Tom Hankshas had nothing short of one of the most storied and incredible acting careers of all time, with some particularlycareer-defining films of his coming out in the 1990s.He is an actor capable of playing any role in a multitude of genres, from serious dramas to laugh-out-loud romantic comedies; his range and ability are seemingly never-ending. Hanks has a natural, universal appeal with his youthful good looks and effortless charisma that has helped him cement his status as one ofthe best acting talents to ever grace the screen.
Whether portraying the naive yet brilliant titular character inForrest Gumpor the commanding Captain Miller inSaving Private Ryan, he has an incredible way of bringing authenticity to every role. A career spanning many decades with multiple Academy Award wins, his work in the 1990s would be enough on its own to have a memorable body of work.Iconic performances like his role inPhiladelphiaand the animatedToy Storyfranchise have led Hanks to bring joy to millionsand captivate generations of film lovers.
The Bonfire of the Vanities
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The Bonfire of the Vanities is a satirical drama based on Tom Wolfe’s novel. Set in 1980s New York City, it follows a Wall Street investment banker whose life spirals out of control after a hit-and-run accident. The incident is exploited by various opportunists, highlighting racial and social tensions.
An adaption of Tom Wolfe’s 1987 novel of the same name,The Bonfire of the Vanities, is a black comedy laced with satire about the hedonistic downfall of Wall Street bond trader Sherman McCoy (Hanks). McCoy and his lover, Maria (Melanie Griffith), are changing a tire when they are accosted by a couple of youths. When they attempt to escape, they accidentally run over one of the teenagers, and their lives become intertwined with the tabloid scandal.
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Tom Hanks has been in so many classic movies, from Toy Story to Forrest Gump. Throughout his career in Hollywood, these films are his best work.
In one of his lesser-known 1990s roles, Hanks gives a quality performance as McCoy, portraying the Wall Street trader with a dignified and arrogant air. Though the film failed to resonate with audiences and enter popular culture, Hank’s performance was one of the highlights of the film,showing a wealthy man on the edge of losing everything and portraying the spiraling problems in a convincing fashion. He added some subtle and memorable humanizing elements to a role that could have been one-dimensional and showed off another range in his repertoire.
Joe Versus the Volcano
Joe Versus the Volcano follows hypochondriac Joe Banks, who, after learning he has a terminal illness, leaves his mundane job and embarks on an outrageous adventure. Along the way, he navigates unexpected events, including a romantic endeavor and a peculiar offer from a mysterious individual to leap into a volcano.
John Patrick Shanley’s 1990 romantic comedyJoe Verses the Volcanosees Hanks star in the titular role of Joe Banks. Banks is diagnosed with an incurable terminal disease and accepts a big financial offer to travel to an island in the South Pacific in order to sacrifice himself byjumping into a volcano to appease the superstitious natives. On his way to the island, he meets and falls in love with the woman (Meg Ryan) tasked with taking him to the volcano.
The film is a unique blend of romance, and surreal comedy that sees Hanks undergo a captivating transformation from a man who has lost everything to someone who finds something worth living for.Though the premise is a little bizarre, Hanks and Ryan go on to share some electric chemistry throughout their scenes. Hanks' ability to weave through the serious medical elements, as well as the more fantastical scenes, truly encapsulates his skills as an actor.
Sleepless In Seattle
Sleepless in Seattle is a romantic comedy directed by Nora Ephron, featuring Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin, a widower whose young son calls a radio show in an attempt to find his father a new partner. Meg Ryan stars as Annie Reed, a journalist intrigued by the story. The film explores themes of love and destiny against the backdrop of two people connecting across states without ever having met.
Sleepless In Seattleis another romantic comedy in Hanks' 1990 filmography, this time starring as Sam Baldwin. Baldwin is a widowed architect who intrigues a journalist (Meg Ryan) after his son calls into a radio program to discuss his father’s grief and expresses interest in him finding a new partner. Hanks and Ryan rekindle their chemistry and link up again in another romantic comedy released just a few months apart.
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Hanks nails the role of Baldwin, showing the vulnerable side of a widower who is missing his previous life, but is also optimistic about what the future could hold. Hanks and Ryan’s connection flows freely from their last movie to this one, anddespite the lack of screen time physically together, the way the film forms their relationship is a master stroke. His gentle approach to Baldwin’s journey through grief and a new love interest is delicately done, and Hanks' role was no small part in its success, being one of the highest-grossing films of 1993 and one of the most successful romantic comedies of all time.
