BIG (1988)

As you will have seen I had quite a disappointing experience recently with an 80's film that I fondly remember from my childhood, National Lampoon's Vacation. So it was with trepidation that I began watching Big on New Year's Day, nursing a hangover that should have been far worse than it actually was. Was another of my favourites about to be panned by my new old person outlook?



Penny Marshall's film, co-written by Steven Spielberg's sister, Anna (not a bad fact for you there) about a 13 year old boy getting his wish to become 'Big' (a grown up, nothing more sinister than that for those of you with a filthy mind) is often talked about as a modern classic and people rarely, if ever, have a bad word to say about it. So, after all these years (I hadn't seen it for about 10 years), would it still have the magic?

Yes it would, and emphatically so at that. And in all honesty a lot of that is down to the central performance of Tom Hanks, for which he received an Oscar nomination (losing out to Dustin Hoffman for Rain Man). He manages to have the facial expressions, body language and movement of a 13 year old boy in a man's body, a human being who's body is completely alien to him. It's striking how he pulls it off. He hares about the corridors of his office like a kid desperate not to be late for class, he eats strange looking canapes as you would expect a stroppy teenager to do so, experiencing life through a process of trial and error. But it isn't just the physical aspect of Hank's performance, in fact it's only a very small part of what makes this film so special. There is an undoubted vulnerability to his Josh Baskin. When he first wakes in the morning and discovers his transformation he is desperate to get his mum's help but she is terrified of him, convinced he has done something to her son. He turns to his best friend Billy (great turn from Jared Rushton) and in order to convince him that he is his best mate in the body of a grown up, he has to sing one of their childhood tunes, and Hanks does so with pumped up desperation. He sings it like his life depends on it. He also cuts a forlorn isolated figure as he sits alone in a tatty hotel room in New York, trying to shut out the screams and gun fire outside. It's heartbreaking - he doesn't want this. A true lesson in being careful what you wish for.

Grown up Baskin's relationships in the film are important to giving the character real depth. Firstly, there is his friendship with Billy. Some of the best and most touching scenes are of the two of them just hanging out, eating ice cream in diners, playing with toys in Baskin's office, again Hanks nails it, acting just as you would expect a 13 boy to do so. The second element, is his blossoming relationship with Susan (Elizabeth Perkins), a work colleague. She falls for his love of life and the way he meets all challenges head on with a naivety and innocence. Hanks plays these scenes superbly, countering affection and emotional questions with punches on shoulders and embarrassed looks away. Penny Marshall cleverly avoids obvious jokes about sex, instead opting for nice moments between the two such as Baskin insisting on being on the top bunk bed when she stays over, then giving her a plastic compass ring 'to stop her getting lost'.

A lot of credit should go to Marshall and the writers (the writers were actually nominated for an Academy Award for this, again losing out to Rain Man) for not going for the obvious comedy route in this set up, unlike Vice Versa released in the same year. There are very few generic jokes about a young person in a grown up situation, instead a lot of the humour and joy is to be found in the performance of the actors rather than any slap stick gags.

So it is still a lovely film. Watching it now, as a grown up, I was really impressed at how good a film it is. As a child you don't see how subtle it is and how top notch the acting and writing is. Hanks in the performance that really launched him into the big time, a giant piano you play with your feet, the best apartment ever seen on film, a lovely ending without any needless chase scenes or races against time, it's the ultimate cautionary tale to warn you against growing up too quickly.

Stay youthful and dig out your copy now.