Big Movie Review 1988

13-year-old Josh makes a wish at a carnival fortune-teller to be "big." When he wakes up the next morning he finds that he suddenly won't fit into his clothes and his mother doesn't recognize him. Until he finds a cure, he must learn to live in the adult world--complete with job (in a toy firm), Manhattan apartment, and romance. Perkins is wonderful as a cynical fellow employee who warms to the new guy's naivete, while Hanks is totally believable as the little boy inside a man's body. Marshall directs with authority and the whole thing clicks from the beginning.

Distribution

Home Vision Cinema, c/o Image Entertainment, 20525 Nordhoff St., Ste. 200, Chatsworth, CA 91311, URL: http://www.homevision.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 98 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Comedy Drama, Fantasy, New York, New York, Childhood Visions, Coming of Age, Role Reversal, Toys, Amusement Parks

Screenplay

Gary Ross

Cast

Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, John Heard, Robert Loggia, Jared Rushton, David Moscow, Jon Lovitz, Mercedes Ruehl

Cinematography

Michael Ballhaus

Director

Penny Marshall

Music

Howard Shore

Producer

20th Century-Fox, Gracie Films

Awards

Golden Globes 1989: Actor--Mus./Comedy (Hanks); L.A. Film Critics 1988: Actor (Hanks).