Frustrated over his size, a 12-year-old boy named "Josh Baskin" (David Moscow) deposits a quarter into a fortune-telling machine at a local traveling carnival and wishes that he wasn't so small. The next morning, he wakes up from his bed and is alarmed to discover that he now occupies an adult-sized body. Making matters even worse, upon going downstairs, his mother "Mrs. Baskin" (Mercedes Ruehl) not only doesn't recognize him--but chases him out of the house as well. So, not knowing what else to do, he seeks out his best friend named "Billy" (Jared Rushton) for advice on how to handle his predicament. Sure enough, being the good friend that he is, Billy helps him get a hotel room in nearby New York City and offers to see him every day after school to think of ways to locate the exact machine that did this to him. In the meantime, however, the adult "Josh Baskin" (now played by Tom Hanks) finds employment at a local toy manufacturer which desperately needs a young boy's point-of-view. And it's during this time that he meets a young female executive named "Susan" (Elizabeth Perkins) who become enamored with his simplistic charm. What she doesn't realize, of course, is that underneath his adult frame is a young boy who just wants to have fun. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I initially saw this movie when it first came out and still found it to be enjoyable some 36 years later. I especially enjoyed the acting of Tom Hanks who performed his part to near perfection. Likewise, both Robert Loggia (as Josh's employer "MacMillan") and the aforementioned Elizabeth Perkins also performed quite well. Having said that, I recommend this film for viewers looking for a comedy of this sort, and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.
