnect them with
Zoltar failed, and they were told their request required six weeks
until they received results
- in the meantime, Josh successfully applied
for a computer operator data-entry job at the MacMillan Toy Company,
after faking his Social Security number and his resume's work history
- to assuage his distraught mother, he phoned her posing
as Josh's kidnapper, and promised
that Josh would soon be returned unharmed; he provided proof of
his claims by answering her question about the song she would often
sing to him ("The Way We Were")
- in the film's most recognizable sequence, while
Josh was in the main showroom of an F.A.O. Schwartz toy store on
a weekend, he happened to meet the MacMillan
Toys company executive boss "Mac" MacMillan
(Robert Loggia) and quickly impressed him with his childlike enthusiasm
and knowledge of toys; Josh enjoyed tap
dancing and foot-tapping to the tunes Heart and Soul and Chopsticks on
a giant, floor-sized and mounted electronic piano keyboard; soon
after, Josh invited MacMillan to join him as a crowd of
onlookers watched and applauded them
- after MacMillan
recognized Josh for his child-like intuition and ability to
pick successful toy products, he was ultimately promoted to toy tester
in charge of Product Development; however, his sudden advancement upset
top-level co-workers: sexy yuppie toy executive Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth
Perkins), and her competitive boyfriend Paul Davenport (John Heard)
- with his salary, Josh rented a large loft apartment
and transformed it into a childlike playroom with arcade games (a
pinball machine), toys, a trampoline, and a basketball hoop
- at a fancy MacMillan company
office cocktail party, Josh was inappropriately dressed in a white
tuxedo with sequins, and reacted to the hors d'oeuvres (miniature corn
cobs) by eating them as if they were full-sized; Susan befriended
him after seeing his awkwardness, and invited him to ride with her
in her hired limousine to Josh’s
apartment; during the ride, Josh was distracted by the limo's sunroof
and kept popping out of the vehicle
- Josh experienced a confused
sexual relationship with Susan when she asked to spend the night with
him; she misinterpreted her sexual interest in him and agreed to
a "sleep-over" in bunk beds; he
agreed to share his bunk bed with her - Susan: "I
want to spend the night with you." Josh: "Do you mean
sleep over?" Susan: "Well... yeah!" Josh (with a guileless reply): "Well,
okay... but I get to be on top!"; afterwards, Josh jumped on
a trampoline with Susan (viewed through windows from outside his apartment
"But I get to be on top!"
|
In Bunk Beds
|
Trampoline-Jumping
|
- Paul's jealous retaliation against Josh for stealing
Susan away led to Susan's break up with Paul; during
a tender, simple and innocent scene in Susan's apartment, he gently touched
her breast through her bra before kissing her, and they spent the night
together
- Billy was finally able to receive a list of carnivals
and fairs that he and Josh requested, but by this time, Josh had
become completely distracted by his relationship with Susan, and
he ignored and neglected Billy's demands that Josh listen to him
and set his priorities straight
- in a subdued scene, Josh returned to his hometown
and walked around his neighborhood and school; he noticed younger
kids, including his friend Billy, having playful fun and longed to
return to the simple joys of childhood; later, during dinner with
Susan, Josh attempted to explain his transformation and his real
age ("I'm a child, Susan, and I'm - I'm
not ready for all of this"), but she interpreted his fears
as a lack of commitment, and dismissed what he was saying
- ultimately, Billy was able to inform Josh of a Zoltar
machine at Sea Point Park; in a daze, Josh left the toy company
(in the middle of a proposal presentation), where he made a wish
to become a kid again; his wish was not fulfilled until he unplugged
the machine to put it back into its magical mode of operation; Susan
followed after him and realized that Josh's earlier confession about
his transformation was actually true, and that their relationship
would be ending; she declined Josh's offer to have her use the machine
to turn herself into a little girl
- in the conclusion, Susan drove Josh home, and outside
his house she kissed his forehead before they parted ways; there
was a poignant final shot of Susan watching Josh, who waved goodbye
- he transformed into a 13 year-old boy again (with
clothes that now didn't fit him) - he ran toward his home, calling
out: "Mom?...I
missed you all so much"
- in the short epilogue, Josh and his friend
Billy walked down the street discussing playing stick ball (to
the instrumental tune of Heart and Soul)
|
(l to r): Billy Kopecki (Jared Rushton) and
Josh Baskin (David Moscow)
In Roller-Coaster Line at the Carnival With Older Blonde
Cynthia
The Bathroom Mirror - Unrecognizable
"Your Wish is Granted" Card
Josh's Freaked-Out Mother
Giant Electronic Piano Keyboard in an F.A.O. Schwartz
Toy Showroom with "Mac" MacMillan (Robert Loggia)
In His Playroom Loft Apartment
Josh Eating Miniature Corn Cobs at a MacMillan Toy Company
Cocktail Party
Josh's Grown-Up Relationship with Susan
During a Visit to His Hometown, Josh Remembered and Missed
His 'Childhood'
After Waving Goodbye, Susan Witnessed
His Transformation
|