BIG (PG) presented in 35mm

Big - Revival House Perth Event Bio

Penny Marshall's 1988 masterpiece is the gold standard for body-swap comedies—a magical premise executed with genuine heart that launched Tom Hanks into superstardom and earned him his first Oscar nomination. This isn't just a comedy about a kid in an adult's body; it's a bittersweet meditation on what we lose when we grow up too fast.

Hanks plays Josh Baskin, a 13-year-old boy who makes a wish at a carnival fortune-telling machine to be "big"—and wakes up the next morning in an adult body. Unable to convince his terrified mother it's really him, Josh flees to New York City with his best friend Billy, gets a job at a toy company, and accidentally becomes a rising star in the corporate world because he actually thinks like a kid.

What makes Big transcendent is Hanks' performance—one of the most purely joyful in cinema history. Watch him play "Chopsticks" on the giant FAO Schwarz piano with his boss (Robert Loggia), eat baby corn like regular corn, or bounce on a trampoline in his loft apartment. Hanks doesn't play a kid badly imitating an adult; he plays a kid who doesn't know he should be imitating an adult at all.

Elizabeth Perkins brings complexity as Susan, the executive who falls for Josh's childlike enthusiasm, creating the film's most bittersweet element—a romance that can't possibly work once Josh returns to his real age. Marshall balances comedy and melancholy perfectly, never losing sight of the fact that Josh's adventure comes with real costs.

The film that proved Hanks was a movie star and remains the definitive wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Present in authentic 35mm film for the true cinematic experience!

When: Saturday, December 6th at 2:00 PM
Where: Revival House Perth
Rating: PG - Mild adult themes

Hanks' most joyful performance—a magical comedy with a heart that never forgot what it's like to be a kid.