Kevin Coughlin
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FULL WATCHALONG ~ BIG BUSINESS
🕑 Added 2025-05-18 06:31:40 +0000 UTCBig Business (1988) is a full-throttle, twin-switching identity farce that runs on the unmatched comedic power of Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin playing two roles each. That’s four versions of chaos, confusion, and cackling, all wrapped in shoulder pads, hairspray, and enough corporate shenanigans to make Wall Street look like amateur hour.
The setup? A small-town hospital in the 1940s—because yes, we’re starting there—accidentally swaps two sets of identical twin girls. One set goes home with rich city folks, the other with rural farmers. Flash forward to the ‘80s: the country pair heads to Manhattan to stop their town from being destroyed by the ruthless mega-corporation run by their long-lost, big-city twins. That’s right: the world’s most chaotic boardroom showdown is coming, and it’s got two Midlers and two Tomlins ready to wreak glorious havoc.
Tomlin plays both the grounded, earnest farm girl and the neurotic business executive with razor-sharp wit and perfect comic timing. Midler, meanwhile, goes full diva as the high-maintenance corporate queen and full firecracker as her small-town counterpart. Watching them bounce off their doubles (and each other) is like witnessing a comedy tag-team match where everyone’s wearing heels and screaming at a hotel concierge.
The mistaken identity hijinks are, of course, completely absurd—slamming doors, overheard conversations, missed elevators—but they’re delivered with such commitment that you stop caring how implausible it all is. You just want to see how long these two pairs can orbit each other without combusting. Spoiler: not long.
Big Business is pure ‘80s screwball energy, fueled by split-screen magic, double entendres, and that classic trope where everyone somehow ends up in the same hotel. It’s ridiculous, it’s campy, and it fully leans into the charm of its leads. Honestly, it’s worth watching just to see Lily Tomlin slowly realize she’s not the only Lily Tomlin in the room.
It’s not subtle, it’s not realistic, but damn is it fun.
Comments
Erin Mileur
Back in the 40s and for many years the practice was that the woman would be given very strong drugs and basically knocked out she would wake up and be presented with the baby afterward. Although how an unconscious woman could push I do not know. The doctor usually had to pull the babies out which could not have been good for anyone I suspect.
