Reader's Choice #1: Best Tom Hanks Film » Top 10 Films - Film Lists, Reviews, News & Opinion

Reader’s Choice #1: Best Tom Hanks Film

11 July 2010 29 Comments

A new feature of Top10Films is going to be the Reader’s Choice. It’s up to you guys to choose the best film of a particular actor, or director, or theme etc., and that choice will go in our database of film accolades.

To kick off I’m returning to one of my favourite actors – Tom Hanks. I put together my top 10 a few months ago which only included his film between the years 1984 to 1989. Now, let us open it up. What is Tom Hanks’ best film? Do you prefer the actor’s early comedy period which included such classics as “The Money Pit”, “Splash”, and “Big”? Or are you a fan of the actor’s post-”Philadelphia” work – more dramatic films which include “Apollo 13″ and “Saving Private Ryan”? You’ll find some food for thought at Tom Hanks’ IMDB page here.

tom hanks big saving private ryan movie film

So it’s over to you. I’ll tally up the votes in a couple of weeks and see which film comes out on top.

29 Comments »

Fight Club said:

Gotta say I love the guy back in the eighties. Hated Da Vinci and the sequel. If I was to pick a fave it would have to be Dragnet – Aykroyd and Hanks = great buddy duo!

# 11 July 2010 at 2:19 pm

Fitz said:

Favorite Hanks film would have to be (believe it or not) Cast Away.

# 11 July 2010 at 11:19 pm

Róisín said:

I had forgotten about Philadelphia until recently, when Olive from Movie News First mentioned it. That would have to top my list. After that I’d probably choose Big (Yes, really…) and Castaway.

I wonder if anyone will say Sleepless in Seattle..

# 12 July 2010 at 10:54 am

JasonW said:

Saving Private Ryan

# 12 July 2010 at 11:54 am

katrina said:

SPLASH
My all time favourite movie:)

# 12 July 2010 at 3:46 pm

Jake said:

Well I’m not going to say Sleepless In Seattle!

My vote would go to Apollo 13.

# 12 July 2010 at 8:07 pm

Alice said:

I can’t say just one….my top five are (I think) well number 1 is definitely number 1!

5. Apollo 13
4. Forest Gump
3. The Money Pit
2. Big
1. Splash

# 12 July 2010 at 9:06 pm

Kid In The Front Row said:

I think pound for pound, FORREST GUMP is the best.

But, y’know. How can I choose? It’s like making someone choose one of their 10 kids.

All I can say is, it wouldn’t be any of his work AFTER CastAway. Pretty much everything from before then is golden.

# 12 July 2010 at 11:56 pm

Peter E. said:

Are we thinking his best performance or his best movie? I think his strongest performance as an actor came in (1) The Green Mile (2) The Terminal and (3) Punchline.

# 13 July 2010 at 12:39 am

Rodney said:

I agree with Peter (above), The Green Mile, followed by Saving Private Ryan and then Cast Away. All awesome films, one of which is carried completely by Hanks himself. If you threw a blanket over his resume you’d never cover all the good films.

# 13 July 2010 at 4:42 am

Dan (author) said:

Thanks for all the responses so far. I think a lot of Hanks fans have that dilemma between his more lightweight and comedic 80s films and the dramatic, powerful 90s stuff. Then you start thinking – well, Turner and Hooch made me laugh but Philadelphia is the better film.

@Peter In terms of performances versus film, I’d say which ever way you interpret it. If you feel his performance in Green Mile makes that his best film then go for it.

@Rodney I think that means The Green Mile has moved into the lead.

@Alice and Katrina No, wait, Splash and The Green Mile are tied at the top!

# 13 July 2010 at 11:10 am

Will said:

I’m split between Saving Private Ryan and The ‘burbs. Both sides of Hanks and The ‘burbs is a movie I literally saw about 50 times growing up because my dad would play it endlessly.

But I’m gonna go with Private Ryan. He’s damn good in that.

# 13 July 2010 at 3:21 pm

Fitz said:

Couldn’t argue with Pvt. Ryan, but I am surprised that Splash is leading.

# 13 July 2010 at 7:36 pm

Roger Dale said:

Joe Versus The Volcano

# 14 July 2010 at 11:02 am

Aimz said:

As much as I love Saving Private Ryan I’m going to have to say Splash. It’s one of my all time favourites.

# 14 July 2010 at 4:06 pm

CinemaObsessed.com said:

Oh my, how could we choose? You’ve Got Mail is a rom-com fave of ours, but we loved The Green Mile! And his laughing fit in the Money Pit makes the whole movie… impossible to pick just one!

# 14 July 2010 at 5:13 pm

Dan (author) said:

@CinemaObsessed: Thanks for visiting the site girls! I know it’s difficult picking just one but I might have to take your first answer on this one!

# 15 July 2010 at 11:20 am

rtm said:

Sorry I’m chiming in late. I might be in the minority, but I like seeing Hanks in more romantic drama for some reason. So my favorites would be Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. But if we’re talking about his ‘Best’ work, to me they are Cast Away, The Green Mile, Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Never seen Saving Private Ryan as I don’t like war movies, but I’m sure he’s great in that, too.

# 15 July 2010 at 4:00 pm

Dan (author) said:

@rtm: Although my favourite Hanks films are pretty much his entire 1980s catalogue, I actually really like You’ve Got Mail. I actually like it more than Sleepless In Seattle. But the whole technology/email/internet thing does date You’ve Got Mail quite a bit. You’d expect a new version to have people dating using Twitter updates or something!

# 15 July 2010 at 4:15 pm

rtm said:

Oh good then, I’m not the only one But yeah, I was going to say how dated the technology were… seriously, that AOL chime, that’s just comical! But the movie is kinda charming… it’s corny of course, but Meg and Tom were so natural with each other that made the friendship and romance believable. Oh I bet the Twitter dating game is already happening. Glad I met my husband the old fashion way… no internet necessary!

# 15 July 2010 at 8:30 pm

Grace Owen said:

Cast Away for best performance but my favourite Tom Hanks films has to be Big.

# 15 July 2010 at 11:33 pm

Ronan said:

That’s a tough one, there are so many good films that he has been in, it’s hard to imagine them being as good without him. My contenders for the title would be Saving Private Ryan and Philedelphia, for the films as a whole and his work in them.

# 16 July 2010 at 12:15 am

Aiden R. said:

Damn, I can’t believe it, but I gotta go with Big. SPR was close, but it’s lacking a caviar scene.

# 16 July 2010 at 9:52 pm

Dan (author) said:

@Aiden: …and Elizabeth Perkins on a trampoline, a giant piano, and Shimmy Shimmy Coco Pop!

# 17 July 2010 at 11:54 am

Ross said:

Cast Away

# 18 July 2010 at 4:43 pm

Aida N.D. said:

I vote for THE GREEN MILE.

# 18 July 2010 at 5:03 pm

Thomas said:

Personally, I really like “Joe Versus the Volcano” and “The Ladykillers”. I know I’m in the minority here. Most of his movies are great, though. He was wonderful in “Terminal”, “Punchline”, “Cast Away”…the list goes on!

# 19 July 2010 at 5:56 am

Tony said:

Cast away, excellent performance

# 23 July 2010 at 5:18 pm

gelpi2010 said:

I think Hanks is sooo overrated. He’s treated like some deity (in USA). I still can’t believe he won back-to-back Oscars. But I do love him in two films: Splash and The Green Mile.

# 24 July 2010 at 11:54 pm