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Big Business

Play trailer Poster for Big Business PG Released Jun 10, 1988 1h 37m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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52% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Two sets of twins born in the small town of Jupiter Hollow are mixed up by a confused nurse. The parents -- one set poor local farmers, the other wealthy socialites just passing through -- are none the wiser and take the twins home. Now, some 40 years later, the wealthy pair (Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin) are involved in a business deal to buy and close down a factory in Jupiter Hollow. Hearing the news, the other set of twins travels to New York City to try and stop the sale.
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Big Business

Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker Midler is a classic figure -- a grinning urchin out of Volpone. Her appetite is the audience’s appetite. It’s as if she and we were passing a flask of euphoria back and forth. Sep 15, 2023 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times People running into each other can be funny, but when they just miss, what are we supposed to do? Slap our knees and say, "Lord a-mighty, they dern near ran into each other and wouldn't that have been funny!" Rated: 2/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Rated: 1/4 Jun 10, 1988 Full Review Quentin Crisp Christopher Street This is easily the most enjoyable film that we have seen since Down and Out in Beverly Hills. May 7, 2024 Full Review Kristin Battestella InSession Film Midler and Tomlin master four separate characterizations with zingers, press on nails, mint juleps, and sass to match. Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …Midler is in her element here; she’s the motor that keeps Big Business on track to deliver on the promise of double trouble… Rated: 3/5 Jun 7, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Funny in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $39,600,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/09/25 Full Review thiago s Filme ruim, o roteiro é fraco, o elenco é ruim, as cenas são fracas e nenhuma cena relevante para Filme ser bom, e as protagonistas são muitos ruins e deixam o filme ruim, com isso, eu não recomendo esse filme. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/10/25 Full Review Amelia A A delightful comedy from the late 80's. Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin are twice the perfect duo in this classic tale of swapped twins and romantic mishaps, with New York as the glamorous setting of the evil business vs rural town showdown. What's not to love? Even if a couple of gags have been since done to exhaustion, the movie remains fresh and perfectly enjoyable. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/09/24 Full Review Da Nugster Joel N bette and lily are a riot. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/04/24 Full Review Cristina B Pretty darn hilarious and love the chemistry between Bette and Tomlin! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/18/24 Full Review Kyle E Warning: Spoilers Big Business has always been a movie I love watching from time to time. I will say that Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler never let me down as they got into their completely ludicrous, wacky antics that pay tribute to the old slapstick humor without being too in your face. Bette Midler came out to be the strongest of the two this time though and her performance is again what makes a film. Her character(s) were just so lovable, and Bette Midler's yodel scene was my favorite scene of the movie. One humongous personal problem I found with the movie, and practically this was the only thing wrong with the film, was I think they should have let more time in for the final meeting scene between all 4 of them. I mean, they finally find their twins, and then it has like 4 minutes for them to talk to each other and then goes off. Uh? They could have let us see more, you know? Anyway, I found Big Business to be good, and was just a nice, quaint film to watch indeed. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/08/22 Full Review Read all reviews
Big Business

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Cast & Crew

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Jim Abrahams

Director

Bette Midler

Sadie Ratliff

Lily Tomlin

Rose Ratliff

Fred Ward

Roone Dimmick

Edward Herrmann

Graham Sherbourne

Michele Placido

Fabio Alberici

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Big Business

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Movie Info

Synopsis Two sets of twins born in the small town of Jupiter Hollow are mixed up by a confused nurse. The parents -- one set poor local farmers, the other wealthy socialites just passing through -- are none the wiser and take the twins home. Now, some 40 years later, the wealthy pair (Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin) are involved in a business deal to buy and close down a factory in Jupiter Hollow. Hearing the news, the other set of twins travels to New York City to try and stop the sale.
Director
Jim Abrahams
Producer
Michael Peyser, Steve Tisch
Screenwriter
Dori Pierson, Marc Rubel
Distributor
Touchstone Pictures
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners III
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 10, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 18, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$39.6M
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Surround
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