"Captain Philips" is a return to form for Tom Hanks and is easily the best thing he's done in over a decade("Toy Story 3" aside). With his other 2013 release "Saving Mr. Banks" generating good buzz, it seems like the right time to talk about this beloved two-time Academy Award winner. Hanks has often been called 'the nicest guy in Hollywood', but that overused descriptive doesn't really do his towering talent and one-of-a-kind appeal justice. He was, without question, the biggest actor of the 1990s. Most movie stars seem to live on a different plane of existence, perfect god-like figures waiting to be worshipped. We see these larger-than-life presentations in virtually every action movie and superhero franchise. Hanks did things a little different. He never placed himself above the audience. We love him because he's one of us. The purest and best representation of the 'Everyman'. There are some actors whose contributions to the medium of film are so great that the mere mention of their last name commands immediate recognition and respect- Bogart, Brando, Pacino, De Niro, Nicholson, Eastwood. Hanks belongs in that select group. In an astonishing ten year winning streak unlike anything seen before or since, he made "A League of their Own", "Sleepless In Seattle", Philadelphia", "Forrest Gump", "Apollo 13", "Toy Story 1 and 2", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Green Mile", "Cast Away", "Road to Perdition", and "Catch Me If You Can". We'll get into that more a little later, though. He received an AFI tribute at the tender age of 45. There's never been an unkind word said about him. That's a real rarity in a profession known for oversized egos and personal follies. The word 'legend' gets tossed around a little too much for my taste, but it certainly applies here and you're about to learn why.
Hanks was born in 1956 and grew up with divorced parents in a middle class California suburb. As a "painfully shy and unpopular teen"(his own words), he found solace in the theater and participated in many school plays. He continued to follow his passion in college, but eventually dropped out to pursue stage opportunities in NYC. After appearing in a high profile off-Broadway production that landed him an agent, he returned to the West Coast and began auditioning for film and television. In 1980, he landed one of two starring roles in the cross-dressing sitcom "Bosom Buddies". It wasn't high art by any stretch, but the ratings and reviews were good enough to keep the show on the air for two years and put the amiable 24 year old on the Hollywood radar(his co-star Peter Scolari had considerably less good fortune). As "BB" was coming to an end, Hanks just happened to meet Ron Howard, the TV veteran about to embark on a wildly successful career as a big screen director. Howard was searching for a likable protagonist for his second film when fate intervened. That film was the 1984 comedy "Splash" in which Hanks convincingly falls in love with a mermaid(Daryl Hannah) and it's surprise box office success put him on the path to movie stardom. It wasn't all smooth sailing, though. He was hardly in a position to pick and choose his roles and the mid-to-late '80s found him headlining a string of forgettable comedies("Bachelor Party", "The Man With One Red Shoe", "Volunteers", "The Money Pit", "Dragnet") in rapid succession. But an actor's goal is always to keep working and Hanks later admitted that he still had a lot to learn during this period. A change took place in 1988 when he accepted the lead role in the aptly titled comedy "Big". Hanks was a delight as a child trapped in a man's body and this charming comic fantasy was the first real indication that he had the potential to be something special, but nobody could have predicted what the next decade had in store.
There were still be some growing pains and his career didn't exactly skyrocket after "Big". "The 'Burbs" deservedly flopped in 1989, yet "Turner & Hooch" made for acceptable family viewing. He paired with Meg Ryan in the quirky romance "Joe Versus the Volcano" and the two forged a working relationship that would pay dividends a few years later. His first attempt at a 'serious' role was 1990's " The Bonfire of the Vanities". With Brian De Palma in the director's chair and a supporting roster that included Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, there were palpable expectations for this adaptation of the bestselling Tom Wolfe novel. But Hanks never seemed comfortable as an arrogant blueblood and the film failed with critics and audiences. It would be the last time that 'failure' and 'Tom Hanks' would be used in the same sentence for a long while. After wisely taking a year off to rest and regroup, he took a supporting role in 1992's "A League of their Own". The role of drunken former baseball great turned very reluctant manager Jimmy Dugan was originally intended for a much older actor, but "Big" director Penny Marshall loved Hanks and her instincts proved correct. He stole the show from the largely female ensemble and the film became a $100 million hit that summer.