You’ve Got Mail
Directed by Nora Ephron, You’ve Got Mail follows Joe and Kathleen, two strangers who meet in an AOL chatroom and begin a relationship over email, unaware that they are actually a lot more connected to one another than they think. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star as Joe and Kathleen, with a further cast that includes Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, and Greg Kinnear.
Hanks and Ryan reunite for a third time in the romantic comedyYou’ve Got Mail, which sees Hanks star as Joe Fox. Joe is the owner of a major book chain called Fox Books, who is unaware that hisnew love interest in an online chatroom happens to be his main competitor, bookshop Kathleen Kelly (Ryan). Fox and Kelly begin to develop feelings for each other in an exciting twist of two people falling in love without knowing they are business competitors in the same industry.
You’ve Got Mailwas inspired by the 1937 play Parfumerie by Miklós László.
The third film between the two leads also happens to be their most electric, as Hanks and Ryan share a genuine connection in this mysterious love story. The two share a history of natural charm and easy-to-like personalities that, even when playing two egocentric characters, make it impossible not to root for them to get together. Once again, they show their star power by makingYou’ve Got Maila box office smash hit and cementing Hanks further as one of the most dependable and successful stars of his era.
A League Of Their Own (1992)
A League of Their Own is a comedy sports drama directed by Penny Marshall that was released in 1992. As professional Major League Baseball’s player count dwindles following World War II, the Chicago Cubs owner helps build a women’s league to save the sport. Now, hoping to make it big, the women of the new team must face off against fellow rival all-female teams and prejudice against their gender.
Penny Marshall’sA League of Their Ownis a sports comedy-drama that recounts the fictionalized story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).Hanks portrays Jimmy Dugan, a retired baseball player who played for the Cubs, who reluctantly agrees to coach the women’s team, believing it all to be a jokebefore seeing the commitment and dedication the women show. The film features an ensemble cast including stars like Geena Davis, Madonna, Jon Lovitz, and Bill Pullman.
Despite the star-studded cast, Hanks once again shows he is a cut above with an immersive portrayal of an ex-baseball slugger turned motivational coach and mentor to the group of women. Hanks showcases a man who is depressed and addicted to alcohol who turns his life around and finds meaning in his new role. He also shows his comedic timing with the infamous line after laying into one of the women’s performances, “There’s no crying in baseball!” His mix of vulnerability, humor, and self-discovery make it a character and film worth revisiting.
That Thing You Do!
Written and directed by Tom Hanks, That Thing You Do! is a comedy film that follows a manager who discovers and subsequently helps a new band reach the mainstream. When the Oneders switch up their drummer with a new one with a unique jazz style, the band’s song “That Thing You Do!” gains traction. Their budding success catches the attention of Play-Tone Records manager Amos White, who intends to make them “the next big thing.”
InHanks' feature writing and directorial debut,That Thing You Do!is a musical comedy-drama set in the 1960sduring the rock and roll boom. It focuses on the story of a fictional one-hit wonder pop band, the Wonders, from their early years to their journey to fame, fortune, and success. Hanks plays Mr. Amos White, a supporting role of a man who later becomes the band’s manager, getting involved in their affairs both on stage and off-stage.
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By this stage in his career, Hanks was picking and choosing his roles, generally guaranteed to be the leading star, so it’s interesting to see him take a step back to focus on the writing and directing for this film. That’s not to say his role isn’t integral to the story, his portrayal of Mr. White provides maturity and guidance to the band when they need it most and helps drive the success of the Wonders. It’s a subdued performance that allows other cast members to shine, and he delivers a perfectly paced and excellently shot film that is an easy and charming watch.
Apollo 13
Ron Howard directed this iconic Science Fiction film released in 1995. Starring a powerhouse cast of Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, and Bill Paxton, the story sees a band of Astronauts attempting to make it back home from a Moon-bound mission when their equipment fails.
