I often wonder why it's so damn hard to just be a big kid no matter
how old you are. Big is a movie about hanging on to that carefree
child even when you grow up. It's about not getting caught up in
stringent rules and routines, remembering those things that made
being young so great, the outlook on life, especially when facing
the mundane world of adulthood. Big strikes the balance between the
two.
This is one of those movies that nearly everyone has seen. And, I
suppose it's the precursor to that movie, 13 Going on 30, despite
some differences in how the metamorphosis occurs and the result and
everything.
Big is the story of 13 year-old Josh Baskin who is tired of missing
out on all the privileges of being an adult. He's tired of simply
being a kid. One night, he makes a drastic wish at a carnival
arcade machine, and in the next day, he wakes up 30 years-old (or
so). So the kid gets his wish, and while trying to return to
normal, is a 13 year-old kid faced with a 30-year old's
responsibilities. And it's a lot of fun. He works at a toy
manufacturer. He gets the most excellent loft. I remember wanting a
place like that when I was a teenager. Eventually, the 13-year-old
must balance with the responsibilities of being a 30 year-old when
Josh falls seriously in love with Susan (Perkins).
Big is one of the greatest movies ever simply because of the idea
of a kid trying to be an adult and an adult still trying to hang on
to being a kid, and all that things that Josh Baskins gets to
experience while doing that.
As one of Penny Marshall's most notable production, this is
enjoyable for nearly any age group. Everyone in it is
fantastic--Hanks, Perkins, Loggia, Heard, Rheul, Moscow, and
Rushton. It's a tough thing trying to hang to being young when you
get older, but Big's a good reminder to keep trying.