Tom Hanks is a household name and one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. However, before his Oscar-winning performance in Philadelphia, Hanks was primarily known for his comedic roles. While his fame skyrocketed with roles in Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Apollo 13, and Cast Away, it’s important to remember his comedic roots. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit five of Tom Hanks’s best comedic roles.
Bachelor Party: A Wild Ride
Bachelor Party (1984) may not be the first film that comes to mind when thinking of Tom Hanks, but it’s a classic example of his early comedic work. Hanks plays a young man who announces his engagement to his friends, prompting them to throw him the wildest bachelor party they can imagine. When his fiancée hears about it, she decides to have her own bachelorette party, leading to a series of hilarious drunken antics as the two parties collide.
Big: A Child in an Adult’s Body
Big was a pivotal film in Hanks’s career, propelling him to superstardom. The movie has become the quintessential example of a child trapped in an adult’s body, a concept that has been replicated in numerous films since. Hanks’s performance is remarkable, as he convincingly portrays a child who realizes that his wildest dreams may not be as wonderful as he once thought.
Dragnet: A Hilarious Buddy Cop Adventure
In Dragnet, Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd play a pair of mismatched cops named Joe Friday and Pep Streebek. As a buddy cop movie, it’s no surprise that the two characters are polar opposites, with Hanks playing a street-wise know-it-all. The duo faces off against a bizarre evil cult called PAGAN (People Against Goodness and Normalcy), ultimately becoming true partners through their amusing trials and tribulations. While Dragnet received mixed reviews from critics, it was a box office success, earning over $60 million on a $20 million budget.
Joe Versus the Volcano: A Cult Classic
Joe Versus the Volcano may not have been a financial success, but it has since become a cult classic due to its willingness to explore new ideas. Hanks plays the titular Joe, who is diagnosed with a psychosomatic disease that will supposedly kill him within a few months. He embarks on a journey, meeting three different women (all played by Meg Ryan) and falling in love with the last one, ultimately stumbling towards a happy ending.
A League of Their Own: A Heartwarming Sports Comedy
In A League of Their Own, Hanks plays Jimmy Dugan, a former Chicago Cubs player who becomes the manager of a women’s baseball team, the Rockford Peaches. Initially skeptical of the idea, he treats the team as a joke. However, as the players demonstrate their true abilities, he becomes more invested in his role and the team’s success. The film is filled with memorable moments, including the classic scene where Hanks’s character accidentally hits a child in the face with a baseball mitt.
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