Big

Big Movie Poster

"Have you ever had a really big secret?"  Big was a 1988 fantasy comedy that starred Tom Hanks as Joshua Baskin and Elizabeth Perkins as Susan Lawrence.  The movie was a huge success at the theaters, and nearly all critics loved it.  The movie is still considered to be one of the funniest movies ever released, and Tom Hanks performed well enough to warrant an Academy Award nomination.

The movie finds 12 year old Josh Baskins at a New Jersey carnival, where he finds he is too short to ride one of the rides.  While putting a coin into a strange fortune telling game called Zoltar Speaks, Josh wishes to be big.  And Zoltar delivered.  The next day, Josh wakes up to find he is a 12 year old in a 30 year old body.  He returns to the carnival to find it has moved on, and he enlists the help of his friend, Billy, to help him find the Zoltar (after convincing him that he really was his 12 year old friend).

In order to survive, Josh gets a job at a toy company in NYC, and an apartment nearby.  After Josh impresses his boss with his knowledge of toys, he lands a promotion testing new toys, and makes enough jack to rent a nicer apartment, which he and Billy fill with toys and games. As Josh becomes romantically involved with a lady from work, he starts looking more and more like an adult and less like a kid, much to Billy's chagrin.  As time goes on, Josh realizes being an adult really isn't that great after all, and when he finds out that Zoltar is nearby, he makes the trip and reverses the wish.  The movie ends with Josh fully embracing his childhood, once again.