# Tom Hanks: Great Actor? Greatest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038 "2006-04-24T20:11:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/21 "2006-04-24T23:56:34Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > Hanks’ #1 skill is avoiding the real crap projects so deftly. Oh, I agree completely (though I’d rather take a nice long nap before watching Forrest Gump again, and when I’m flipping channels and You’ve Got Mail comes on and a girl says “oooh! go back to that!”, it’s a sure sign she isn’t girlfriend material). I’d just rather be picking someone about whom we could say “Actor X’s #1 skill was finding iconic parts in rewatchable classics… and so what if he missed a couple along the way.” Washington and certainly Travolta have had more than a couple misses, but a Pulp Fiction kind of role is almost required, I think - and while some might put Gump there, I wouldn’t. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/22 "2006-04-25T00:02:41Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I think of Hanks as a modern Jimmy Stewart. Good at playing the everyman, good at being likeable. I can only think of two times when he’s played a bad guy: The Road To Perdition (an excellent film that audiences stayed away from because nobody wanted to see villain-Hanks) and The Ladykillers (a horrible film that audiences hopefully stayed away from because it sucked). But as far as true versatility, he’s not even in the same league as Johnny Depp, Edward Norton, or Kevin Spacey (or DeNiro, Pacino, and Hoffman in their primes). Ditto; Hanks is a nice (and seemingly intelligent) guy who has a charasmatic screen personality, but I havein’t seen anything from him that would make me place him in comparison with the likes of a _Taxi Driver_ through _Cape Fear_ Robert DeNiro. He can be unbearably hammy at times, and in more challenging roles–like acting all alone in _Cast Away_–his performance isn’t exactly memorable. It’s old hat to compare actor \_\_\_\_\_ blank to the less impressive roles of someone like DeNiro, Pacino, or Nicholson–all of whom have prostituted themselves for the apocryphal thirty pieces of silver, but then you watch films like _Raging Bull_, _The Godfather_, or _Five Easy Pieces_ (or _Chinatown_) respectively and you realize how much better these actors _can_ do when put to task as compared to an actor like Hanks. Hanks is affiable. But great? Meh. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/23 "2006-04-25T00:09:06Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > Hanks’ #1 skill is avoiding the real crap projects so deftly. I haven’t seen it, but how good was Turner and Hooch? Bonfire of the Vanities is also said to have sucked. Everybody with any kind of resume has got some crap in there. I’d take Denzel over Hanks, so there’s at least one guy from his generation I prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/24 "2006-04-25T00:13:04Z")
I hate _Forrest_ bloody _Gump_. I don’t see how it became such a cinematic milestone when it’s the biggest piece of disposable glurge in the last 20 years. I lost major respect for the Academy Awards when it beat \*Pulp Fiction \* AND \*Shawshank Redemption \* for Best Picture in 1994. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/25 "2006-04-25T00:17:13Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > Well, he’s poured it on with some real stinkers as well (_Man On Fire, John Q, Bone Collector, Fallen…_). Most actors do, if they like to have a lot of work. Hanks’ #1 skill is avoiding the real crap projects so deftly. He’s almost\* too\* careful. Many great performances are given where an actor takes a real chance with a character. Hanks generally sticks with meat and potatoes roles that are comfortable fits for him. Not that that’s bad, but you’re not all that likely to get a relevatory performances via this method. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/26 "2006-04-25T00:41:12Z")
Good, entertaining? Definitely. A match for Phillip Seymor Hoffmann, not in my opinion, YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/27 "2006-04-25T01:00:22Z")
I loved Ladykillers! Well, I didn’t love it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I also liked Tom Hanks’ performance in it. So there. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/28 "2006-04-25T01:23:51Z")
