Big (1988)

Big rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.3/10· 258K votes

Rotten Tomatoes98%

Metacritic73%

TMDb7.185/10· 4K votes

With 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.3/10 on IMDb and 73/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Big

When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown-ups including getting a job and having his first romantic encounter with a woman.

Cast of Big

• 

  Tom Hanks

  as Josh Baskin

• 

  Elizabeth Perkins

  as Susan

• 

  Robert Loggia

  as MacMillan

• 

  John Heard

  as Paul

• 

  Jared Rushton

  as Billy

• 

  David Moscow

  as Young Josh

• 

  Jon Lovitz

  as Scotty Brennen

• 

  Mercedes Ruehl

  as Mrs. Baskin

• 

  Josh Clark

  as Mr. Baskin

• K

  Kimberlee M. Davis

  as Cynthia Benson

• O

  Oliver Block

  as Freddie Benson

• E

  Erika Katz

  as Cynthia's Friend

Big facts

Budget

$18M

Box office

$151.9M

Our take on Big

Penny Marshall's 1988 comedy-drama with a fantasy twist follows a thirteen-year-old boy who wishes at a carnival machine to be big, then wakes the next morning in a grown man's body while remaining a child inside. Thrust into the adult world, he must navigate a job and a first, tentative romance while still thinking like a kid. The film mines its high concept for warmth and gentle comedy as much as laughs, quietly reflecting on what we lose growing up. It suits viewers who like heartfelt, character-driven fantasy over broad gags, and anyone drawn to a wistful, coming-of-age story told through an inventive premise.