I watched this film on DVD from Topeka Shawnee County Public Library. This is one of those films I've seen a million times and either lost my rating in the years since I started it in various digital moves or never bothered to rate it. It is also the first movie I've rated here from the 20th century. I do intend to share some of my favorite older films eventually and hopefully a new film or two, but this is a good start as this one came out exactly one month after I did.
The story is, for those who don't know, about a 13-year-old boy who is changed into a 30-year-old after wishing to be 'big' on a carnival machine called Zoltar Speaks. He runs away from home and gets hired at a toy company. He begins to date, in his way, a female co-worker with very grown-up notions.
This is an absolutely classic film, which can make it hard to rate objectively. I chose a 9.5 for its wit based upon writing in part, but acting is real key to this one. This compared to The Big Lebowski and Black Dynamite, that is, it had incredibly witty dialogue played with absolute honesty and no attempt to under or overplay it. Great scenes like Tom Hanks, the main character, and his boss playing on the giant piano at FAO Schwartz are ingeniously plotted and placed in the movie's structure. The lines are crafted with precision to leave no streaks of unreality, but ring true despite the ridiculous premise.
This could have been just a silly, over-the-top comedy except for the acting here. Tom Hanks is obvious, but I need to praise him. His portrayal of a child despite his physique, his ability to look like a kid trying to fit in gives the whole story a gripping reality and some of the funniest moments in film.
Wisdom is a 9.5 as well. It might be compared to Ben-Hur or Bella, stories of great and full values with small objects of genuine objectionable content. Some might disagree with my interpretation, but I think this works as a great allegory for being 'as a little child.' Tom's character, Josh, is much of what an adult ought to be. He seeks to show kindness to everybody, hates cheating, and treats women with respect. He treats people simply. He doesn't look for malice, but knows a cheat when he sees one. He doesn't think to take advantage of a woman, but knows how to appreciate one. He is certainly too naive to live in the big, bad world and becomes corrupted without his friend to keep him grounded.
There are two minor problems: '80s sexual mores were frankly awful (for instance, allowing a 13-year-old, body shifted or not, to have sex with this very much adult woman). Second is the strange way that how his parents take it is semi-ignored. These continuity issues are off, but I've never noticed them before now, so they can't be too big can they?
Wonder is 9. This comes down to a couple of things. The use of music to build expectations that get crushed is hilarious. In the instance when she is in the bottom of a bunk bed, the music pumps up leading to romance, but he jumps on the top bunk and the mood dissipates. I originally considered this to be a 9.5, but I decided against it based on comparison with Beginners and Be Kind Rewind. These movies do something audacious in terms of playing reality in a strange way that makes it more than reality. They have great actors, but they do more things. Maybe I'm too in love with avant-garde filmmaking, but I need something more than dialogue to make the perfect film.
If you've never seen this film, watch it. If you have, watch ity again.
The story is, for those who don't know, about a 13-year-old boy who is changed into a 30-year-old after wishing to be 'big' on a carnival machine called Zoltar Speaks. He runs away from home and gets hired at a toy company. He begins to date, in his way, a female co-worker with very grown-up notions.
This is an absolutely classic film, which can make it hard to rate objectively. I chose a 9.5 for its wit based upon writing in part, but acting is real key to this one. This compared to The Big Lebowski and Black Dynamite, that is, it had incredibly witty dialogue played with absolute honesty and no attempt to under or overplay it. Great scenes like Tom Hanks, the main character, and his boss playing on the giant piano at FAO Schwartz are ingeniously plotted and placed in the movie's structure. The lines are crafted with precision to leave no streaks of unreality, but ring true despite the ridiculous premise.
This could have been just a silly, over-the-top comedy except for the acting here. Tom Hanks is obvious, but I need to praise him. His portrayal of a child despite his physique, his ability to look like a kid trying to fit in gives the whole story a gripping reality and some of the funniest moments in film.
Wisdom is a 9.5 as well. It might be compared to Ben-Hur or Bella, stories of great and full values with small objects of genuine objectionable content. Some might disagree with my interpretation, but I think this works as a great allegory for being 'as a little child.' Tom's character, Josh, is much of what an adult ought to be. He seeks to show kindness to everybody, hates cheating, and treats women with respect. He treats people simply. He doesn't look for malice, but knows a cheat when he sees one. He doesn't think to take advantage of a woman, but knows how to appreciate one. He is certainly too naive to live in the big, bad world and becomes corrupted without his friend to keep him grounded.
There are two minor problems: '80s sexual mores were frankly awful (for instance, allowing a 13-year-old, body shifted or not, to have sex with this very much adult woman). Second is the strange way that how his parents take it is semi-ignored. These continuity issues are off, but I've never noticed them before now, so they can't be too big can they?
Wonder is 9. This comes down to a couple of things. The use of music to build expectations that get crushed is hilarious. In the instance when she is in the bottom of a bunk bed, the music pumps up leading to romance, but he jumps on the top bunk and the mood dissipates. I originally considered this to be a 9.5, but I decided against it based on comparison with Beginners and Be Kind Rewind. These movies do something audacious in terms of playing reality in a strange way that makes it more than reality. They have great actors, but they do more things. Maybe I'm too in love with avant-garde filmmaking, but I need something more than dialogue to make the perfect film.
If you've never seen this film, watch it. If you have, watch ity again.
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