Big (1988)
Film details
Fantasy · Drama · Comedy · Penny Marshall · 1h 44min
Synopsis
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.
Verdict
Family comedy that celebrates childhood innocence and the gradual value of maturity.
In-depth analysis
'Big' explores the moral and philosophical plane of human growth through fantasy. Josh Baskin, a thirteen-year-old boy, yearns for adulthood to escape youthful limitations, but his wish granted by a fairground machine reveals the complexity of human dignity: adulthood brings freedom, but also loneliness, work pressures, and ethical dilemmas. The narrative highlights the natural law of gradual development, where maturity is forged in virtues such as responsibility, loyalty, and sacrifice. Josh navigates the corporate world with childlike integrity, rejecting premature romantic advances and prioritizing authentic bonds. His arc culminates in the free choice to return to childhood, recognizing that fullness resides in the order of life's stages, not in illusory shortcuts. Without disruptive agendas, the work promotes a healthy anthropology: the human being flourishes in family, friendship, and self-mastery. The comedic scenes, such as the clumsy rejection in bed with Susan, underscore innocence as the guardian of chastity and mutual respect. For parents, it invites them to accompany their children's awakening with patience, celebrating wonder before the ordered reality of life.