(Photo by Fox/ courtesy Everett Collection)
Big celebrates its 35th anniversary!
After making a literal Splash for his leading movie-star debut, nice guy Tom Hanks would become the king of yuppie ’80s slapstick, starring in classics like Big and fan favorites such as Joe Versus the Volcano, The ‘Burbs, and The Money Pit. Tuned-in audiences up to that point knew him primarily from the two-season ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies, and just as Hanks’ obvious talent couldn’t be contained to television, it was likewise apparent he wouldn’t always be stuck doing “just” comedies.
1992’s A League of Their Own established Hanks as an ally for women and sports, and set up a grand slam in 1993. Sleepless in Seattle fashioned Hanks and Meg Ryan as a rom-com dream team, while Philadelphia represented his first foray into drama, leading straight into a Best Actor Oscar win. More importantly, it gave a harrowing, human face to the AIDS epidemic that American society at large had struggled – or refused – to fully comprehend at that point; during his Oscar acceptance speech, he referenced mentors and peers who were gay and who had influenced his life.
The following year, Hanks picked up a consecutive Best Actor Oscar for boomer nostalgia blockbuster Forrest Gump, which would also take Best Picture. With his career in official sky’s-the-limit mode, Hanks went exactly there, blasting off into space for Apollo 13 in 1995. That same year, he voiced Woody in the groundbreaking Toy Story, a role he has returned to over the decades and into the present.
Saving Private Ryan in 1998 marked the first time Hanks would work with Steven Spielberg, a fruitful creative partnership that has produced an abundance of critically acclaimed films, including Catch Me If You Can, Bridge of Spies, and The Post. Also, The Terminal.
In recent years, much of Hanks’ acclaim and accolades has been directed at his biopics. Think Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, Sully, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. His latest film were Greyhound, a WWII naval thriller that he co-wrote, News of the World, and Elvis. See where they place on all Tom Hanks movies ranked! —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 106981%
Critics Consensus: The rare sequel that arguably improves on its predecessor, Toy Story 2 uses inventive storytelling, gorgeous animation, and a talented cast to deliver another rich moviegoing experience for all ages.
#2
Adjusted Score: 105528%
Critics Consensus: Entertaining as it is innovative, Toy Story reinvigorated animation while heralding the arrival of Pixar as a family-friendly force to be reckoned with.
#3
Adjusted Score: 109717%
Critics Consensus: Deftly blending comedy, adventure, and honest emotion, Toy Story 3 is a rare second sequel that really works.
#4
Adjusted Score: 123586%
Critics Consensus: Heartwarming, funny, and beautifully animated, Toy Story 4 manages the unlikely feat of extending — and perhaps concluding — a practically perfect animated saga.
#5
Adjusted Score: 103193%
Critics Consensus: Refreshingly sweet and undeniably funny, Big is a showcase for Tom Hanks, who dives into his role and infuses it with charm and surprising poignancy.
#6
Adjusted Score: 102420%
Critics Consensus: With help from a strong performance by Leonardo DiCaprio as real-life wunderkind con artist Frank Abagnale, Steven Spielberg crafts a film that’s stylish, breezily entertaining, and surprisingly sweet.
#7
Adjusted Score: 101528%
Critics Consensus: In recreating the troubled space mission, Apollo 13 pulls no punches: it’s a masterfully told drama from director Ron Howard, bolstered by an ensemble of solid performances.
#8
Adjusted Score: 116909%
Critics Consensus: Much like the beloved TV personality that inspired it, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood offers a powerfully affecting message about acceptance and understanding.
#9
Adjusted Score: 103906%
Critics Consensus: Smart, powerfully acted, and incredibly intense, Captain Phillips offers filmgoers a Hollywood biopic done right — and offers Tom Hanks a showcase for yet another brilliant performance.
#10
Adjusted Score: 101250%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by another winning performance from Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg’s unflinchingly realistic war film virtually redefines the genre.
#11
Adjusted Score: 96969%
Critics Consensus: A light, sweet, and thoroughly entertaining debut for director Tom Hanks, That Thing You Do! makes up in charm what it lacks in complexity.
#12
Adjusted Score: 103071%
Critics Consensus: Bridge of Spies finds new life in Hollywood’s classic Cold War espionage thriller formula, thanks to reliably outstanding work from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
#13
Adjusted Score: 94340%
Critics Consensus: Flawed but fascinating, Cast Away offers an intelligent script, some of Robert Zemeckis’ most mature directing, and a showcase performance from Tom Hanks.
#14
Adjusted Score: 116757%
Critics Consensus: The Post‘s period setting belies its bitingly timely themes, brought compellingly to life by director Steven Spielberg and an outstanding ensemble cast.
#15
Adjusted Score: 105437%
Critics Consensus: News of the World takes a slow but absorbing ride down a comfortingly familiar Western trail, guided by Tom Hanks in peak paternal mode.
#16
Adjusted Score: 104933%
Critics Consensus: As comfortingly workmanlike as its protagonist, Sully makes solid use of typically superlative work from its star and director to deliver a quietly stirring tribute to an everyday hero.
#17
Adjusted Score: 89721%
Critics Consensus: Charlie Wilson’s War manages to entertain and inform audiences, thanks to its witty script and talented cast of power players.
#18
Adjusted Score: 87859%
Critics Consensus: Somber, stately, and beautifully mounted, Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition is a well-crafted mob movie that explores the ties between fathers and sons.
