In a landscape of great American actors, there are few that have the reputation of Tom Hanks. When he became one of the first to be diagnosed with COVID-19, there was concern that the nicest actor in the world was about to leave us. It made us concerned that things were entering a dark period, where joy and warmth would be gone. It’s to Hanks’ credit that he has dedicated the last 40 years of his career to being as transparent as possible, being an everyman who the audience can relate to, finding some comfort in his own personal achievements.
For lack of a better title, he is now considered to be America’s Dad™, an actor on par with James Stewart in terms of altruism. He espouses advice and has the ability to be seen as the moral compass by which we should all live our lives. Not bad for an actor who has had just as many highs and lows throughout his career, especially in the past 20 years when it’s clear that any project with his name on it is likely to gain attention regardless of quality. He’s reached a point where he mixes big blockbusters with smaller dramas, eager to test his limits and make his autumn years as an actor the most diverse.
That is why in light of his 64th birthday, I thought that I would look at his most recent decade of output, which has featured a few masterpieces, including his first Oscar nomination in almost two decades. He may not be as consistent as he used to be, but to count him out when he gets a good project going is laughable. He still has an unmatched charisma, proving why he deserves to be considered one of Hollywood’s greatest actors. So long as he keeps producing movies at this rate, there’s a good chance that the 2020s will be just as exciting and unpredictable as the last.
It should be noted that this Top 5 is not based on the quality of the films, but how I feel about Hanks’ performances throughout these films. I am looking more at what he brings to these roles, managing to surprise us and make us care about what the everyman looks like in the 21st century, when they are needed to save the day more than ever. When considering his career in a bigger picture, it would be a mistake to not include these as examples of how much he still has to offer.
While it’s sad when any person dies of COVID-19, the reason that Hanks’ announcement was seismic was because of what his work symbolized. It’s a shining light in a dark time, giving us something optimistic to latch onto and feel better about ourselves. What would the world do without Hanks, giving us hope that his next movie will be another masterpiece? It’s a question that I personally hope 2020 doesn’t answer, and here’s a few reasons why.
1. Cloud Atlas (2012)
No matter how wild the remainder of Tom Hanks’ career will be, it is doubtful that he will have a role that’s as ambitious or meaningful as this Wachowski Sisters and Tom Tykwer epic that spans centuries and finds a group of actors playing various roles. While some may take issue with this approach, such as white actors playing Asian, there is something more sincere and impactful in this approach that the best of art can achieve. Because these versatile actors get to play everything from evil book agents to a father humbly oppressed by demons, it connects ideas of humanity in ways that few other films have achieved, and never on this scale. It’s unlikely that another film like this will be made, especially given how long it’s taken to appreciate its subtext and ambitious editing that makes everything as seamless as it is daunting.
As a result, it’s difficult to place the success totally on Hanks’ shoulders, though he does have plenty of moments to remind us of his capabilities. In several cases, he even presents sides of himself that you’re not likely to see elsewhere. To know that he still has plenty to offer, where men defined by horrible actions are given deep and empathetic twists, is something that makes you wish that he took more risks like this, finding roles that challenged his image. This isn’t to say that everything else he’s done is bad, but he hasn’t been this interesting in his project selections since Joe vs. the Volcano (1990), and one can hope he has one more of these in there.
This is a sci-fi/fantasy achievement like no other, proving that sometimes a very flawed story can still be masterful. It’s not one about exploring the latest technology or biggest spectacle, but how humanity lies in all of us. It’s how one song can linger throughout time, and the actions of one man in a retirement home can influence cinema of the future. The way that every story is juggled is an incredible feat, and their unexpected connection is some of the finest writing. If you’re distracted by the make-up work, then frankly you’re paying attention to the wrong things. This is a story about souls existing throughout centuries and millennia, taking different forms along the way. It’s endearing and beautiful, and evidence of what cinema can ultimately achieve if it’s allowed to take risks.
2. Captain Phillips (2013)
There hasn’t been a single role since 2010 that many people have cried foul at The Oscars for as much as this. Considering that it earned a Best Picture nomination and got Barkhad Abdi a Best Supporting Actor nod, one has to wonder why Hanks got ignored. After all, anyone who saw the ads at the time will know that his third-act performance was a big selling point. I won’t spoil it, but like Cloud Atlas, it presented a side of Hanks that hasn’t really been seen often. It’s intense and shocking, but most of all honest to character. It’s the type of work that makes you feel like he’s only getting started on these darker, more mature roles that challenge humanity in more meaningful ways.
The Somali pirate drama before that is still an intense hostage story that finds Hanks being kidnapped and forced to comply with his captors. What follows is something claustrophobic, uncomfortable and reflective of Hanks’ quieter side. He is a natural born leader, so what happens when his powers are taken away from him? There’s power in his restraint, his ability to observe and try to form compassion in order to stay alive. Every moment is unnerving, with every rescue plan falling apart and leaving despair wafting over the characters. It’s to director Paul Greengrass’ slipshod quality that it all feels queasy, making you psychologically uneven for the entire ride.
