HOT: Big

Before Tom Hanks became a huge star, and started getting some amazing roles (those will come later), this film was my absolute favorite of his.

Hanks stars as Josh Baskin, well the adult version, in the film Big. Baskin is a 13-year old boy (David Moscow), who sort of has a crush on this older girl in his school.

One night Josh and his family go to the local fair and he notices his dream girl standing in line for a pretty intense ride. Trying to impress her Josh gets in line and talks big about having ridden on the ride a bunch of times. But, when he gets to the front of the line they all find out he is too short to ride the ride.

Dejected, Josh walks away and finds this strange machine called a Zoltar. The machine asks you to make a wish and if you shoot the quarter in its mouth, your wish comes true. Josh sinks the quarter - and his wish will come true. But, he notices that the machine is working without even being plugged in.

That night Josh goes to sleep as a 13-year old boy - and when he wakes up is an adult (now Hanks).

Scared out of his mind, because his mother doesn't believe it's him, Josh seeks out his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton). At first Billy doesn't believe him either, but Josh is able to convince him.

They come up with the idea to move to NYC and blend in by getting a job until they can track down the Zoltar machine so that Josh can be switched back.

The film (and Hanks) portrays Josh as a young, naive man who is trying to figure things out in the adult world. Including his first girlfriend and possible sexual experience with Susan (Elizabeth Perkins), which is both sweet and, if you think about it, creepy. Both the film and Hanks portrayed this masterfully.

Big is one of the few films about switching bodies that actually did well during the era. But, it was the lone film that wasn't about switching bodies with another person.

Since then, we have had a few ripoffs, 13 Going on 30 and 17 Again! come to mind. Neither is even close to the quality of Big, though 13 Going on 30 is decent and from a girls' point of view.

The film, despite being released in the late 80s, still pretty much holds up. Sure, the toys that Josh is helping create and plays with are of the 80s persuasion, but heck they're all coming back out again anyway - so that shouldn't stop you from enjoying it.

Grade:

Top 10: Tom Hanks Roles

Alright, I figured it out. I have decided to do a Top 10 list about my all-time favorite actor, Tom Hanks. I pretty much like all of Mr. Hanks' work, although he has had a few duds in the mix. So, getting just 10 characters was a bit difficult. But, I did do it.

When I wrote down the characters he has played I actually came out with 12 that were my favorites, so I have to give Lawrence Whatley Bourne III from Volunteers and Scott Turner from Turner & Hooch an honorable mention.

So here is the list (reverse order as always):

10) Robert Langdon - Da Vinci Code

Synopsis: Based on the best-selling novel, Hanks takes over as Dr. Robert Langdon, a symbologist who is called into action of tracking down hidden clues inside Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings.

9) Jim Lovell - Apollo 13

Synopsis: Lovell is named captain of the Apollo 13 moon mission, and along with two other astronauts, will be one of the first few people on the moon. An explosion within the shuttle, however, makes this mission into a rescue mission.

8) Carl Hanratty - Catch Me If You Can

Synopsis: Hanratty is the main investigator in catching the con man Frank Abagnale Jr. During his pursuit he sort of develops a relationship with the young man - as sort of a father figure.

7) Chuck Noland - Cast Away

Synopsis: In one of Hanks' most brilliant performances, Noland is stranded on a remote island after a plane accident. For 2/3's of the movie, Hanks is forced to keep the audience interested with only his actions and his interactions with a volleyball named Wilson.

6) Mr. White - That Thing You Do

Synopsis: Mr. White of PlayTone Music is the new manager of The Wonders, whose hit single "That Things You Do" is climbing up the charts. But, friction between the band members soon puts an end to the magical run and the band becomes a one-hit wonder.

5) Josh Baskin - Big

Synopsis: The movie that really moved Hanks into the mainstream. Hanks plays Baskin, a 12-year old boy looking to grow up a little too fast. Making a wish on a Zoltar Machine, Baskin wakes up as an adult and is forced to figure things out on his own.

4) Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump

Synopsis: Easily one of the most quotable movies of Hanks' career. Hanks plays Gump, a man with a well-below average IQ, but even with his lack of smarts, Gump lives an extraordinary life and meets many fascinating people along the way.

3) Jimmy Dugan - A League of Their Own

Synopsis: Dugan is a retired baseball player, who during his prime was one of the greatest hitters of all-time. Drinking, however, got in the way of his playing career and he is given the chance to manage the Rockford Peaches of the All-American Baseball League - a woman's league. But it could very well be the best thing that ever happened to him.

2) Capt. John Miller - Saving Private Ryan

Synopsis: Hanks plays Miller, a school teacher who is in charge of men's lives during World War II. He is given the assignment of tracking down Private Ryan, whose three bothers had already been killed in the war. It's a gripping tale and one of the most realistic (so I'm told) war movies ever created.

1) Sheriff Woody - Toy Story

Synopsis: As stunning a career as Tom Hanks the actor has had, it's his voice work that has truly made the biggest splash. Hanks lends his voice to Woody, the jealous cowboy doll, in Toy Story. Which, along with being the first all-computer generated film in history, is also one of the best all-around movies.