The world doesn’t always give us something to be thankful for. But when you calm down, think of Tom Hanks.
During his decades-long career, America’s Dad has produced a consistent resume of good-hearted, empathetic characters who benefit from Hanks’ naturally fatherly off-screen presence. There were a few exceptions to that rule. can’t help but exude a strong sense of kind warmth.
In the movies, Tom Hanks radiates warmth like a movie microwave
In honor of Hanks, we rank the beloved Oscar winner’s 15 key feel-good roles.
- Mister Rogers is clearly making the list. So does Woody.
- Movies like ‘Splash’ and ‘Big’ showed off his fatherly qualities early in Hanks’ career.
- “You’ve Got Mail” melted hearts and dominated Hanks’ rom-com era.
15. “Splash” (1984)
Hanks fell in love with fish-men before “The Little Mermaid” and “The Shape of Water”. He plays a hopeless romantic in New York City, shows up naked on Liberty Island, and is completely mesmerized by a very eccentric woman (Daryl Hannah) who has a strange way of eating lobster. But the heart wants what it wants, and Hanks’ man realizes she’s the same mermaid who saved his life from drowning her in boyhood, and of course they’re under the sea. find a happy ending.
14. Finch (2021)
Who better than Hanks to bring all the post-apocalyptic vibes to a sci-fi dad movie with robots and dogs? It stars as a robotics engineer in St. Louis who survived a solar event that caused him to die. , taking care of the dog Goodyear when he is gone, and they head west to find a better home.
13. “News of the World” (2020)
This isn’t a role for Hanks that’s hard to imagine. He plays a former Confederate captain who zips from town to town in Texas, happily reads newspaper articles for 10 cents apiece, runs into a 10-year-old girl (Helena her girlfriend Zengel) alone, I promise to take her home. Hanks brings warmth and humor to an initially reluctant good-natured character. Only a handful of young people are raised by the people of Kiowa, but they end up becoming the one-of-a-kind, protective father figure that Hanks embodies.
12. “Saving Mr. Banks” (2013)
This drama delves into the backstory behind ‘Mary Poppins’ and how acerbic author PL Travers (Emma Thompson) was asked to approve an adaptation by none other than Walt Disney (Hanks) himself. Watching Disney, the ultimate businessman, show off the efforts of Disneyland and Mickey Mouse to the indifferent Travers, is a heartfelt conversation between the two about what “Poppins” is. Over time, a difficult pitch turns into kindness and understanding.
11. “Apollo 13” (1995)
“Houston, we’ve got a problem.” Someone else says yes, there’s a problem. But when Hanks, who played Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, uttered this famous space race phrase, viewers were reminded that the 1970 lunar mission had failed after some technical problems. Now that it’s over, we still feel okay.The crew (including Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton) missed their chance to walk on the moon, but when it comes to safely returning to Earth, come now: Hanks says failure isn’t an option make you believe
10. A Man Called Otto (2023)
Otto (Hanks) is an old weirdo in his community who is grieving the recent loss of his wife when a healthy pregnant woman (Mariana Treviño) and her family move in next door. By challenging his moody ways, she unleashes his kind inner self, and he embraces stray cats, reconciles with his old friends, and becomes a loyal protector to his neighbors. Hanks brings a signature combination of humor and emotional depth to stories that explore the importance of human contact in our lives.
9. “Larry Crown” (2011)
The impressive Hanks drawing and underrated film The Clown, also the drama he directed, takes us from the emotional turmoil caused by sudden unemployment to reinventing ourselves for a new chapter in our lives. It utilizes many contemporary themes, right up to the older generations that invent. Hanks was a title boomer, a divorced veteran who was laid off from a large retail store, finding opportunities limited without a college education, and Julia Roberts was part of Larry’s rebirth to create her own. He’s a troubled speech professor (and love interest).
8. “Cast Away” (2000)
It’s all Hanks, and always Hanks in survival drama. Hanks’ protagonist grows a beard, goes a little crazy, and befriends a volleyball player (apparently named Wilson), but never gives up. What lends a mountain of
7. “Big” (1988)
Back in the 1980s, Hanks was a master at playing boys – a degree of debauchery (see “The Bachelor Party”) and a great memory for the deeper part of this fantasy that a 12-year-old wishes to grow up with. so much that it remains A magical carnival machine allows it. Hanks can be sweet (playing “Heart and Soul” with his feet on a giant keyboard), sublime (eating baby corn at his party for dinner), and somewhat serious (dating Elizabeth Perkins). thing) and Josh keeps going until he just wants to be. child again.
6. League of Their Own (1992)
Hanks has a very supporting role in Penny Marshall’s sports-film ode to the first women’s professional baseball league, and Geena Davis leads the story of post-World War II female identity. As Jimmy Dugan, the alcoholic former All-Star and new manager of the Rockford Peaches, Hanks is a somewhat sexist character who is both a friend and fan of his players and an emotional rocker. Comic relief (“Don’t cry about baseball!”). in tragic times.
5. Forrest Gump (1994)
It won an Oscar for best picture (and probably shouldn’t have). It spawned a seafood restaurant and so many internet memes. Lean, Hanks as the lovable protagonist who is completely devoted to Jenny (Robin Wright). We’ve seen American history through his experiences, and Forrest teaches us a lot about kindness, love, family, and life (as we know, it’s completely like a box of chocolates).
4. “Saving Private Ryan” (1998)
In Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic, Hanks was cast as a Normandy army captain tasked with finding a missing private (Matt Damon) and bringing him home. The kid doesn’t want to leave the band of brothers, and there aren’t many “feel good” vibes in the terror of battle, but Hanks’ hero remains invested in the emotional throughline. Keep dry eyes and good luck when you tell young people to “earn this” and make the most of the rest of your life.
3. “Toy Story” (1995)
There’s so much personality in the plastic cowpoke Woody’s voice that Pixar’s animation classics are easy to include in a Hanks retrospective. and I cry like a freshly sliced onion. But seeing the dynamic between the overzealous Sheriff Woody and the idiosyncratic astronaut Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) is worth a look.
2. “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (2019)
One of the most Hanks-like in the Hanks persona, the actor and Rogers go together like well-matched sweaters and sneakers. Hanks, tasked with profiling Rogers, is a child who died as an empathy guru, giving a troubled journalist (Matthew Rhys) a heartwarming bon motto to a troubled journalist (Matthew Rhys) who is skeptical of Rogers’ absolute goodness. Hanks was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor not only for his pitch-perfect performance but also for bringing his own calming aura to the part.
1. You’ve Got Mail (1998)
In the 1990s, Hanks and Meg Ryan were an unstoppable rom-com pairing of grunge-era Fred and Ginger. “Joe Versus the Volcano” and “Sleepless in Seattle” may have some die-hard fans, but this sweet ode to his early days of online dating is by far the best. Hanks runs a large family-run bookstore, Ryan heads a small corner bookstore whose business is in jeopardy, and rivals become secret email best friends and fall in love with each other. Try not to cry while your dog, Brinkley, runs through the park. This is the furry version of the modern “right swipe” bringing two lovebirds together.
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