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‘Big’ With Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin, and Van Lathan

January 24, 2023 · Big (1988) · Comedy · Drama · Fantasy · 1:52:29

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Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 21:54The alternate ending has been debunked and isn't true
Mallory Rubin▶ 21:46Alternate ending where Josh goes to class, new student named Susan walks in implying she used the Zoltar machine
Van Lathan▶ 22:17The alternate ending would be weird and make the movie totally different, like Donnie Darko

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 35:37Josh Wakes Up scene, F.A.O. Schwarz piano scene, the 'I don't get it' toy meeting scene, and company cocktail party scene
Mallory Rubin▶ 36:09Discussed scenes through quoted dialogue but didn't clearly state specific picks as most rewatchable
Van Lathan▶ 36:32Josh trying to convince his mom he's her son (especially the underwear reveal moment) and Josh checking into the gross hotel room

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 40:02Josh eating cocktail party food, specifically nibbling the baby corn
Mallory Rubin▶ 40:19Agrees with the cocktail party food scene, mentions Josh on the floor with the napkin
Van Lathan▶ 40:11Agrees with the baby corn moment and highlights Josh's reaction to the caviar

Best Quote

Mallory Rubin▶ 56:59But I was going to tell you whether Cynthia Benson liked you

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:18Mentioned Playland, his apartment, and the law as three options
Van Lathan▶ 57:29The law - described it as looking like another planet and amazing

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:38The kidnapping plot logistics - how the kidnapper can call multiple times without police tracing, despite it being the biggest story in NYC
Van Lathan▶ 58:09The kidnapped son writing letters to his mother saying the experience might be good for him, while she's suffering

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 59:29Multiple questions including why Josh doesn't miss his dad, why have the dad character at all, and how Josh's clothes improved without showing a shopping scene
Mallory Rubin▶ 58:30What happened to Josh's father? He disappears after the carnival scene and was never abducted despite Josh being missing

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:10:58No

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:16John Travolta — Discussed Harrison Ford with Spielberg (too sexy), mentioned De Niro, Dennis Quaid, Richard Dreyfuss, Sean Penn, and Travolta as possibilities - thought Travolta would have been okay but not as good as Hanks
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:12:46Harrison Ford — Noted timing issue with Harrison Ford being after his major roles by 1988
Van Lathan▶ 1:11:24Harrison Ford — Thought Harrison Ford could work but agreed it would be a different movie, liked that Travolta could have done it with his 'ingenious dumbness'

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:22:24Elizabeth Perkins — Elizabeth Perkins (definitive yes), 80s Tom Hanks as separate era (yes), toy companies in movies (yes), Zoltar machine (yes), height markers for amusement park rides (yes), various other items discussed
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:24:17Limited participation, mainly clarifies body swap movie subgenres and comments on amusement park height markers still existing
Van Lathan▶ 1:22:36Elizabeth Perkins — Agrees on Elizabeth Perkins, discusses Tom Hanks' status as biggest movie star, suggests Independence Day for Robert Loggia's apex mountain

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:25:17Zoltar Speaks

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:37:50J.T. Walsh — Suggests multiple actors (Wayne Jenkins, Danny Trejo, Catherine Hunt, Steve Buscemi, Sam Jackson, JT Walsh, Phil Baker Hall) and proposes JT Walsh for the John Hurd part, and Chris Ryan as Wayne Jenkins in Big.
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:37:35Wayne Jenkins
Van Lathan▶ 1:37:59J.T. Walsh — JT Walsh
Van Lathan▶ 1:38:01Danny Trejo — Danny Trejo as the clerk at the St. James

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:39:03Tom Hanks
Van Lathan▶ 1:39:14Tom Hanks — Agrees Hanks is obvious, suggests considering Penny Marshall (director) or Screenplay as alternatives

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:42:09Multiple concerns: Would Josh's comic book idea actually work business-wise? What happens to Susan's psychological state after discovering Josh was a child? Could criminal charges be brought against Susan?
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:42:16The price point for Josh's electronic comic book idea is off - advanced computer chip tech can't be made affordable at $7 cost/$18.95 retail
Van Lathan▶ 1:42:55Susan is psychologically destroyed and can never tell anyone what happened, while Josh will likely become an asshole who doesn't go to college

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:51:32If your boyfriend tells you he's actually a 13-year-old, don't play with his ear, neck, and head as you're saying goodbye - treat him like you're his aunt and he's your little nephew
Van Lathan▶ 1:52:00Discussed the dark potential version of the movie where the relationship becomes inappropriate like Mary Kay Letourneau situation

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:52:17Tom Hanks — Tom Hanks (agrees with 'easy')
Van Lathan▶ 1:52:15Tom Hanks

Movies Referenced (40)

Vice Versa (1988)

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 2:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Forrest Gump (1994)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 10:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Freaky Friday (2003)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 17:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Home Alone (1990)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 30:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philadelphia (1993)

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons▶ 10:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scarface (1983)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 24:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Like Father (2018)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 2:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Richie Rich (1994)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin▶ 52:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Toy Story (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Clueless (1995)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 35:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Independence Day (1996)

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:22:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Penny Marshall

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Mallory Rubin · Known for Big, A League of Their Own▶ 32:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Spielberg

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 31:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Penn

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 1:13:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Francis Ford Coppola

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Part II▶ 1:12:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mel Gibson

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Braveheart, Conspiracy Theory▶ 57:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dagny Atencio Looper

1 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:05:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kosta Jokic

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 15:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sam Raimi

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Spider-Man, The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness▶ 23:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (67)

Tom Hanks

46 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Mallory Rubin · Known for Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump▶ 3:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Elizabeth Perkins

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin, Van Lathan▶ 4:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Travolta

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Mallory Rubin · Known for Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Saturday Night Fever▶ 48:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Loggia

10 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Big, Independence Day, Lost Highway▶ 24:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jon Lovitz

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for A League of Their Own, Rat Race▶ 48:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mustafa Speaks

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin, Van Lathan▶ 56:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Judge Reinhold

5 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Beverly Hills Cop, Fast Times at Ridgemont High▶ 2:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lindsay Lohan

5 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Mean Girls, The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday▶ 17:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harrison Ford

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive▶ 1:11:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Brooks

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan · Known for The Game▶ 1:01:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kerry Washington

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons · Known for Save the Last Dance▶ 45:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny Trejo

3 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons · Known for Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Predators▶ 36:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (3)

Gary Ross

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Hunger Games▶ 31:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Isaac Asimov

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for Bicentennial Man▶ 28:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin▶ 28:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for The Other Guys▶ 26:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