InApollo 13, directed by Ron Howard, Hanks stars as Commander Jim Lovell in a tense story that recalls the Apollo 13 lunar mission from the 1970s. The astronauts on board the spacecraft are intended to be a part of the fifth crewed mission to the moon, but after an on-board explosion damages the craft, the oxygen supply, and the electrical power, the controllers back at NASA have to find inventive ways in order to get them all back down to earth successfully.
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Apollo 13received massive critical acclaim after its release and went on to be nominated for an incredible nine Academy Awards.Hanks' portrayal of Lovell is one of the finest of his career, giving a realistic and down-to-earth depictionof one of the most tense and difficult situations any astronaut could face. His leadership and steely resolve in the face of potential catastrophe help solidify the narrative, and he plays off his two co-stars masterfully to create a truly iconic space film.
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2, released in 1999, is the sequel to the beloved original, where Woody is kidnapped by toy collector Al McWhiggen, prompting a rescue mission by Andy’s toys. As the toys embark on this adventure, Buzz Lightyear encounters a formidable counterpart, and Woody faces decisions about his true place in the world.
Returning to his much-beloved role as Woody, Hanks once again stars in the second installment of theToy Storyfranchise,Toy Story 2. In this film, Woody is stolen from a yard sale by a greedy toy collector who wants to return him to his former glory and reunite him with the collection ofWoody’s Rounduptoys he originated from. With Buzz Lightyear and the gang on a mission to save Woody, he has to make a tough choice between returning home and staying with his new friends in the museum.
Toy Story 2is one of the rare times when, almost universally, everybody believes the sequel is better than the original.Hank’s voice work shows he is a man of innumerable talentsas he shapes Woody’s character and persona perfectly and adds a touch of wonder, realism, and emotion to the cowboy figure. In a story about friendship and loyalty, Woody provides much of the feeling and humor that makes it one of the best-animated films ever produced.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia (1994) is a legal drama directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Tom Hanks plays Andrew Beckett, a lawyer who is fired due to his HIV-positive status, while Denzel Washington portrays Joe Miller, a personal injury attorney who takes on Beckett’s wrongful dismissal case. The film addresses themes of discrimination, prejudice, and social justice in the context of the early AIDS epidemic.
Philadelphiais a heart-wrenching legal drama about the life story of Andrew Beckett (Hanks), a senior associate at the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. Beckett is hiding his sexuality and AIDS diagnosis from his company, and when he is dismissed unfairly for a trivial reason,he sues his law firm for discrimination. He reaches out to personal injury specialist Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to help him with the case, but is initially rejected due to Miller’s own prejudices before agreeing and befriending Beckett as his life, and the case intertwine.
The events inPhiladelphiaare similar to the lives of real-world attorneys Geoffrey Bowers and Clarence Cain. Bowers sued the law firm Baker McKenzie for wrongful termination in one of the first AIDS discrimination cases in 1987.
Hanks won Best Actor at the 66th Academy Awards for his exceptional and honest portrayal of Beckett. The narrative and themes throughout the film are all deeply moving and, at times, hard to watch as you see a man being broken down on every level. Hanks shows he can command the screen in a serious role, and while the 1990s has seen him in many romantic comedies and animated films, it’s roles like this when you see just how talented he truly is and marks a pivotal step in his career.
Toy Story
Toy Story is a 1995 animated feature from Pixar Animation Studios. It follows Woody, a cowboy doll, as he faces rivalry with new toy Buzz Lightyear. The film explores the dynamics between the toys as Woody and Buzz are inadvertently separated from their owner, embarking on a journey to return home.
Toy Storyis a 1995 animated comedy that became a global sensation shortly after its initial release.It tells the story of Woody (voiced by Hanks), a cowboy toy owned by a child called Andy, who is the leader of all of Andy’s toys, which all come to life when humans aren’t present. When Andy gets a new action figure called Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) for his birthday, Woody’s life gets turned upside down in a series of misadventures and dangerous situations.
Toy Story was the first feature film that was entirely computer-animated, as well as the first feature film by Pixar.
While not on screen, Hank’s voice work in one of the best and most popular animated films of all time can not be understated. He gives Woody a unique personality and effortless charm that brings the toy to life in more ways than one.His comedic timing, his authenticity, and his commitment to each line of dialogue make it one of Hanks' most inspiring and impactful performancesever, showcasing an ever-evolving range of versatility.
