Directed by Robert Mandel (F/X, School Ties), produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Joe Eszterhas (yes, the Joe Eszterhas who went on to write Basic Instinct and Showgirls), Big Shots (1987) is a yet another movie that’s mostly lost to time.
It doesn’t have much of a cult following, it hasn’t had an ironic reappraisal, and it barely gets any “underrated gem” manufactured nostalgia by the content farms. Just another ‘80s kid’s adventure movie that never quite found its footing.
It’s a shame though, for a pre-teen runaway fantasy about a couple of kids who steal a car and run afoul of Chicago gangsters, it’s still a fun ride that manages to pull a few heartstring along the way.
Sure it was massively overshadowed by Adventures In Babysitting at the time, but for those of us that were lucky enough to be at the right place and at the right time to appreciate this movie, it’s a treasured classic that looks good on the shelf next to The Wizard and Josh and S.A.M.