#19
Adjusted Score: 86802%
Critics Consensus: Sentimental and light, but still thoroughly charming, A League of Their Own is buoyed by solid performances from a wonderful cast.
#20
Adjusted Score: 89230%
Critics Consensus: Aggressively likable and sentimental to a fault, Saving Mr. Banks pays tribute to the Disney legacy with excellent performances and sweet, high-spirited charm.
#21
Adjusted Score: 95239%
Critics Consensus: The standard rock biopic formula gets all shook up in Elvis, with Baz Luhrmann’s dazzling energy and style perfectly complemented by Austin Butler’s outstanding lead performance.
#22
Adjusted Score: 84347%
Critics Consensus: Though The Green Mile is long, critics say it’s an absorbing, emotionally powerful experience.
#23
Adjusted Score: 85529%
Critics Consensus: Philadelphia indulges in some unfortunate clichés in its quest to impart a meaningful message, but its stellar cast and sensitive direction are more than enough to compensate.
#24
Adjusted Score: 93056%
Critics Consensus: Greyhound‘s characters aren’t as robust as its action sequences, but this fast-paced World War II thriller benefits from its efficiently economical approach.
#25
Adjusted Score: 79266%
Critics Consensus: Sleepless in Seattle is a cute classic with a very light touch and real chemistry between the two leads — even when spending an entire movie apart.
#26
Adjusted Score: 73947%
Critics Consensus: By turns fluffy and biting, this show biz comedy is given girth by comic heavyweight John Malkovich and made all the more charming by Emily Blunt.
#27
Adjusted Score: 78057%
Critics Consensus: A Hologram for the King amiably ambles through a narrative desert, saved by an oasis of a performance from the ever-dependable Tom Hanks.
#28
Adjusted Score: 77303%
Critics Consensus: Forrest Gump may be an overly sentimental film with a somewhat problematic message, but its sweetness and charm are usually enough to approximate true depth and grace.
#29
Adjusted Score: 74029%
Critics Consensus: Great chemistry between the leads made this a warm and charming delight.
#30
Adjusted Score: 77731%
Critics Consensus: Its sprawling, ambitious blend of thought-provoking narrative and eye-catching visuals will prove too unwieldy for some, but the sheer size and scope of Cloud Atlas are all but impossible to ignore.
#31
Adjusted Score: 65354%
Critics Consensus: Joe Versus the Volcano erupts with plenty of screwball energy and thoughtful observations about living to the fullest, but its existential ambition may prove too goofy for some audiences.
#32
Adjusted Score: 68189%
Critics Consensus: The Terminal transcends its flaws through the sheer virtue of its crowd-pleasing message and a typically solid star turn from Tom Hanks.
#33
Adjusted Score: 60548%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#34
Adjusted Score: 58043%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#35
Adjusted Score: 63268%
Critics Consensus: Though the movie is visually stunning overall, the animation for the human characters isn’t lifelike enough, and the story is padded.
#36
Adjusted Score: 60556%
Critics Consensus: Hanks’ performance in the lead role is inspired, but this is a relatively minor offering from the Coen brothers.
#37
Adjusted Score: 54196%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#38
Adjusted Score: 47372%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#39
Adjusted Score: 55241%
Critics Consensus: The ‘Burbs has an engaging premise, likable cast, and Joe Dante at the helm — so the mixed-up genre exercise they produce can’t help but feel like a disappointment.
#40
Adjusted Score: 50458%
Critics Consensus: While it’s sporadically funny and certainly well-cast, Dragnet is too clumsy and inconsistent to honor its classic source material.
#41
Adjusted Score: 50024%
Critics Consensus: Tom Hanks makes Turner and Hooch more entertaining than it might look on paper, but ultimately, this is still a deeply silly comedy about a cop and a canine.
#42
Adjusted Score: 41396%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#43
Adjusted Score: 47290%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#44
Adjusted Score: 51791%
Critics Consensus: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close has a story worth telling, but it deserves better than the treacly and pretentious treatment director Stephen Daldry gives it.
#45
Adjusted Score: 46874%
Critics Consensus: Angels and Demons is a fast-paced thrill ride, and an improvement on the last Dan Brown adaptation, but the storyline too often wavers between implausible and ridiculous, and does not translate effectively to the big screen.
#46
Adjusted Score: 44155%
Critics Consensus: Despite the relaxed, easy chemistry of stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, Larry Crowne is surprisingly bland and conventional.
#47
Adjusted Score: 36589%
Critics Consensus: Visually dazzling but soulless, the largely inert Pinocchio reaffirms that you should always let your conscience be your guide… away from unnecessary remakes.
#48
Adjusted Score: 33356%
Critics Consensus: What makes Dan Brown’s novel a best seller is evidently not present in this dull and bloated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.
#49
Adjusted Score: 37235%
Critics Consensus: Senselessly frantic and altogether shallow, Inferno sends the Robert Langdon trilogy spiraling to a convoluted new low.
#50
Adjusted Score: 22080%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#51
Adjusted Score: 24840%
Critics Consensus: The Circle assembles an impressive cast, but this digitally driven thriller spins aimlessly in its half-hearted exploration of timely themes.
#52
Adjusted Score: 16244%
Critics Consensus: The Bonfire of the Vanities is a vapid adaptation of a thoughtful book, fatally miscast and shorn of the source material’s crucial sense of irony. Add it to the pyre of Hollywood’s ambitious failures.