# Anyone else remember the alternate ending to "Big"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 16, 2002, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864 "2002-04-16T02:03:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/201 "2014-02-21T22:42:50Z")
> [@JayEff](#): > > Absurd? Look up The Day the Clown Cried by Jerry Lewis. > [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Please explain why you think this is relevant. The existence of a Jerry Lewis Holocaust movie proves that anything is possible in Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/202 "2014-02-21T22:52:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The existence of a Jerry Lewis Holocaust movie proves that anything is possible in Hollywood. Except Hollywood didn’t really have anything to do with the movie. It’s the product of Jerry Lewis with the help of a Belgian producer, a Swiss cinematographer, a French production designer, a French assistant director, and two American writers who have only one other writing credit between them. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/203 "2014-02-22T00:17:52Z")
Well, _someone_ read through the thread thoroughly enough today to visit my blog post about false memories of fictional entertainment, which is linked on page 2. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![bowspearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@bowspearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowspearer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/204 "2014-02-22T00:22:30Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Did you read through this thread before posting this? Did you even bother reading the post and actually recognising that what I was referring to here was completely different to the ending of “14 going on 30”? On second thought, you don’t need to answer that as your post clearly demonstrates you didn’t. > [@Lemur866](#): > > Yeaaaaah…no. > > Read the thread, for the love of Kate Upton in Zero Gravity. You mean the part of the thread where the OP confuses the ending of “14 going on 30” yet that in no way, shape or form addresses the alternate ending I recall seeing for it? Next time you’re demanding someone read the thread, why don’t you try taking your own advice and **actually** make sure you’ve properly read the post you’re replying to. > [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#): > > Surprise level upon seeing two “Join Date: Feb 2014” - zero. > That is very cool of you! (And won’t do a lick of good, but will justify my fury at the future posters, so thanks for that!) Yes because heaven forbid that I: -happened to be watching Big last night on TV; - was genuinely surprised that the ending was completely different to what I remembered it; - did a google search on it & found this thread; - read this thread and found that found that the ending it discusses (namely for “14 going on 30”) didn’t match the one I found, and - might have specifically joined here to genuinely work out if either I had seen some obscure ending for it or there was some other 80s movie I’d forgotten about that I might want to rediscover. But of course I forgot that actually **actively reading posts** requires far more energy of you and others who have responded to me, than simply deciding to ASS-U-ME without properly reading my post and effectively responding with words to the effect of “OMG U R TEH SUK! STFU NOOB!” ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/205 "2014-02-22T00:53:37Z")
**bowspearer** , rest your sphincter. I’m sure because you **actively read posts** , you saw that there were two idiots before you who resurrected the thread this February, having clearly registered just for that purpose. But yeah, you are probably also wrong. Relax and have fun with it. Join us in our collective howls of frustration combined with cynical laughter when this gets bumped every 4 months. It’s bracing! ---
**Author:** ![bowspearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@bowspearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowspearer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/206 "2014-02-22T01:07:06Z")
> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#): > > **bowspearer** , rest your sphincter. I’m sure because you **actively read posts** , you saw that there were two idiots before you who resurrected the thread this February, having clearly registered just for that purpose. > > But yeah, you are probably also wrong. Relax and have fun with it. Join us in our collective howls of frustration combined with cynical laughter when this gets bumped every 4 months. It’s bracing! Ugh, where’s a desk with broken glass glued to it so I can head-desk. UC, you’re in no position to be talking about sphincters when in the case of yourself and others who replied to me, replies blatantly implied that people’s heads were in close proximity to their sphincters. Yes there was 4 pages of people insisting that the ending to “14 going on 30” was an alternate ending to Big - even though there was even a youtube clip posted early on which proved otherwise. If that were my confusion, then after watching that youtube clip, which I did, I wouldn’t have posted. The fact is that I had read the thread and even then the mystery of the alt ending I recall seeing as a kid hadn’t been solved. The fact is that at the end of the