How the hell can you dismiss Hanks by saying he is the “modern Jimmy Stewart”. Stewart was arguably the best film actor of his time. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/29 "2006-04-25T02:12:41Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > I agree with the Jimmy Stewart thing. Hanks will not go down as this era’s best actor, but he will go down as the most beloved. When Tom Hanks dies, it will be a “punched in the gut” moment for a lot of people born between 1960 and 1985. This reminded me of something in the book _Blink_. Talking about Apollo 13, some movie producer (?) said something (I’m paraphrasing) about the studio’s concerns that Tom Hanks wasn’t believable as an astronaut. This producer pointed out that _it didn’t matter_ that Hanks isn’t believable as an astronaut … the key is that he’s very believable as a guy you would be very concerned about if he were stranded in space. This is one of those things that had me laughing because it’s so _true._ If I heard, for example, that Robert DeNiro was stranded in space, I would say “What the HECK is Robert DeNiro doing in space?” … but even as someone who is not a particular fan of Tom Hanks, if I heard _he_ was stranded in space, my first thought would be “Oh my gosh, that’s terrible! How are they going to get him back?” Only then would I start wondering why he was in space to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/30 "2006-04-25T02:19:29Z")
I don’t like to compare Hanks with folks like DeNiro or Pacino, the hardcore Stasbergians, because he’s doing an entirely different thing. It’s comparing apples and oranges; of course, if you like oranges better than apples, more power to you, but just because that’s the case, it doesn’t mean a fantastic apple isn’t great. Hanks is of a much quieter school – and, let’s face it, is much less interested in disappearing into his character like the Method folks do. But what Hanks does awfully well is the subtle emotional work that, while Pacino can do it, often gets lost in the midst of his bombastism. Who else is of that school? Off the top of my head I say the aforementioned Denzel Washington (who is better at it than Hanks) and a million TV actors of varying quality. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/31 "2006-04-25T03:54:12Z")
I like Tom Hanks, but I admit it took me a while to get past Bosom Buddies. I was uncomfortable watching him do dramatic scenes in his earlier movies, like Punchline, it reminded me too much of the over the top acting in Bosom Buddies. But he has grown over the years and he is a very likeable. I’d be very upset if I were to find out that he secretly kicks puppies and eats kittens for breakfast. I would say he is a good actor, he should definitely make say a Top 20 of our generation, but I don’t think he’s the greatest. He’s definitely waaaay better than Tom Cruise. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/32 "2006-04-25T05:37:58Z")
Well, how many other actors from cheesy sitcoms go on to major film success? I didn’t think so. \*Joe vs. The Volcano was at the top of my “Favorite Movies of All Time” list for years, though that may have been because of the movie itself more than Hanks’ performance. The thing is, you have to watch it more than once. I watched it every day for a week several years ago, ad every time, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before, and the movie seemed deeper with repeated viewings. Only recently was it bumped from my top spot by _Hero_ However, I’ll agree that Johnny Depp is probably the better actor. But he’s kind of Tom Hanks’ antithesis - Hanks consistently plays the everyman while Depp consistently plays the unique oddballs. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/33 "2006-04-25T05:39:23Z")
Erm, could a mod fix my italics tags? Only “Joe vs. The Volcano” and “Hero” should be italicized. ---
**Author:** ![mrald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mrald](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrald)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/34 "2006-04-25T07:44:58Z")
Tom Hanks is mediocre. But I am a harsh Critic, I mean _Cast Away_ was a total waste of time. \*Forrest Gump \* is better watched in French for any enjoyment. (Southern drawl in French is kinda funny…) I do want to see Da Vinci Code, but I am disapointed in Tom Hanks in that large role. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/35 "2006-04-25T11:35:34Z")
The thing about Hanks is that he’s just so darn likeable. That quality shines through in all his roles. (The Jimmy Stewart comparison is a good one in that respect.) I wonder if he could successfully play a true villain (as opposed to the comedic villain in Ladykillers). Jimmy Stewart was able to pull that off. Could Hanks? (Has he done that in a role I’m forgetting?) A weakness for Hanks is accents. He turned in horrible fake Southern accents in Forrest Gump and in The Ladykillers. Travolta (to use a contemporary for comparison) put on a very good Southern accent in Urban Cowboy. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/36 "2006-04-25T11:44:51Z")
