(1953)
2.5
Craig Butler
So Big is really nothing more than a "mother's love" soap opera, even if it's source is a Pulitzer Prize-winning Edna Ferber novel, and as such, it's the kind of film that largely rise or falls based on who is playing that mother and how convincing she is in making that love palpable and believable. Big is enormously fortunate to have at its heart -- and AS its heart, too -- Jane Wyman. The actress knows exactly how to play this kind of character, not only to make the character come across as dramatically viable but to make the character's contribution support the larger film, even when she is not involved in the scenes. It's a special kind of film acting, and Wyman does it expertly here. Sure, she knows how to grab the big scenes and make them heart wrenching or heart warming as required, but she also knows how to throw in a few well-placed nuances in smaller scenes that then stick in the memory. And while there's a certain amount of "star charisma" involve din all this, she nevertheless manages to make it seem down to earth and real. The same isn't always true of her co-stars, with Steve Forrest and Nancy Olson especially coming across as too false. Aside from Wyman (and the work of the make-up artists), there's not a great deal in Big that really impresses; the story is superficial and Robert Wise's direction is professional but not distinguished. Still, Wyman keeps one's attention throughout.
cast-crew for So Big on AllMovie
So Big (1953)
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