Tom Hanks, a two-time Oscar winner for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, is one of the best actors of our generation. He is a versatile performer who can effortlessly jump from one genre to another. This includes the likes of a comedy (Big), sports (A League of Their Own), drama (Apollo 13), and even crime thriller (Road to Perdition).
But let’s not forget about Hanks, famously known for his rom-coms. He has appeared in five of them, beginning from his breakthrough hit of 1984’s Splash to 2011’s Larry Crowne. He is also well known for teaming up with Meg Ryan. The pair worked together in three rom-coms including Joe Versus the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle,and You’ve Got Mail. With Sleepless in Seattle celebrating its 30th anniversary, here are the best Tom Hanks romantic comedies – all ranked from worst to best.
1. Larry Crowne (2011)
Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts may have previously collaborated in Charlie Wilson’s War. But that movie was more of a biographical dramedy. Larry Crowne, in the meantime, marks the first time they team up together in a romantic comedy. It’s nice to see them in a very genre they used to be good at during the rom-com boom in the ‘90s. In other words, the movie covers the usual — Hanks’ everyman persona and Roberts’ signature megawatt smile.
But the screenplay that Hanks co-wrote with Nia Vardalos is surprisingly hollow and bland. Perhaps it has to do with Hanks’ creative decision – he also served as the director – to sugarcoat everything in a movie that deals with a midlife crisis. The much-needed conflict is lackluster. And so does most of the underdeveloped characters from the supporting cast. To name a few, Taraji P. Henson and Pam Grier. Still, if it weren’t for Hanks and Roberts’ delightful charm, the movie would have been a total dud.
2. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
What do you do if you have five or six months left to live? That’s the premise behind John Patrick Shanley’s oddball mishmash of dark comedy with rom-com tropes. Tom Hanks is a poor sad sack suffering from a terminal disease called brain cloud. And the volcano in the title? It has to do with him accepting an offer to jump into the volcano on the fictional island of Waponi Woo.
The plot is admittedly too bizarre for its own good. But it’s hard to deny the director’s subtle metaphorical commentary on mortality and living life to the fullest. Joe Versus the Volcano remains enjoyable, thanks to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s winning chemistry. Not to mention the movie showcases Ryan’s comedic talent playing three different roles. The movie, of course, marks the first time Hanks and Ryan appeared together in a romantic comedy.
3. Splash (1984)
Splash is a breakthrough movie for Tom Hanks and marks one of Ron Howard’s early directorial hits. The movie effectively combines fantasy and rom-com tropes – a story about a man (Hanks) falling in love with a mermaid (Daryl Hannah). Hanks’ then-first attempt to play a romantic everyman displays a likable charm. Hannah shines as the beautiful mermaid with wide-eyed innocence and naivety. Their chemistry is what made the movie such an endearing success. It also helps the movie features excellent comedic supporting turns from John Candy and Eugene Levy.
4. You’ve Got Mail (1998)
You’ve Got Mail may feel like a rehash of Sleepless in Seattle. Same director (Nora Ephron), the same cast (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan), and even a story about two distinct strangers’ long-distance courtship. The biggest difference here is the added story of them communicating with each other via email. The latter may have been outdated, but the movie retains its winsome charm. Hanks and Ryan, in their third film together, are wonderful as Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly. From their initial love-hate encounter to a subsequent friendship later in the movie, their chemistry works well. Ephron’s direction covers more than just a romantic comedy. She also addresses capitalism and the competition between the large retailer and independent bookstores – a subtle commentary that still matters even today.
5. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
The second time Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan reunited in Sleepless in Seattle, this is the movie that seals the deal as among the best onscreen couples in the rom-com genre. Using Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr’s 1957 classic An Affair to Remember as inspiration, writer-director Nora Ephron filled her movie with enough wit and heart. From the melancholy opening scene of Hanks’ Sam Baldwin at his wife’s funeral to a wonderfully romantic encounter between him and Ryan’s Annie Reed atop the Empire State Building, Sleepless in Seattle is the best Tom Hanks romantic comedy to date.
Interestingly enough, the movie spends most of the time separating them apart. And by the time they stumble upon together a few times, it’s well worth the wait. There’s a palpable chemistry between the two of them. It also helps their performances work like a charm: Hanks’ sympathetic turn as a widowed husband trying to move on with his life and Ryan’s likable personality throughout the movie.
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