Travolta also had a spot-on take on Bill Clinton’s mannerisms and accents in Primary Colors. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/37 "2006-04-25T11:48:04Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > He’s more versatile than Tom Cruise. I think that sums it up nicely. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/38 "2006-04-25T13:59:16Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > I don’t like to compare Hanks with folks like DeNiro or Pacino, the hardcore Stasbergians, because he’s doing an entirely different thing. It’s comparing apples and oranges; of course, if you like oranges better than apples, more power to you, but just because that’s the case, it doesn’t mean a fantastic apple isn’t great. Hanks is of a much quieter school – and, let’s face it, is much less interested in disappearing into his character like the Method folks do. But what Hanks does awfully well is the subtle emotional work that, while Pacino can do it, often gets lost in the midst of his bombastism. > –Cliffy These discussions are always bizarre. Pacino and De Niro DISAPPEAR into roles? Since when? Pacino’s been playing Pacino since 1980! Pacino has two states of being, like Robin Williams. He’s either manic and bombastic (City Hall, Scent of a Woman, Scarface) or “pacino minus the manic” (Donnie Brasco, Insomnia). Believe me, I still love watching him. But, Hanks. . .for my money. . .he’s been the best thing working for 20 years running. Disappearing into roles. . .here’s a guy who changes his body, his mannerisms, his voice, his accent, his delivery. When’s the last time you could say that about De Niro? Raging Bull? Hanks has been doing it for every role for 25 years. He plays “Hanks” when it suits the role. . .notably his romantic comedies. Fact of the matter is, comedic ability always gets overlooked. Hanks is a gifted PHYSICAL actor, has great delivery, and impeccable comic timing. Watch _The Money Pit_, _Big_ (remember when he runs across the room and then jumps on the top bunk? And tell me that keyboard scene doesn’t grab you? How funny is he when he discovers he’s big and has to get out of the house?). _Sleepless_. . .when he leaves the instructions for the baby sitter, struts out the door like he’s in charge of everything all set for his big date, \ then comes back through the door, “forgot my coat”. _Joe_. . .that motion he makes when he explains, “brain cloud”. And the dancing in front of the moon, and the physical transformation he goes through from beat down worker bee to the man who beat the volcano. For an example of how he brings it into another role, recall his reaction when he realizes he’s been had in the hotel room in “Catch Me If You Can”. Shit, recall his “knock knock” joke in “CMIYC”. (“You wanna hear a joke? Knock. . . Knock. Who’s there? _::looks over at him and looks back::_ Go fuck yourself.”). He has done straight comedy, romantic comedy, heavy drama, farce, satire, tragedy. The only guys who immediately spring to mind who have come close to his ability across ranges are Depp and Dustin Hoffman. With PS Hoffman definitely getting there. Jim Carrey or Robin Williams is who Tom Hanks would be if he couldn’t act. . .if his “acting” consisted of “not being outrageous”. Consider the CHARACTERS from these movies: Gump, Philadelphia, Terminal, Perdition, Big, Cast Away, Sleepless, Private Ryan, Catch me if you Can. That’s just 9 very distinct characters right there. > [@Scupper](#): > > Hugo Weaving (anyone who can play both a drag queen and Agent Smith has got Hanks beat for range, right there\*) I’ll see your drag queen and Agent Smith, and raise you a Kip ‘Buffy’ Wilson, and Agent Hanratty. Hugo Weaving played Agent Smith in his role as Elrond. Exact same character. I guess “elf king” and “cyber space super agent” deserved the same treatment from this rangy actor. Two sides of the same coin, really. Neither character is acting. It’s just finding a guy with a cool voice to fill a role. If you want to see Weaving show off his chops, check out “The Interview”. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/39 "2006-04-25T14:17:09Z")
I agree that Hanks is a great actor. He’s just not a showy one. He’ll be remembered as one of the greats, right up there with Jimmy Stewart, who I think is a very good comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038/40 "2006-04-25T14:34:25Z")
Well, I think it was _supposed_ to be a faketastic accent in _The Ladykillers_. And my dad loves _Turner and Hooch_. But no, I don’t go to see movies just because they have Tom Hanks in them; actually, it’s a mark against them usually, not because of him so much but because they tend to be very safe, middle class movies. I did love _Road to Perdition_, however. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-hanks-great-actor-greatest/354038.md?page=3)