With renewed momentum, Tom became unstoppable in 1993. First, he reunited with Meg Ryan in "Sleepless In Seattle". The ultimate rom-com managed to gross $128 million in the summer of "Jurassic Park" and "The Fugitive" as women everywhere swooned over Hanks' sensitive widower. The ticket-buying masses were clearly back on his side and it was time to show them what he was really capable of. His staggering portrayal of a gay lawyer dying of AIDS in Jonathan Demme's compassionate drama "Philadelphia" completely changed the public's perception of him as an actor and his fearless commitment to this previously risque subject matter(and forty pound weight loss) was rightly rewarded with the Best Actor Oscar. Many performers rest on their laurels after attaining such recognition, but his monumental follow-up insured that he would never again have to worry where his next paycheck was coming from. A whimsical, feel-good drama isn't normally expected to take the country by storm. That's exactly what the Southern simpleton pictured above did as he drifted through thirty years of Americana. "Forrest Gump" was a genuine phenomenon that dominated the summer '94 box office, gave us several immortal catchphrases and picked up six Academy Awards. That included a second straight Best Actor trophy for Hanks. It was only fitting when Ron Howard chose to send him out of this world for his gripping, fact-based drama "Apollo 13". As expected, the film was a huge hit in 1995. That same year, Tom was enlisted for a groundbreaking computer-animated project for Disney. Needless to say, "Toy Story" was an overwhelming success and his pull-string cowboy doll Woody has to be considered among his most cherished roles.
He used his immeasurable clout to step behind the camera in 1996's "That Thing You Do". It took in a modest sum perhaps because Hanks only gave himself a supporting role in this fluffy tale of a one hit wonder band in the 1960s. He then went to war for Steven Spielberg in the WWII drama "Saving Private Ryan". This searing tribute to real life heroism was the highest grossing film of 1998 and Hanks was among the film's many Academy Award nominations. Proving that he's one of the few stars with drawing power over both sexes, Hanks delivered "You've Got Mail" that December, a romantic confection that marked his third pairing with Meg Ryan. Director Frank Darabont's "The Green Mile" was a victory in 1999 and Hanks graciously allowed newcomer Michael Clarke Duncan to soak up most of the praise. A few months later, "Toy Story 2" made even more money than the original. The new millennium brought another epic collaboration with "Forrest Gump" director Robert Zemeckis. An astounding physical transformation that bested his work on "Philadelphia" saw him drop fifty pounds and gain a long, scruffy beard to play a workaholic Fed-Ex executive stranded on a desert island. Certain actors are often credited with carrying a particular film, but in 2000's "Cast Away", this was the literal truth and the results were more huge box office and a fifth Best Actor nomination(he lost to Russell Crowe for "Gladiator"). In 2002, he helped Paul Newman ride off into the cinematic sunset in the quiet Depression era crime drama "Road to Perdition" before giving a priceless endorsement to a red-hot Leonardo DiCaprio in the breezy hit "Catch Me If You Can".
Nothing lasts forever, and Hanks started losing steam in 2004. Playing a comedic villain for the Coen brothers could have worked out well, but "The Ladykillers" just didn't. "The Terminal" was a conspicuously ineffective effort from the super duo of Hanks and Spielberg, as moviegoers left Tom's slightly irritating foreigner stranded at the airport. Even "The Polar Express" fell short of it's projected earnings during the holiday season, despite the technical trailblazing of his other best pal/director Bob Zemeckis. "The Da Vinci Code" did very respectable business in 2006, but most viewers came away talking more about Tom's unfortunate hairstyle than any of the film's dull religious mysteries. Nevertheless, Hanks and Ron Howard forged ahead with a sequel, 2009's "Angels & Demons", while "Charlie Wilson's War" barely registered in the interim. The massive box office haul for "Toy Story 3" provided some relief and yes, Hanks deserves as much credit as the geniuses at Pixar for this warm and wonderful trilogy. His live action output remained in a frustrating dry spell, however. "Larry Crowne", which he also directed, got a tepid response in 2011 and seemed to indicate that Hanks' brand of wholesomeness had finally reached it's expiration date. His 9/11 drama "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" co-starring Sandra Bullock had good intentions, but many were put off by it's mawkish tone and blatant Oscar baiting. 2012's "Cloud Atlas", in which Hanks plays multiple roles for the Wachowskis, was a curious risk that the public wasn't willing to take.
That's what makes 2013 such a gratifying year for fans. I can't think of anyone better suited to play Walt Disney than the most trusted celebrity in the world, but don't call it a comeback because Hanks never really needed one. He hasn't needed to work since "Gump", and could retire at any time knowing that he'll always hold a special place in the hearts of moviegoers. From Josh Baskin to Captain Philips, Hanks has given us as much quality cinema as anyone in the modern age. He's only ever one performance away from taking the stage at the Academy Awards for the third time and those comparisons to Jimmy Stewart are well earned. Nobody begrudges his spectacular run because it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Thanks, Tom, for proving that they don't always finish last.