MovieChat Forums > Big (1988) Discussion > Josh's kidnapping story seemed stupid

Josh's kidnapping story seemed stupid

posted 10 years ago by MisterBabadook
15 replies | jump to latest

Josh had to think of a way to explain that he's alright but he can't come home so he made up the story that he was kidnapped for his mother. But in Josh's story why exactly did the kidnappers take him exactly?

He wrote his mom saying they treat him well and its sorta like camp and he even gets to get outside. Lol what kind of kidnappers are they? Did they kidnap a kid just to let him play and have fun? Also Josh made the kidnapper sound like the nicest guy on the planet "Look you're gonna see him again i promise, i cross my heart".

Also he never said why they took him, it just seemed stupid they didn't want ransom or anything? they just took him to let him play and then return him months later. I'm just looking at this from his mothers perspective, wouldn't she wonder why they took him in the first place?

Thats what i love about these high school girls, i get older they stay the same age.

[–] willydoe71 10 years ago

He's 12. What kind of story do you think a 12 year old would come up with?

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

...they just took him to let him play and then return him months later.

The movie is a fantasy with the kidnap story made up by a 12 year old kid. It doesn't really matter that it doesn't make sense to an (presumably) adult such as yourself. That's one of the themes of the film. It's also pretty clear that the police just believe he ran away.

[–] mikeyg24 10 years ago

Yeah I think running away would have been a better cover story but having his mom see him as an adult, even though she didn't believe him, kinda tied his hands. His mom knew an adult man was involved so a kidnapping seemed the best story.

There's a moral to this story Del Boy but for the life of me I can't find it!

[–] The-Last-Prydonian 10 years ago

The fact that he purely ran away would hold water if not for the very fact of what Josh’s Mum saw, that being from her perspective a 30 year old fruitcake trying to masquerade as her 13 year old son. So her rational mind came to the more logical conclusion and she eventually just didn’t dwell on the logicality of Josh’s story. That said I don’t think it’s all that far fetched as there’s some otherwise harmless psychologically unbalanced people out there. You hear of of women who have kidnapped infant babies, is it so inconceivable that a man do something a bit similar? Uncommon though it may be I’m sure it does. It can happing for varying reasons.

[–] stevenackerman69 10 years ago

That whole thing was never really dealt with correctly. I have a feeling John Walsh would've complained about it. Would love to ask him. But why do kidnappers take children? Very easy: They want kids of their own and because they cannot get them biologically or thru adoption agencies, they steal them. Haven't you seen other films or shows that have a child get kidnapped? Here are some examples:
1. Sam's kidnapping in the final season of Diff'rent Strokes.
2. The Deep End of the Ocean
3. I Know My first Name Is Steven

[–] jayhn1111 9 years ago

That's a point I hadn't even considered. The fact that it could be people that just were never able to have kids. The I know my name is steven movie was disturbing. I'd forgotten about that

[–] Nia_J 9 years ago

kids get kidnapped for sexual exploitation too

[–] CZJFan87 9 years ago

The "invented" kidnapper might be a mentally disturbed man who has platonic love for twens and has strange fantasies (like dressing the kids in man suits... like the end scene).

There are a lot of weirdos out there without being sexual predators/abusers, so the invented story can pass.

[–] novastar_6 9 years ago

Or...it's possible when he got home that he told his mom the truth. Yeah, it's completely unbelievable, but he got Suzanne to believe it, why not his mom too? His best friend already knew it was the truth, so there could be a corroboration.

[–] singalongjonl-1 9 years ago

Adults fear the irrational or things they can't explain, while kids are more open towards things.

Naturally I think the mother would believe her son had Stockholm syndrome. All the signs are there, with Josh's letter especially as an early sign. In his letter, he was basically telling his mother that it was okay for him to be kidnapped and how he considered it a 'good' thing for his life. Assuming what that mother went through and hearing from her son about an irrational story or the 'fun experience', she would probably send him to a psychiatrist to get help. She would assume they did something to him that caused him to possibly suppress what really happened during the time he was away, afraid for years that he would return to his abusers by will.

Even if his best friend collaborated with the story, she still wouldn't believe him. They are kids and parents will always look at the rational before considering the irrational.

[–] novastar_6 9 years ago

What's rational about kidnappers just letting their victim go home after he's been gone 2 months?

[–] PopperTheKungFu-Dragon 9 years ago

I don't think Josh came up with that story. His mother assumed he had been kidnapped and he just went along with it.

R.I.P. Rick Ducommun and Tony Longo

[–] king_of_bob 8 years ago

It is stupid, but it makes sense that it's stupid because a 13 year old kid came up with it.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

[–] McQueen1980 8 years ago

i always found it strange that we never see any police at all in this movie

[–] Mickyfinn 8 years ago

Yeah we really have to let a lot of these questions go. Even in the late 80's, they could have tracked the call from McMillian toys to his mother. His false Social Security Number probably shouldn't have worked. Especially after his income went through the roof and he got the apartment and was able to buy all the stuff. He certainly was making big $$ and probably wouldn't be able to pay cash for the apt and stuff.

You just have to be resigned-
You're crashing by design