For comedians aspiring to be dramatic actors, there is no better model than Tom Hanks. A two-time Academy Award winner and five-time nominee, this unflashy, modern-day Jimmy Stewart or Henry Fonda has also shown every struggling actor on earth that if you persevere you can actually make people forget you started out as a comedian and then simply a romantic comedy lead (remember the dreaded “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle” years). Hell, if you endure long enough you can even wipe out the memory of TV movies like “Mazes and Monsters” and sitcoms like “Bosom Buddies” (where’s that other dude now?).The first man to win back-to-back Best Actor Oscars since Spencer Tracy, he embodies a kind of fundamental decency like few others, but to stereotype him in that way does the star a disservice: like Stewart and Fonda, some of his most engaging performances come when he subverts that persona.
“Larry Crowne,” Hanks’ first directorial effort in a decade and a half, hits theaters tomorrow. Unfortunately, as you’ll know from our review, it’s something of a wash-out, but at the very least it gives us a good excuse to look back at some of our favorite Tom Hanks performances across his 30-year career, in the latest in our Essentials series (we’ve already done Ewan McGregor and Nicolas Roeg in the last few weeks). Check it out after the jump.
“Big” (1988)
It isn’t just Tom Hanks that elevates “Big” above the fates of similar ‘80s comedies “Vice Versa” and “Like Father Like Son.” However, he’s certainly the biggest part of the success of this winning Penny Marshall film, which has aged far better than its often-awkward protagonist does. A lesser actor would have been all goofy and gawky–an element which Hanks nails–but the future Oscar winner scored his first nomination for a layered performance that goes beyond just impersonating a 13-year-old stuck in a 30-year-old’s body. He’s alternately vulnerable, silly, sad, gleeful and terrified. We can’t decide whether we like him best when he’s romancing fellow toy company exec Elizabeth Perkins, playing “Heart and Soul” with boss Robert Loggia or crying in a hole of a New York hotel room. This film distills everything we love about Hanks into a single role and it was an indicator of things to come: his seemingly effortless facility with drama, comedy and romance would later manifest itself in “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Toy Story,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and dozens of other films. When we watched it as kids, we could identify with the desire to grow up fast, and now as adults, we’re nostalgic for the freedom of childhood, all thanks to Hanks’ near-perfect work here.
Really? No Forrest Gump? As trendy as it might be for hipster dummies to overlook it, his performance in that film is one of the defining moments of his career and is arguably better than his turns in Philadelphia and/or Saving Private Ryan. You invalidated your list by not putting Gump on there, even though you deserve credit for acknowledging the subtle brilliance of Road to Perdition.
Gump was the role that completely turned the corner for him and proved that his performance in Philadelphia wasn\’t a fluke. It always makes my hackles stand up when people won\’t allow themselves to recognize that film\’s brilliance or its performances because they have to pretend to be cynically aware of the world. It\’s like the subset of fans who love Empire Strikes Back because \”the bad guys win\” and it \”resonates\” with them because they understand that.
Do ya?
Wait, I don\’t want to forget Mazes and Monsters. In fact, now that you\’ve given me the name, I\’m going to seek it out and rewatch it! Also, Bosom Buddies= awesome, don\’t deny it.
\”Dasher, Dancer, Cupid, Blitzen, Donna Dixon.\”–Homer Simpson.
Thanks Steph and TJ, we updated the post thanks to your eagle eyes. Go team!
Wilson is a volleyball.
Oh, and I mean aside from mentioning it in passing in a snarky half-assed way like you did in the Cast Away blurb.
It\’s still a good performance.
No matter what you think of Forrest Gump to not mention that film at all is just ridiculous. He didn\’t go full retard and you have to commend him for that.
But seriously, what an egregious oversight. He won a fucking Oscar for it, guys. Wake up!
I\’ve always wanted there to be a sequel to Sleepless in Seattle where he realises what a creepy stalker-ry bitch Meg Ryan is and ends up with Bill Pullman instead.
Greensleeves?
I think you mean \”Heart and Soul\” from the Big scene at FAO Schwartz.
As JOB Bluth would say, \”Come on!\”
I kind of hate Road to Perdition. It brings out the worst in Sam Mendes, and Hanks can\’t really play the darkness of his role.
And why I don\’t hate Philadelphia, that movie just didn\’t aged well. In a post Brokeback world, Hank\’s relationship with Banderas is just not believable. It\’s clearly a straight actor portraing a gay man. Stuff like that really bring the movie down for me.
Now, your comment on The Ladykillers is spot on. Truer words on that film had never been spoken.
FORREST GUMP????
The ‘Burbs is awesome. Joe Vs. The Volcano is good too, but it can\’t trump those 5.
I really didn\’t mind Hanks in the 90s, with the best and gutsiest performance in Philadelphia.
My favorite movie from him is Road to Perdition, his darkest role.
But honestly, he\’s got to be one of the most boring actors working today. Looking over his whole filmmography only a couple movies stand out as very interesting.
This guy has nothing on Henry Fonda.
Uh…hello?…\”The \’Burbs??\”
You guys must have a brain cloud for leaving off his performance as Joe Banks in the severely underrated Joe Versus the Volcano.