As mentioned, Hanks’ performance only grows by the end and plays very well off of Abdi’s career-making work. With that said, it’s all evidence of who Hanks is as a person that it works on an implicit level, making you recognize him not as this towering heroic figure, but someone just doing their job, wanting to get through the day. It’s the epitome of what he can achieve with his star-power, and it’s a shame that he couldn’t convince The Oscars to break their then decade-long inability to nominate him. He has taken on some harrowing roles since, but none that come as close to a committed intensity and focus on this level.
3. Bridge of Spies (2015)
After a brief hiatus, Hanks reteamed with Steven Spielberg to make one of their best collaborations ever. It’s the most conventionally American, taking on the Cold War with a familiar intensity that once again relies on the actor’s humble nature to sell the whole experience. He is a spy entering East Berlin because of how unimposing he is, getting secrets for the government that will forward the trial of a man who may or may not be mistaken as plotting espionage. Much like Hanks, it helps that it’s played with impeccable niceties featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Mark Rylance, reflecting how every move needs to be calculated and every sentence has the chance to make or break how the world sees you.
It’s the most compassionate and fulfilling story that Spielberg has made this entire decade, managing to mix in spectacle with commentary as characters find the most fulfillment in these intimate moments. The stakes have rarely felt higher in modern Spielberg than when Hanks and Rylance are in a room together, trying to find a way to make the world see the warmth and honesty of this man. With plenty of solid dialogue underlined with an occasional joke, this is Hanks’ most James Stewart-esque role of the 21st century, standing up for humanity in such a way that you can’t help but root for him. It helps that the framework works like gangbusters and that this is one of the best Cold War movies in quite some time.
4. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
Just when you thought that The Oscars wouldn’t nominate Hanks ever again, director Marielle Heller found the perfect role. As Fred “Mister” Rogers, the nicest man in Hollywood plays the nicest man in public broadcasting and it creates one of the humblest movies in years. While I personally don’t see Hanks escaping into Rogers, it does give the actor a chance to create his own mythos of why he’s considered so approachable, able to be seen as an unimposing figure that espouses advice. More than being a Rogers story about compassion, it’s one that reflects what Hanks has come to mean in his later years, as someone who sees the positive in humanity and asks us to push further.
Depending on your level of cynicism, the warmth of this film may be uncomfortable. Though that’s kind of the point. It’s a story about breaking down the cynical barriers that we’ve built and understand what happiness in our daily lives is. It’s a beautiful film that works as a therapeutic tool for those needing to smile, to be reminded that the world has people like Rogers in it and that it’s capable to not let former awfulness be the only thing in our lives. Everyone is capable of forgiveness. We just have to reach out for it.
5. The Post (2017)
This is one of the more dicey films he’s been associated with in the past decade. While it’s another amazing collaboration with Spielberg and features arguably one of his best ensemble casts ever, I can’t help but shake that Hanks is the weak link. On the surface it’s a glamorized view of journalism that is endearing, showing how the process leads to a breakthrough. It romanticizes the hours of looking through documents and makes it seem like the greatest thing in the world. As a former journalism student, I love how this film makes these everymen into heroes and stands up for what’s right. It even features one of Meryl Streep’s absolute best performances in her entire career.
The issue is that the glossy texture feels like it goes too far with Hanks who feels like a James Cagney-style cartoon in how he rolls up his sleeve and talks with an unconvincing accent. It’s become endearing upon rewatch, but his choices at times are baffling and never quite reach the empathetic highs of the other films on this list. Then again, he’s a supporting part in this bigger story, and he’s not exactly distracting from the bigger message. I love this movie and would rank this higher, but again this is about Hanks’ performance. It’s the weak link, and one that’s hard to get over here.
Honorary Mention
Toy Story 3 (2010) and Toy Story 4 (2019)
If we’re being honest, it would be difficult to not just rank his work as Woody the yodeling cowboy in the top spot. After all, he gives one of the definitive voice acting roles in history, bringing a deep empathy to an inanimate object that has subliminally made us question our own mortality throughout the years. This quadrilogy will be the work he’s most remembered for, and gives him his most emotionally rich roles to date. For a movie geared at kids, it manages to find him at his most vulnerable and sad, and also at times his most optimistic.
Toy Story 3 was the unexpected successful third entry in an unlikely trilogy, finding ways to push the characters and Pixar ethos to some of its most harrowing places. I would argue that Toy Story 4 became Hanks’ most personal chapter yet, bringing the story of a toy to a conclusion of life after retirement. Sure he’s often outshined by a sentient suicidal spork, but it’s the study of mortality that takes some of the most interesting risks in the franchise. If there had to be a send-off, I’m glad it was this one. It’s a love letter to everything that Woody has meant to this franchise, and to us, and we’ll always love him for his sacrifices.
What are your favorite Tom Hanks films of the past 10 years? Did I miss any?
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