day, had properly reading my post, you would have discovered that it was in a different category of the “donkey say no” [family guy reference for those not familiar with it] posts which had been streaming in on the thread to date. Yet you and others choose instead to project your frustrations with others onto me and when it came to actually reading my post, to ASS-U-ME. As for whether I’m right or not and it is an alternate ending, maybe I am mixing it up with another movie - again, something I stated was a possibility in my initial post here. Either way, it in no way shape or form changes the fact that I signed up here to ask a genuine question which the thread didn’t answer (namely whether what I remembered was from some alternative cut of “Big” or some other movie and if so, which one) and was met with nothing but unwarranted douche-baggery from people. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/207 "2014-02-22T04:08:16Z")
> [@bowspearer](#): > > I signed up here to ask a genuine question which the thread didn’t answer (namely whether what I remembered was from some alternative cut of “Big” or some other movie and if so, which one) AFAIK there is no alternative cut to “Big”. I think you are conflating the ending to “14 going on 30” with that of “Big” as they had a similar plot gimmick. Maybe someone here knows more and can shed some light on the issue. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/208 "2014-02-22T04:21:27Z")
Listen, when that jet takes off from that treadmill, I think we all know what the in-flight movie will be. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/209 "2014-02-22T04:42:39Z")
I hope there’s pie. ---
**Author:** ![bowspearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@bowspearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowspearer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/210 "2014-02-22T04:50:55Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > AFAIK there is no alternative cut to “Big”. I think you are conflating the ending to “14 going on 30” with that of “Big” as they had a similar plot gimmick. Maybe someone here knows more and can shed some light on the issue. 😃 That’s just it, what I remember seeing wasn’t the classroom ending which everyone in this thread has been talking about with “14 to 30”, but of a teenage “Susan” showing up at the end of it at Josh’s place at night. It may well be from another movie, but it’s definitely not “14 to 30”. Hopefully someone will read this though, know the scene I’m referring to and either confirm it was in “Big” (I’m 98% sure it was on a video of it I saw as a kid here in Australia) or be able to point out exactly which movie it was from. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/211 "2014-02-22T05:38:34Z")
> [@bowspearer](#): > > That’s just it, what I remember seeing wasn’t the classroom ending which everyone in this thread has been talking about with “14 to 30”, but of a teenage “Susan” showing up at the end of it at Josh’s place at night. It may well be from another movie, but it’s definitely not “14 to 30”. > > Hopefully someone will read this though, know the scene I’m referring to and either confirm it was in “Big” (I’m 98% sure it was on a video of it I saw as a kid here in Australia) or be able to point out exactly which movie it was from. To date, no one has come up with evidence for _any_ alternate ending for _Big_. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/212 "2014-02-22T05:41:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > To date, no one has come up with evidence for _any_ alternate ending for _Big_. But this is **different**. This is the _alternate_ alternate ending… ---
**Author:** ![bowspearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@bowspearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowspearer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/213 "2014-02-22T05:48:45Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > To date, no one has come up with evidence for _any_ alternate ending for _Big_. And where did I say that what I saw _must_ have been the alternate ending? Yes I’ve said that I’m confident it was, but I’ve also acknowledged the possibility that it might have been from a different movie from the getgo (as well as stating I was curious as to which movie it was in that case). Furthermore, last I checked, an eyewitness account was evidence of something- circumstantial and anecdotal evidence, certainly, but evidence nonetheless. > [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > But this is **different**. This is the _alternate_ alternate ending… :rolleyes: boring troll is boring. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/214 "2014-02-22T06:02:30Z")
It has come to my attention that there is a strange illness afflicting many people on the internet. It manifests as a mild neurodegenerative disorder and, for currently unknown reasons, is targeted around the movie “Big”. In this movie, there is a well known alternate ending aired in the English-speaking Oceanic regions in which Tom Hanks sees the main love interest de-aged, entering the class. In fact, this ending is well documented, and known to be distinct from the similar ending of the contemporary movie “14 going on 30”. For instance, [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JteYwveGwjw) clip on Youtube which has over 5 million views. The interesting thing about this illness is an inability to process evidence about the alternate ending. Most afflicted respondents report seeing a “This video is unavailable” page, and report hearing no sound. It is unknown how this illness developed, or why it only targets memories of the movie “Big”, of all things, but it is an alarming development and close watch must be kept to make sure it doesn’t become more serious. If you have this illness, please seek help. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/215 "2014-02-22T06:03:32Z")
