Big - The Piano Scene

This is the scene in the toy store where Josh (Tom Hanks) and McMillan (Robert Loggia) step onto the giant floor piano and have their bonding moment. It's nothing short of magical. Josh steps on the piano and is excited by it. He starts to play the rhythm of a song (Moonlight Serenade?) and McMillan plays the melody. There's just something magical about watching music performed live, and they immediately draw a crowd. Here we have the added novelty of two men playing the piano with their whole bodies. Of course, it took hours to rehearse this spontaneous moment, but you'd never know it. Since both Josh and McMillan make several mistakes during this take, it looks like an impromptu moment. When making music or movies we always think we have to make everything perfect, but sometimes it's the imperfections that make something great. After Big hit the theaters, the company that made the piano was besieged with buy orders. It's not hard to see why.

Bill Alward