When people think of Tom Hanks, they think of a civilized, stoic American whose heroism against all odds inspires him to persevere when faced with his difficulties. They think of “Saving Private Ryan,” “Apollo 13,” even “Toy Story” — some of Hanks’ best films, and films in which classic Hollywood actor James Stewart could easily have starred, if only They would have been thriving during Hanks’ heyday.
Of course, there’s much more to Tom Hanks than just that. In fact, it often seems as if people have missed the star’s zany, adult-appealing comedies like “Bachelor Party,” “The Man with the One Red Shoe” and “Volunteers.” And what about great box-office flops like “Punchline,” “Joe Versus the Volcano,” and “Charlie Wilson’s War”? Hanks can play a loser or a madman when called upon, which, if you have a keen sense of film history, is akin to Jimmy Stewart. (And speaking of Jimmy Stewart, check out our ranking of his best movies here.)
Hanks has been involved in a lot of people, but if I had to pick one of his movies that exemplifies everything I’ve read and heard about the guy, I would pick the Wachowskis’ “Cloud Atlas.” It’s a sweeping, humanistic saga spanning centuries that allows Hanks to play multiple roles while also dabbling in science-fiction (a genre favored by the star). And knowing what I know about Hanks, I’m not surprised His all-time favorite movie is the sci-fi extravaganza to end all extravaganzas: Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Tom Hanks is a little obsessed with 2001: A Space Odyssey
Tom Hanks is not just an actor. He is a film producer. And filmmakers love “2001” so much that they collectively named it the greatest movie of all time in Sight & Sound magazine’s Decade Top 100 poll two years ago. So it tracks that when Hanks was asked to name the movie he loved above all others, he named the sci-fi epic.
Actor/Producer/Writer/Director discusses his affection in quiz with app LetterboxdTelling its users, “I still check it out a few times a year… I could show you ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and not stop talking once during the entire movieSo I don’t know if you want to have that experience or not.”
Speaking as someone who has seen “2001: A Space Odyssey” at least a dozen times from beginning to end, I would gladly sacrifice a screening for the Hanks commentary – which would be different from other directors because , again, Hanks can speak from experience working on a film where the technique is every bit as important as his performance. As an actor, especially for an astute director like Kubrick, how do you manage this without losing emotional attachment to your character? Let’s just say it’s my call for Hanks to record the “2001: A Space Odyssey” commentary as soon as possible, and if he can convince his friend Steven Spielberg to tag along, all the better!
