Big (2018 film)

Big (Korean: 빅) is a 2018 South Korean fantasy comedy-drama film directed by and stars Max Andrew as Noah Bennett, a young boy who makes a wish to be "big" and is then aged to adulthood overnight. Based on the by Penny Marshall, the film is well-known for Andrew's acting debut.

Big premiered in Beijing and Shanghai on January 11, 2018 and was released in South Korea by on January 20, 2018. Upon release, it was met with wide critical acclaim, particularly for Andrew's performance. It was a huge commercial success as well, grossing ₩151 million worldwide against a production budget of ₩18 million, and it proved to be pivotal to Andrew's career, establishing him as a major box-office draw as well as a critical favorite.

Plot
Thirteen-year-old Noah Bennett from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who lives with his parents and infant sister Rachel in Seoul, is told that he is too short for a carnival ride called The Rock, while attempting to impress Naomi Graham, a British older girl. He inserts a coin into an unusual antique arcade fortune teller machine called the Shin Sang-ok Memorial Machine, and makes a wish to be "big". It dispenses a card stating "Your wish is granted", but Noah is spooked when he notices that it has been unplugged the entire time.

The next morning, Noah has suddenly grown into a full-fledged adult. He tries to find the Shin Sang-ok Memorial Machine, only to see an empty field, the carnival having moved on. Returning home, he tries to explain his predicament to his mother, who refuses to listen and then threatens him, thinking he is a stranger who has kidnapped her son. Fleeing from her, he then finds his best Korean friend, Park Yong-Hwan, and convinces him of his identity by singing a rap which only they know. With Park's help, he learns that it will take at least six weeks to find the Shin Sang-ok Memorial Machine again, so Noah rents a flophouse room in the Gangnam District and gets a job as a data entry clerk at the Eui Heung Toy Manufacturing Company (Korean: 의흥장난감제조회사).

Noah meets the company's owner, Kong Shi-Woo, at, and impresses him with his insight into current toys and his childlike enthusiasm. They play a duet on a foot-operated electronic keyboard, performing and. Kong invites Noah to a massive marketing campaign pitch meeting with the senior executives. Unimpressed with the toy, Noah shocks and challenges the executives with a simple declaration that the toy is not "fun," and while his follow-up suggestions invigorate the team for new ideas, he earns the animosity of Yang Yong-Shik, the pitch's leader. Pleased, Kong promotes Noah to his dream job: getting paid to test toys as vice president in charge of Product Development. With the promotion, his larger salary enables him to move into a spacious luxury apartment, which he and Park fill with toys, a rigged Pepsi vending machine that dispenses free drinks, and a pinball machine. He soon attracts the attention of Tong Seo-Hyeon, a fellow Eui Heung executive. A romance begins to develop, much to the dismay of her ruthless former boyfriend and coworker, Hwang Jae-Wook. Noah becomes increasingly entwined in his "adult" life by spending time with her, mingling with her friends, and being in a steady relationship. His ideas become valuable assets to Eui Heung Toys; however, he begins to forget what it is like to be a child, and his tight schedule now means that he never has time to hang out with Park.

Kong asks Noah to come up with proposals for a new line of toys. He is intimidated by the need to formulate the business aspects of the proposal, but Tong says that she will handle the business end while he comes up with the ideas. Nevertheless, he feels pressured and longs for his old life. When he expresses doubts to Tong and attempts to explain that he is really a child, she interprets this as fear of commitment on his part and dismisses his explanation.

Noah learns from Park that the Shin Sang-ok Memorial Machine is now at. He leaves in the middle of presenting the proposal to Kong and the other executives. Tong also leaves and encounters Park, who tells her where Noah went. At the park, Noah finds the machine, unplugs it, and makes a wish to become "a kid again". He is then confronted by Tong, who, seeing the machine and the fortune it has given him, realizes that he was telling the truth. She becomes despondent at realizing their relationship is ending. He tells her that she was the one thing about his adult life that he wishes would not end and suggests that she use the machine to wish herself younger. She declines, saying that being a child once was enough, and takes him home. After sharing an emotional goodbye with Tong, he becomes a child again before reuniting with his family. The film ends with Noah and Park hanging out together as the song "Heart and Soul" plays over the credits.

Cast

 * Max Andrew as Noah Bennett
 * Tyler Hopkins as 12-year-old Noah Bennett
 * as Kong Shi-Woo
 * as Tong Seo-Hyeon
 * as Yang Yong-Shik
 * as Park Yong-Hwan
 * as Hwang Jae-Wook
 * Natalie Hopkins as Mrs. Bennett
 * Patrick Williams as Mr. Bennett
 * Kaylee Hopkins as Rachel Bennett
 * Leighton Gregory as Naomi Graham
 * as Gwan Jung-Hwa