James L. Brooks

Jerry Maguire (1996)

This week, Shat The Movies dives into Jerry Maguire, Cameron Crowe’s 1996 romantic dramedy that gave us mission statements, sports agents, and more endlessly quoted lines than almost any movie of the decade. Tom Cruise stars as Jerry, a high-powered agent whose sudden moral awakening costs him everything except one...

After a wish turns 12-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) into a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks), he heads to New York City and gets a low-level job at MacMillen Toy Company. A chance encounter with the owner (Robert Loggia) of the company leads to a promotion testing new toys. Soon a fellow employee, Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins), takes a romantic interest in Josh. However, the pressure of living as an adult begins to overwhelm him, and he longs to return to his simple, former life as a boy.

Big (1988)

When 12-year-old Josh Baskin (Tom Hanks) makes a wish to be “big” at a mysterious carnival machine, he wakes up the next morning in the body of an adult. Navigating the confusing world of grown-ups, Josh lands a job at a toy company, where his childlike imagination helps him thrive—but he soon realizes that adulthood isn’t as easy as it seems. Big is a heartwarming and whimsical comedy about the joys of childhood and the challenges of growing up, driven by Tom Hanks’ unforgettable performance.