What happens when a 13-year-old makes a wish to be “big” and the universe says, say less? Pure, unfiltered, 1980s. This week on Gen Wars, Nick, Stephen, Cam, and Katherine jump headfirst into BIG (1988), the Tom Hanks coming-of-age fantasy that somehow managed to be heartfelt, hilarious, deeply uncomfortable, and a toy commercial all at once.
Directed by Penny Marshall and starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, and Robert Loggia, and featuring the most iconic toy-store moment since…well, any toy store has ever existed, BIG follows Josh Baskin, a kid who makes a wish at a carnival fortune-telling machine to be “big.” He wakes up in a 30-year-old body, panics appropriately for about five minutes, lands a corporate job in New York like it’s a casual Tuesday, and somehow nobody in the entire tri-state area thinks to ask even ONE follow-up question.
Gen X nostalgia hits HARD, Millennials start asking very loud questions, and Stephen absolutely spirals as the gang debates whether this movie “holds up,” what the movie is actually trying to say, and why no one calls the cops in 1988. Expect arguments about nostalgia bias, toy companies, Zoltar lore, Beast Wars conspiracies, piano scenes, and whether this movie accidentally invented the phrase “blurred morals.”
Yes, Stephen is forced to go first, immediately reveals he doesn’t “do cringe” (which is hilarious because this movie tries to KO him in the first round), and spends the episode hovering somewhere between “this was fun” and “my skeleton is entering pre-rigor mortis.”
💥 In this episode, we cover:
The Zoltar/fortune teller machine situation (and why this thing shows up in more places than this movie)
The FAO Schwarz piano scene (yes, it rules; yes, Stephen only knew it from TikTok… we continue the beatings)
The toy company fantasy where being “childlike” gets you promoted in six weeks (corporate America really said: “You seem fun, here’s a corner office.”)
How the movie is shockingly wholesome for long stretches and then suddenly hits you with “WAIT… HOLD ON…”
The very real “this is a rom-com???” debate (Nick is ready with legal definitions, Stephen is ready to combust)
We break it down using our patented Gen Wars criteria: nostalgia, production value, spirit, rewatchability, and overall thoughts, then fight about it anyway.
Listen if you love:
• 80s movies
• FAO Schwarz & Giant floor pianos
• Gen X vs Millennial debates
• Snarky movie podcasts
• Questioning your childhood favorites
…this episode is for you.
Like, Subscribe, and Comment: Does BIG still hold up, or did we all just get tricked by Tom Hanks and a toy piano?
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get podcasts
Watch on YouTube for the full chaos
Follow the hosts:
Nick - Firehazard508 Creations
www.youtube.com/@UCvpfk8dQzsRjOKN2aviez9g
https://linktr.ee/firehazard508creations
ko-fi.com/firehazard508creations
Stephen - FNKYGames
www.youtube.com/@fnkygames
https://linktr.ee/FNKY
Cam - Never Touching Grass
www.youtube.com/@UCTLwiteAhahVQzM0P8ZDwpQ
twitch.tv/nevertouchingrass
Katherine - Spectacle Views
www.youtube.com/@UCWnjnjmNFwXiKxQxlq7tfww
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