Honestly, it’s hard to imagine anyone but Tom Hanks playing Josh Baskin. That goofy, duck-like walk and the way he looked at a cocktail party like it was a confusing alien ritual—it just worked. But the 1988 Tom Hanks movie Big almost looked very different. For a while, Robert De Niro was actually signed on to play the kid-turned-adult. Imagine the "You talkin' to me?" guy trying to convince a middle-school best friend that he’s actually thirteen. It would’ve been a completely different film, likely darker and way less whimsical.
Thankfully, the studio balked at De Niro’s $6 million price tag, and director Penny Marshall got her first choice. The result wasn't just a hit; it was a cultural shift.
The Body-Swap Year of 1988
It’s weird to think about now, but 1988 was obsessed with age-swapping. You had Vice Versa, 18 Again!, and 14 Going on 30. Everyone was doing it. Yet, Big is the only one we still talk about with this kind of reverence. Why? Basically, because it didn’t treat the premise like a gimmick. While the other movies focused on the "wacky" hijinks of an old man in a young body, Big focused on the bittersweet reality of losing your childhood.
When Josh Baskin makes that wish at the Zoltar machine, he isn't looking for a career in toy marketing. He just wants to be tall enough to ride a roller coaster and impress a girl. The movie hits home because it captures that specific, desperate ache of being twelve and wanting to hurry up and be "real."
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The Piano Scene: Luck, Sweat, and Cardboard
You’ve seen the FAO Schwarz scene a thousand times. It’s the one where Josh and his boss, Mr. MacMillan (played by Robert Loggia), dance out "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks" on a giant floor piano. It looks effortless. It wasn't.
Penny Marshall was actually skeptical about the scene at first. Screenwriter Anne Spielberg had to talk her into it after seeing a similar piano in a New York shop. Once it was in, the pressure was on. Hanks and Loggia didn't just wing it; they practiced on cardboard cutouts of the keys at home for weeks.
The studio even hired professional dance doubles just in case the actors couldn't pull it off. But when they got to the set, Loggia and Hanks were reportedly a bit annoyed that anyone thought they needed help. They did the whole thing themselves. If you look closely at their faces, that’s not just acting—it’s the genuine concentration of two men trying not to trip while playing a giant instrument with their feet.
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Why Tom Hanks Was the Secret Weapon
Before 1988, Tom Hanks was mostly "the guy from Bachelor Party" or Bosom Buddies. He was funny, sure, but Big proved he had soul. To get the character right, Hanks didn't just "act" like a kid. He spent hours watching David Moscow (who played Young Josh) to mimic his specific physical tics.
Moscow had this peculiar "duck walk" because his feet were growing faster than the rest of him—a classic awkward-teenager problem. Hanks noticed and had special shoes made that were slightly too large for his feet so he would naturally lumber around the same way. It’s those tiny, granular details that make his performance feel human rather than like a caricature.
The Punchline Connection
While Big was the massive $151 million blockbuster, 1988 also saw the release of Punchline. In that one, Hanks played Steven Gold, a struggling, borderline-obsessive stand-up comic. It was a much darker role, and it showed his range. He actually spent months performing real stand-up sets at The Comedy Store in LA to prepare. He’d go up with a five-minute routine, often bombing on purpose or feeling that "pure flop sweat" just to know what it felt like.
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A Legacy of Glass Ceilings
We can't talk about Big without talking about Penny Marshall. This movie made her the first female director to ever gross over $100 million at the box office. She had to fight for the tone of the film, too. Some executives wanted a more romantic, traditional lead. Debra Winger even tried to convince Marshall to make the lead a girl.
Marshall stood her ground. She famously argued that a movie about a 35-year-old man dating a "12-year-old girl" (in an adult woman's body) would feel like something out of a sleazy magazine. By keeping the lead male and the perspective innocent, she created something that felt like a fairy tale instead of a tabloid headline.
What Users Often Ask About Big (1988)
- Where was Big filmed? Most of the "suburban" scenes were shot in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. The carnival scenes with the Zoltar machine were filmed at Rye Playland in New York and the Ross Dock Picnic Area.
- Is the FAO Schwarz piano still there? The original store on Fifth Avenue closed, but the "Big Piano" lived on in various forms and locations. It’s still one of the most requested tourist experiences in NYC.
- What was the budget? It was made for about $18 million, which was a decent chunk of change in the late 80s, but nothing compared to its massive return.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you’re looking to revisit this era of cinema or understand why it worked, here’s how to do it right:
- Watch the Extended Cut: There is a 130-minute version of Big that includes more of Josh’s life at the toy company. It adds a bit more weight to his eventual decision to go home.
- Double Feature it with Punchline: To see the exact moment Tom Hanks transitioned from "sitcom star" to "Oscar contender," watch these two 1988 films back-to-back. The contrast is wild.
- Check out the "Body Swap" contemporaries: If you want a laugh, watch Vice Versa (1988) right after Big. You’ll immediately see why Marshall’s direction and Hanks' performance elevated Big into a classic while the others stayed in the 80s.
- Visit the Locations: If you’re ever in New York, a trip to Rye Playland is worth it. It still has that old-school, slightly eerie carnival vibe that made the Zoltar scene so memorable.