For reasons no one can ever really pinpoint, Hollywood loves going through cycles where similarly plotted movies come out within several months of one another. Just recently there’s been the "man on TV" plot ("EdTV" and "The Truman Show"), the WWII saga ("Saving Private Ryan," "The Thin Red Line") and the "Look out! The Sky’s falling" plot of "Deep Impact and "Armageddon."
Of course this isn’t a new phenomenon and in years past there have been other films with similar plots such as those deep sea monster movies, "Leviathan" and "DeepStar Six." Around that same time (in 1987/1988) there were also four films dealing with body/soul switching between adults and kids. Those included "Like Father, Like Son" (Dudley Moore & Kirk Cameron), "Vice Versa" (Judge Reinhold & Fred Savage) and "18 Again!" (George Burns & Charlie Schlatter). Yet it was only the fourth such film involving a kid stuck in an adult’s body that worked, and that film was "Big."
Whereas those other films didn’t work or did so only to limited success, this one marvelously succeeded and for several distinct reasons. For one, it didn’t involve two switched identities (the kid and the adult in either other’s bodies) and thus didn’t waste time and dilute the proceedings by having to switch back and forth between the separate characters and their reactions to their predicament.
The film also used the plot device as a symbolic examination of losing one’s innocence (when making the transition from child to adult) and then finding it once again before it’s too late. Notwithstanding all of that, what really makes the film work -- and where the others failed -- is in the lead actor having to pull off a convincing performance as a child trapped inside an adult body.
As such, the filmmakers, including director Penny Marshall, as well as a worldwide audience couldn’t have asked for anyone better than Tom Hanks to fill those shoes. Receiving his first Oscar nomination for his work in the film, this was Hanks’ first really big moment of a career that started back in drag in the early 1980’s sitcom "Bosom Buddies" and quite surprisingly eventually turned him into one of the most honored and requested actors working today.
While his performance in "Big" isn’t what most would consider along the lines of what defined Olivier, Brando or Stewart, it’s right on target for the sort of tale this film is trying to tell. Perfectly capturing and then exuding the characteristics, mannerisms and quirky thought processes of a preteen, Hanks delivers a charming, winning and heartfelt performance.
Of course it’s not difficult to see what Marshall and screenplay writers Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg are trying to expound -- that as adults we’ve all lost the innocence that made childhood so much fun -- but fortunately they don’t lay it on so thick as to make the proceedings too sickening sweet or sentimental.
Beyond Hanks, the film’s supporting performances are all solid and the somewhat formulaic script never lets them down. One of those films that can be watched repeatedly without any diminished effect on its overall enjoyment, "Big" is a pure delight and we highly recommend it.
As far as the DVD treatment, the video and audio portions are good, but the supplemental materials (a lone theatrical trailer) are lacking. Considering how beloved the film is, extra material, such as running audio commentary by Marshall and/or Hanks, would have been a nice addition.
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