On this snowy Sunday afternoon DB and I found ourselves snuggled up in front of the TV watching 'You've Got Mail' for the four-hundred-and-eighty-forth time...well, maybe not that much but it's a near thing... and you know what? I'll probably watch again in the next year and find it just as charming.
Here is one of my favorite scenes from 'You've Got Mail' where Meg Ryan asks "What is it with men and The Godfather?" DB is a total Godfather fan so I could relate to the banter that fallows...
I've never really thought of myself as a huge Tom Hanks fan as he is the kind of asexual, uncontroversial, and unassuming stars who, while universally known and loved, is far from creating tabloid fodder or fan club groupies... Instead, he consistently and brilliantly chooses moves that you can count on to be at the very least interesting, and at best, an Oscar winning classic.
DB and I were thinking back at his most notable roles and marveling at just how rich, diverse and iconic of characters he has played over the years.... in fact, I literally grew up watching Tom Hanks movies! When I was a little girl I remember swimming around my Granny's pool pretending to be a mermaid like Daryl Hannah in Splash.
Or sitting in front of the TV, with my big sister and I in matching pyjamas, singing "Down Down Baby" (From "Big", remember that one? Shimmy Shimmy Cocoa Pop, shimmy shimmy rocks... here is Tom Hanks doing it in an interview...
and watching 'Turner and Hooch', 'The Money Pit', or 'Joe vs. The Volcano'....
Later in life I came to appreciate movies like Philadelphia, Cast Away (WILSON!!!!!) and the Green Mile.... and of course, the great 'Forest Gump'....
It is amazing how he can bring a bit of himself to each role but still create characters that are so vastly different... I mean, you couldn't get two people any less alike than the crude drunk Jimmy Dugan (A League of Their Own) and the reserved lawyer Andrew Beckett (Philadelphia) and yet, they are both so very Tom Hanks!
And dont forget he produced some great movies too! Like Momma Mia, Where the Wild Things Are and My Big Fat Greek Wedding!
Here is IMDB's list of Tom Hanks movies.
Which is your favorite?
Angels & Demons (2009) .... Robert Langdon
The Great Buck Howard (2008) .... Mr. Gable
Charlie Wilson's War (2007) .... Charlie Wilson
The Da Vinci Code (2006) .... Dr. Robert Langdon
Cars (2006) (voice) .... Woody Car
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005) (voice) .... Narrator
The Polar Express (2004) .... Hero Boy / Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa Claus
... aka The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA: IMAX version)
Elvis Has Left the Building (2004) .... Mailbox Elvis
The Terminal (2004) .... Viktor Navorski
The Ladykillers (2004) .... Professor G.H. Dorr
"Freedom: A History of Us" .... Abraham Lincoln / ... (7 episodes, 2003)
- A Fatal Contradiction (2003) TV episode .... Abraham Lincoln
- A War to End Slavery (2003) TV episode .... Abraham Lincoln
- Independence (2003) TV episode .... Paul Revere
- Liberty for All (2003) TV episode .... Daniel Boone
- Wake Up America (2003) TV episode .... Reporter
(2 more)
Catch Me If You Can (2002) .... Carl Hanratty
Road to Perdition (2002) .... Michael Sullivan
"Band of Brothers" (2001) TV mini-series .... British officer (unknown episodes)
Cast Away (2000) .... Chuck Noland
The Green Mile (1999) .... Paul Edgecomb
... aka Stephen King's The Green Mile (USA: complete title)
Toy Story 2 (1999) (voice) .... Woody
... aka Toy Story 2 in 3-D (USA: promotional title)
Toy Story 2 (1999) (VG) (voice) .... Woody
You've Got Mail (1998) .... Joe Fox
Saving Private Ryan (1998) .... Capt. John H. Miller
"From the Earth to the Moon" .... Jean-Luc Despont (1 episode, 1998)
- Le voyage dans la lune (1998) TV episode .... Jean-Luc Despont
That Thing You Do! (1996) .... Mr. White
Toy Story Activity Center (1996) (VG) (voice) .... Woody
Toy Story (1995) (voice) .... Woody
... aka Toy Story in 3-D (USA: promotional title)
Apollo 13 (1995) .... Jim Lovell
... aka Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version)
Forrest Gump (1994) .... Forrest Gump
Vault of Horror I (1994) (TV)
Philadelphia (1993) .... Andrew Beckett
"Fallen Angels" .... Trouble Boy #1 (1 episode, 1993)
- I'll Be Waiting (1993) TV episode .... Trouble Boy #1
Sleepless in Seattle (1993) .... Sam Baldwin
A League of Their Own (1992) .... Jimmy Dugan
"Tales from the Crypt" .... Baxter (1 episode, 1992)
... aka HBO's Tales from the Crypt
- None But the Lonely Heart (1992) TV episode .... Baxter
Radio Flyer (1992) (uncredited) .... Older Mike
The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) .... Sherman McCoy
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) .... Joe Banks
Turner & Hooch (1989) .... Det. Scott Turner
The 'burbs (1989) .... Ray Peterson
Punchline (1988) .... Steven Gold
Big (1988) .... Josh Baskin
Dragnet (1987) .... Pep Streebeck
Every Time We Say Goodbye (1986) .... David Bradley
Nothing in Common (1986) .... David Basner
The Money Pit (1986) .... Walter Fielding, Jr.
Volunteers (1985) .... Lawrence Whatley Bourne III
The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) .... Richard Harlan Drew
Bachelor Party (1984) .... Rick Gassko
Splash (1984) .... Allen Bauer
