Big
The screwball is pitched. It flies from the pitcher's hand like a miniature comet whose balance has been thrown off. Curving, twisting, the ball's course and target change without warning. No one knows where the ball will strike. Such is the case with the screwball style of comedic motion pictures. This also happens to be the case with one screwball comedy, Big. Fast-paced, funny and a tad screwy, Big is a comedy dealing the differences in age groups and what it means when one is forced to grow up too early.Much as It Happened One Night dealt with the mannerisms and oddities of the American class system, Big deals with the mannerisms and oddities of America's youths and grown ups. Each generation is portrayed in a unique way. The youths of the film are seen as freer and more interested in fun and games than their older counterparts. Whereas the children seem more open and adaptable to change, one adult in particular is entirely unable to accept even the slightest difference in his usual routine. He is unable to accept Josh's rise up the corporate ladder and subsequent popularity. Even the way they appear physically points to the idea that adults are cold and uncaring. Susan, Josh's soon-to-be girlfriend, is at first
This scene is also a good example of visual and audio screwball humor. Both individuals of the relationship, Josh and Susan, underwent their own mental and physical metamorphosis. But no matter how they might change, Susan is still an adult woman and Josh is still a little boy. Although some adults are stuck being as they are, unable to change, two characters are lucky enough to be able to grasp on to a part of their inner-youths. On the other side is a 30-something corporate woman whose age and experience make her stiff and uncaring. He did not acquire his adulthood until he had sex. Upon having sex, Josh's transformation was literally overnight. They must eventually go in their separate directions. The reason for this is simple: Under normal circumstances, a 13 year-old boy and a 30-something woman could never make a successful couple. In the case of MacMillon, his transformation was already underway when he met Josh. However, the old man's introduction to the boy-trapped-in-a-man's-body only pushed him further along to finding his inner-youth. She also abandons her tendencies to sleep around with many men so she could commit entirely to Josh. It isn't until she gets to know Josh better that she literally lets her hair down. This kind of cute, unforeseeable humor is what helps to make Big a screwball comedy.
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Acceptance Essays
