Big Man on Campus

Big Man on Campus reimagines The Hunchback of Notre Dame as a campus comedy. A secluded hunchback lives up in the UCLA bell tower and watches the world below, until two curious students coax him into contact with modern life. As they teach him about college routines, social awkwardness and simple pleasures, he tries to fit into classes, friendships and campus rituals while the group copes with misunderstandings, prejudice and unexpected loyalties. The story focuses on character relationships rather than spectacle, letting humor and awkward moments reveal how someone on the margins can change the rhythms of a small community, even as questions about identity and belonging surface without easy answers. It keeps a light tone while raising real questions.

Released in 1989, Big Man on Campus was directed by Jeremy Kagan from a concept by Allan Katz, who also appears in the cast. The film adapts a classic hunchback story into a contemporary college setting. Includes Parker, Cindy Williams.

The movie did not register as a major commercial release, and no widely reported box office totals are associated with it, and limited distribution. It has circulated mainly through home video and occasional television airings, rather than large theatrical runs.

While it never entered mainstream canon, the film is noted by some viewers for its peculiar premise and comedic tone, and for Allan Katz playing an eccentric hunchback. References to campus bell tower settings and fish-out-of-water college comedies sometimes cite it as an oddball example from the late 1980s today.

Critical responses were mixed, reflected in modest audience scores like a 6.158/10 average. Viewers who appreciate quirky premises may enjoy its warm, occasionally silly tone. Major themes include acceptance, identity and belonging, using college life as a backdrop to explore how friendship and misunderstanding shape social acceptance, and gentle satire.