Character Analysis
Big Russ Thompson was a stud athlete in high school…and is has been looking in the rearview mirror ever since.
To make things worse, he lives vicariously through his eldest son, the aptly named Little Russ, putting an unbearable amount of pressure on him to follow in his footsteps.
Glory Days
Basically, Big Russ fits every manly man stereotype to a "T." He's obsessed with his former success as a football player. He pushes his family to go on a weekend fishing trip, despite being the only one who wants to go. He even demands that Little Russ start pumping iron like Schwarzenegger after learning that he was "cut" from the football team.
And how does he react when Little Russ shows disinterest? Check it out:
LITTLE RUSS: Dad, you know that weights aren't my thing.
BIG RUSS: Fishing isn't your thing. Weights aren't your thing. Just what is your thing?
To compound this, Big Russ is completely oblivious to the way he acts towards his children. He doesn't think he's forcing Little Russ to do something he doesn't want to do: he thinks that he's helping him "build character."
He also completely ignores his youngest son, Ron, when he attempts to connect with his dad. Unlike Little Russ, Ron actually does enjoy sports and fishing, but Big Russ is so obsessed with his namesake that he completely pushes Ron aside.
Captain Oblivious to the Rescue
We can see this dynamic in how he responds to his sons going missing. For example, when his wife Mae calls the police, they immediately suspect that the kids ran away, which makes sense given the state of their family. Take a look at Big Russ' reaction to this suggestion:
POLICE OFFICER: This sort of thing happens all of the time. You have a little spat with the kids…
BIG RUSS: Whoa. We did not have a spat.
He later learns that Little Russ wasn't cut from the football team, but quit. Ouch. Once again, he reveals himself to be completely unable to look at himself through his sons' perspective.
Read it and weep:
BIG RUSS: Quit? I thought he was cut.
MAE: He was afraid to tell you he quit.
BIG RUSS: What do you mean he was afraid to tell me? He could tell me anything he wants. You know me. I always listen.
In a word: oblivious. In two words: insanely oblivious.
Luckily for everyone involved, however, these revelations help Big Russ see the error of his ways. It would've been nice for him to have done that without the help of an insane science experiment gone wrong, but hey—we'll take what we can get.
New Beginnings
In the end, Big Russ volunteers to be the guinea pig for Wayne's newly repaired shrink ray. This might sound silly, but the dude is literally putting his life on the line for his kids, which shows how far he's come.
He closes the movie by telling Little Russ that he accepts his decision to quit football, and even goes as far as accepting Wayne Szalinski as a friend.
(Former) jocks and (current) nerds getting along? We thought we'd never see the day.