Big Business (1988)

Director:

Jim Abrahams

Writers (WGA):

Dori Pierson (written by) &
Marc Reid Rubel (written by)

Release Date:

10 June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Mixed up at birth, two sets of twins finally meet their match.

Plot:

In the 1940s in the small town of Jupiter Hollow, two sets of identical twins are born in the same hospital on the same night...

Plot Keywords:

Twin | Big Business | Twins Separated At Birth | Businesswoman | Shakespeare's The Comedy Of Errors

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bette Midler	...	Sadie Ratliff / Sadie Shelton
Lily Tomlin	...	Rose Ratliff / Rose Shelton
Fred Ward	...	Roone Dimmick
Edward Herrmann	...	Graham Sherbourne
Michele Placido	...	Fabio Alberici
Daniel Gerroll	...	Chuck
Barry Primus	...	Michael
Michael Gross	...	Dr. Jay Marshall
Deborah Rush	...	Binky Shelton
Nicolas Coster	...	Hunt Shelton
Patricia Gaul	...	Iona Ratliff
J.C. Quinn	...	Garth Ratliff
Norma MacMillan	...	Nanny Lewis
Joe Grifasi	...	Desk Clerk
John Vickery	...	Hotel Manager

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Peru:PT | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Golden Oak Ranch - 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Silver Screen Partners III

Trivia:

Jim Abrahams said he staged one of the boardroom scenes based on an experience he had when a large agency used many employees to get him to sign with them.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning of the movie, Bette Midler sings a "Hello Jupiter Hollow" song. As she gets up from the stool where she is milking the cow, she nearly falls over. Also, When Bette Midler goes to see the desk clerk before her "night on the town" she is seen wearing a orange angora wrap. In the first shot it is open, in the second wrapped and covering the upper part of her body, and then in the third shot it is open again.

Quotes:

Sadie Ratliff: You're in America now. Speak American.

Movie Connections:

References The Monster Squad (1987)

Soundtrack:

LITTLE OLE LADY

Situational Humor, Strong Point of View

I rushed right out and located the DVD of "Big Business," even though I knew that Disney had a bad reputation for minimal value in extras on their DVD releases. That situation has improved over time, and seeing BB in wide screen made it all worthwhile. This movie started out funny for me and has gotten better with repeated viewings. It has an excellent pedigree with Jim Abrahams directing and Dean Cundey manning the camera, and the leads are definitely up to the challenge of dualie roles.

It is unusual for a comedy to have the strong viewpoint and values expressed in this movie. Fred Ward's Rune talks about the simple pleasures of living in the rural country and you know that somebody involved with the script knew those pleasures personally. The characters rarely become stereotypes. Even the secondary characters are treated with respect.

Dean Cundey, Director of Photography, must have been specializing in trick photography as he went on to shoot "Back to the Future 2" and "3" with even better results. The effects budget for BB was high enough to keep the believability intact.

To me this is an all-around enjoyable light comedy.