It has come to my attention that there is a strange illness afflicting many people on the internet. It manifests as a mild neurodegenerative disorder and, for currently unknown reasons, is targeted around the movie “Big”. In this movie, there is a well known urban legend detailing a fake alternate ending purportedly aired in the English-speaking Oceanic regions in which Tom Hanks sees the main love interest de-aged, entering the class. This is, of course, bogus. This is possibly a conflated memory of the contemporary movie “14 going on 30”. However, what is curious is that many of those afflicted may watch [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JteYwveGwjw) clip on Youtube. When watching, they describe conclusive proof of the alternate ending, and claim the video has over 5 million views. The interesting thing about this illness is an inability to process evidence about the alternate ending. Most afflicted respondents report seeing the “14 going on 30” clip and characterizing the “alternate ending to Big” as distinctly different. It is unknown how this illness developed, or why it only targets memories of the movie “Big”, of all things, but it is an alarming development and close watch must be kept to make sure it doesn’t become more serious. If you have this illness, please seek help. ---
**Author:** ![bowspearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@bowspearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowspearer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/216 "2014-02-22T06:07:03Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > It has come to my attention that there is a strange illness permeating many people on the internet. Really, is it similar to the cases of selective hysterical blindness which you and other posters develop when you encounter posts from people who claim to have seen an alternate ending for “Big” which isn’t the one from “14 to 30” and are trying to work out whether it was from “Big” or some other movie? Or are you genuinely that uneducated that you think that night-time outside of a building and daytime inside of a classroom, look completely identical? ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/217 "2014-02-22T06:13:48Z")
I think you’re taking my joke **far** too seriously. Sorry if it seemed like I was insulting you. It was aimed at the general back and forth nature of the thread, and not at any particular party in the argument. ---
**Author:** ![bowspearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@bowspearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowspearer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/218 "2014-02-22T06:19:39Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I think you’re taking my joke **far** too seriously. Sorry if it seemed like I was insulting you. It was aimed at the general back and forth nature of the thread, and not at any particular party in the argument. If you meant it as a joke, then fair enough. Unfortunately this was a prime example of the first lesson of comedy - namely that timing is everything. The problem is that, in the past 15 hours, things did get snarky and personal towards me and so I was responding to you in the context of it being on the tail end of that. In general terms though, I have to agree with you. I can’t understand why so many people would still claim that the ending to “14 to 30” is an alternate ending to Big when there’s a youtube clip there clearly proving otherwise. Heck, I even checked that youtube clip just to make sure that wasn’t what I was remembering. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/219 "2014-02-22T08:53:10Z")
Oh poor you. “They started it!” I don’t trust your memory for shit. Anecdotal evidence is not data. ---
**Author:** ![bowspearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@bowspearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowspearer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/220 "2014-02-22T08:59:49Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Oh poor you. “They started it!” > > I don’t trust your memory for shit. Anecdotal evidence is not data. :rolleyes: Predictable troll is predictable. To be honest, I’m done here. I actually thought, given the mission statement of the board, it might have been an intelligent move actually trying to figure this out. However it’s blatantly obvious from what has transpired that not only is the board mission statement about fighting ignorance utterly ironic in light of the responses I’ve gotten (with maybe one or exceptions), but that far from fighting ignorance, the average poster here doesn’t even have the reading and comprehension skills of a second grader. Congratulations, you all “win at internets”. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864.md?page=12)