Film Round-Up #29

If there was any actor that virtually no one seems to dislike, it would surely be Tom Hanks. Knowing people these days, I'm sure there are some 'edgy' knobbers out there who would publicly express disdain toward him simply to be 'controversial' (i.e. get attention) but even they wouldn't be able to find much to say. Not only is he a fantastic actor but all evidence points to him being a genuinely nice, funny guy too. All the films I've seen him in are at least pretty good so I wondered if they all are. There are a lot I haven't seen after all. So why not find out? This first round-up features three I've seen before but not for a long time, and two I've never seen.

The Money Pit (1986)

I often forget that Big wasn't the first Hanks 'vehicle', and like most of the ones that came before it, The Money Pit is one I had never seen until now for this feature. It stars the main man opposite Shelley Long as unmarried couple, Walter and Anna, who are kicked out of the house they're borrowing and need to find somewhere else fast. Almost immediately they're offered a million dollar mansion for a bargain price because the granny living there needs a quick sale, so they thank their lucky stars, beg borrow and steal every penny they can, and buy it. And then it all starts going wrong, literally - everything they touch seems to collapse, explode, or break somehow, even the trees in the garden! It is of course ridiculous that it all happens the minute they move in though. I know it's a comedy but it's a bit silly for my tastes, and predictable too. It isn't helped much by Long's character either, who becomes extremely annoying in the second half. The Hanks charm is here though, and you probably won't regret spending this 90 minutes with him... 6/10

Big (1988)

I still remember this movie coming out, I think I was about the same age as the protagonist at the time which probably helped me enjoy it, but for some reason I didn't watch again until recently for this feature, and I couldn't help but wonder if I would like it as much. Happily, despite the inexplicable gap, this great film remains as enchanting as it ever was, perhaps even more so since it now evokes the nostalgic feelings that many other 80's things do for me. Hanks is of course excellent in his star-making turn as 12-year-old Josh Baskin, suddenly thrust into the body of a 30-odd-year-old having to fend for himself in the big city (New York in this case). It's not enormously realistic of course, even for the 80's, but whether you were watching it then or much more recently, it's still a wonderful fantasy film that totally takes you out of whatever real-world strife you might be experiencing and leaves you smiling for pretty much the whole 105-minute runtime. A timeless classic... 9/10

The 'Burbs (1989)

I always thought this was perhaps the most underrated film to feature Hanks. He stars as Ray Peterson who is spending a week off work at his home in the suburbs with wife Carol (Carrie Fisher), but he quickly gets roped into some tomfoolery by his paranoid neighbours who have grown suspicious of the latest residents in the 'burb', the Klopeks, from whose house there have been strange noises and weird late night activities. Naturally, things quickly get out of hand, thanks largely to the over-zealous behaviour of Ray's friends Art (Rick Ducommun) and Rumsfield (Bruce Dern), and it's unsurprisingly this trio that provide most of the laughs, although Corey Feldman is also in attendance being... well, Corey Feldman-ish. Dern is particularly amusing as the Vietnam veteran, eagerly making use of his army training and equipment, but Hanks is on great form too. Probably his second-best 80's film... 8/10

Forrest Gump (1994)

I am pretty much obligated to give this one a good writeup as it's my wife's favourite film of all-time! But luckily, even though many film snobs look down their noses at it, if for no other reason than denying Pulp Fiction and/or The Shawshank Redemption the Oscar for Best Picture, it's actually a mighty fine film. I expect most of you probably like it too, even if you won't admit it! I hadn't seen it all the way through until I met my wife but I thoroughly enjoyed it then and I still do now. It would take a particularly cold soul to not appreciate the kind-hearted simpleton of the title as he lurches from one improbable scenario to the next. Hanks is of course faultless in what has remained one of his most iconic roles, although it's not just him. His support is outstanding in the form of Mykelti Williamson (Bubba), Gary Sinise (Captain Dan), and Robin Wright as the somewhat-maligned Jenny, and director Robert Zemeckis and his crew do a wonderful job too, including those famous special effects. Combine all that with a corking soundtrack and you've got the recipe for an all-time great character and film... 9/10

You've Got Mail (1998)

I didn't have the greatest hopes for this one, I'm sorry to say, mainly down to the fact that I haven't liked any previous Meg Ryan rom-coms (not even the other one with Hanks), but there's a first time for everything I guess, and indeed, this one looked more appealing right away! Hanks stars as Joe Fox whose family runs Fox Books, a chain of bookstores. Ryan plays Kathleen who runs a small independent bookstore in New York which is threatened when Fox Books opens a new superstore across the street. Both Joe and Kathleen are in relationships but, as they become business rivals, they are also secretly exhanging emails with each other without realising, after meeting in a chatroom. It isn't hard to see where things go from here but it's still a really nice film. Both characters are likeable and the sense of nostalgia for the early days of the internet, before the days when it was largely populated by cancerous cunts, makes it even more enjoyable. Sure it's a bit corny but sometimes a film like this is just what you need... 8/10