''Think Big'' is a 1990 American adventure comedy film directed by

Jon Turteltaub Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (born August 8, 1963) is an American film director and producer. Life and career Turteltaub was born on August 8, 1963 in New York City, one of two children born to comedy writer Saul Turteltaub (best known for his ...

(in his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

) and starring the "Barbarian Brothers"

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and David Paul.

Plot

Twin brothers Rafe and Victor are two truckers who have had a bad run of luck: they have a history of missed deadlines and are tormented by a

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

named Sweeney, who repeatedly tries to repossess their truck. After yet another late delivery due to rushing a pregnant hitchhiker to the hospital, the pair are given one final chance by their boss, who orders them to ship barrels of

toxic waste Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemi ...

from the company Tech Star to a ship docked in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. To remind the brothers of the deadline, their boss fits a digital countdown timer, which he dubs "foul-up clock", to the truck's dashboard. Tech Star is a company that uses child geniuses as slave labor. One such slave, named Holly, has invented a device that resembles an ordinary

remote control In electronics, a remote control (also known as a remote or clicker) is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such as ...

yet can activate and deactivate any electronics by code. The brothers arrive at Tech Star and, while they are loading their truck, Holly stows away in the cab, having learned the shipment is destined to the same place where her fiancé lives. She is soon discovered, and while Rafe and Victor agree to protect her, they fail to understand her invention. They spend the night in a Texas motel, nearly eluding Dr. Bruekner, the CEO of Tech Star, and his hired goons, who attempt to recapture Holly as her invention is Tech Star property. Later, the brothers' truck stalls on the railroad tracks as a train is approaching. Holly struggles to remember the right code to restart the truck's engine with her invention, doing so at the last minute, but the trio fails to realize that she inadvertently entered a code that reprogrammed the foul-up clock two hours back. Arriving in California, Holly destroys her device right before the trio is captured, not realizing it was an ordinary remote from the motel, which the brothers had switched with her invention, anticipating such an event. After presenting Holly with her invention and leaving her at her boyfriend's house, the brothers realize the foul-up clock "fouled up". With too little time remaining, they rush to the dock, but miss the ship. To make matters worse with their evident termination, Sweeney successfully repossesses their truck. Unaware of the cargo contents, he drives so recklessly that the barrels rupture and release their chemicals, contaminating the truck and causing Sweeney's hair to fall off in tufts. Holly manages to market her invention and makes considerable amounts of money. She then partners with Rafe and Victor into making their own transportation company. The film ends with the brothers getting a CB message from Holly about a client, and set off in a brand new tractor trailer to begin their shipment.

Cast

* Peter Paul as Rafe * David Paul as Victor *

Martin Mull Martin Eugene Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian and musician who has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on ''Mary Hartman, ...

as Dr. Hayden Bruekner *

Ari Meyers Ari Meyers (born April 6, 1969) is an American former actress. She played the role of Emma Jane McArdle in the television series ''Kate & Allie'' (1984). Early years Meyers (birth name: Ariadne Meyer) was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Jewi ...

as Holly Sherwood *

Claudia Christian Claudia Christian (born Claudia Ann Coghlan August 10, 1965) is an American actress, singer and author, known for her roles as Commander Susan Ivanova on '' Babylon 5'', as Captain Maynard on Fox's ''9-1-1'', and as the voice of Hera on the N ...

as Dr. Irene Marsh *

Richard Kiel Richard Dawson Kiel (September 13, 1939 – September 10, 2014) was an American actor. Standing tall, he was known for portraying Jaws in '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' Moonraker'' (1979). Kiel's next-most-recognized role is the t ...

as Irving *

Richard Moll Charles Richard Moll (born January 13, 1943) is an American actor. He played the role of Aristotle Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon, a bailiff on the NBC sitcom ''Night Court'' from 1984 to 1992. He has also done extensive work as a voice actor, typical ...

as Thornton *

Michael Winslow Michael Leslie Winslow (born September 6, 1958) is an American actor, comedian and beatboxer billed as The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects for his ability to make realistic sounds using only his voice. He is best known for his roles in all seven ''Po ...

as Hap *

Peter Lupus Peter Nash Lupus Jr. (born June 17, 1932) is an American bodybuilder and actor. He is best known for his role as Willy Armitage on the television series '' Mission: Impossible'' (1966–1973). Personal life Lupus was one of three siblings born ...

as Bad Guy #1 *

Thomas Gottschalk Thomas Johannes Gottschalk (born 18 May 1950) is a German radio and television host and entertainer. He is best known for hosting '' Wetten, dass..?'', for many years Europe's biggest television show, which he steered to huge success in Germany, ...

as Mr. Roberts *

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

as Sweeney *

Tony Longo Tony Longo (August 19, 1961 – June 21, 2015) was an American actor. Longo appeared in numerous television series, including ''Family Matters'', '' The Facts of Life'', '' Laverne & Shirley'', ''Simon & Simon'', '' Alice'', '' Perfect Strang ...

as Supervisor *Sal Landi as Bad Guy #2 *

Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Tommy Deebo "Tiny" Lister Jr. (born Thomas Duane Lister Jr.; June 24, 1958 – December 10, 2020) was an American character actor and occasional professional wrestler known for his roles as the neighborhood bully Deebo in the 1995 film ''Friday' ...

as 'Z' *

Rafer Johnson Rafer Lewis Johnson (August 18, 1934 – December 2, 2020) was an American decathlete and film actor. He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956. He had previously won a gold in the 1955 Pan American Games. ...

as Johnson *Jimmy Briscoe as Jimmy *

Darcy LaPier Darcy Lynn LaPier (born July 9, 1965) is an American former actress and model. Early life LaPier graduated from Portland State University. She also studied drama at the University of Oregon and Huntington Film Institute in Florida. Personal ...

as Donna

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Think Big (Film) 1990 comedy films 1990 directorial debut films 1990 films 1990s adventure comedy films American adventure comedy films Films directed by Jon Turteltaub Trucker films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films