The Tom Hanks Debate

[butchna]

I actually forgot about that one. I did like it, maybe I have a soft spot for films about the film industry, but I would agree that it is on the low end of their work.

I was excited for it and dragged my then girlfriend to the first night it showed. Maybe the disappointment made it worse for me.

 

[knox-townVOL]

It's pretty spot on. Think of all of his most famous/praised roles. He's either a side character or part of an ensemble sharing the screen time with other stars. He's obviously a great actor but he's not a leading man in the way that someone like DiCaprio is.

I'm just talking about the Billy Beane aspect and saying he wanted Moneyball made because he's the Billy Beane of actors.

And besides, frequency of being the leading man isn't indicative of acting talent. Clooney is almost always the leading man, so is Matthew M, but that doesn't mean they are stellar actors.

Pitt has absolutely slayed every role he's ever played, regardless of how out of character it might have been for him. His talent is legitimately off the charts.

 

[n_huffhines]

This is the weirdest take I have ever read

I didn't come up with this. It's Bill Simmons' thing. Pitt was obsessed with getting this movie made and Bill said that's why he was drawn to the story.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

.

 

[FLVOL_79]

Tom peaked in "The Burbs".

 

[Jackcrevol]

I've always been a little hesitant to voice this opinion, because I know he is so well-loved. I love him too. But I believe that Tom Hanks skill as an actor is wildly overrated. I finally feel emboldened to start this thread because they had this debate on the Rewatchables pod:

‘Catch Me If You Can’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

They discuss it at about the 1:04:00 mark.

Flat out, I do not trust him with accents at all. I love Hanks in Big, and Saving Private Ryan, etc. when he's playing middle America. Castaway is an amazing performance. Hanks is an elite actor, but the range just isn't there to put him in the GOAT convo for me, and I think most people have him in that convo, if not the GOAT.

I can't think of an accent he's done that I can confidently say is good. Forrest Gump was questionable. The Terminal was questionable. Catch Me If You Can was an homage to Dragnet, which was not good acting. Charlie Wilson's War = bad. Pinnochio = he's nominated for the Razzy. Mr. Rogers = bad.

how many American, and even Brit actors who are
best of the best have great range?

Pacino? Deniro? Denzell? Hanks?

Hanks is just as good behind scenes as in front

 

[n_huffhines]

how many American, and even Brit actors who are
best of the best have great range?

Pacino? Deniro? Denzell? Hanks?

Hanks is just as good behind scenes as in front

I don't think Denzell, Hanks, or Pacino have great range. Great leading men, tho.

Leo, Oldman, De Niro, Norton....those are the first names that come to mind, but it's not a huge list.

 

[vols 30]

Tom peaked in "The Burbs".

I haven't really followed his career after the classic " The Man with the One Red Shoe"

 

[Devo182]

A Man Named Otto?

Accent is fine.

Performance is FANTASTIC

 

[Devo182]

how many American, and even Brit actors who are
best of the best have great range?

Pacino? Deniro? Denzell? Hanks?

Hanks is just as good behind scenes as in front

Some guy named Daniel Day Lewis.

 

[n_huffhines]

A Man Named Otto?

Accent is fine.

Performance is FANTASTIC

How old are you?

 

[SpecialKVolfan20]

Pitt is a great character actor, but he's actually not a great leading man. He's got all-time great leading man looks, but he's just an average performer. He is the Billy Beane of actors. Everybody wants him to be a leading man when they see him, but he's not that good at it. This is why he was so obsessed with Moneyball and getting that movie made.

Pitt in Legends of the Fall, oh my!
But that’s a woman speaking. Lol.

 

[Devo182]

How old are you?

30s 😅🤣

 

[NEO]

Replace Pitt with DiCaprio and you have a pretty solid list.

I love Tom Hanks but he has started to become a caricatures of himself. I don’t see Hanks in a trailer and automatically want to see it but at the same time his presence lends some authority to the movie. Total body of work definitely elevated him to a conversation of elite actors.

By the way… I was really concerned what this debate was going to be about 😬

Replace both and add Kevin Spacey. Spacey may be nuts but he can play nice guy, evil guy, crazy guy and each is amazing. Brad nor Leo have ever been villians. Neither has Hank.

 

[vols 30]

Replace both and add Kevin Spacey. Spacey may be nuts but he can play nice guy, evil guy, crazy guy and each is amazing. Brad nor Leo have ever been villians. Neither has Hank.

Brad played an evil, crazy guy in Kalifornia. Came out in the early 90's

 

[butchna]

Replace both and add Kevin Spacey. Spacey may be nuts but he can play nice guy, evil guy, crazy guy and each is amazing. Brad nor Leo have ever been villians. Neither has Hank.

Colonel Tom Parker in Elvis qualifies for Hanks. DeCaprio in Django Unchained and Pitt in Kalifornia.

 

[EasternVol]

Replace both and add Kevin Spacey. Spacey may be nuts but he can play nice guy, evil guy, crazy guy and each is amazing. Brad nor Leo have ever been villians. Neither has Hank.

You're right about Spacey. The dude can act.

 

[n_huffhines]

Replace both and add Kevin Spacey. Spacey may be nuts but he can play nice guy, evil guy, crazy guy and each is amazing. Brad nor Leo have ever been villians. Neither has Hank.

Spacey is overrated, IMO. Leo 1m* better and was the villain in Django and does accents, which I don't think Spacey did. Edit, he did a southern accent I'm House of Cards

 

[butchna]

Spacey is overrated, IMO. Leo 1m* better and was the villain in Django and does accents, which I don't think Spacey did. Edit, he did a southern accent I'm House of Cards

Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil.

 

[Behr]

Colonel Tom Parker in Elvis qualifies for Hanks. DeCaprio in Django Unchained and Pitt in Kalifornia.

Mike Sullivan in Road to Perdition?

 

[n_huffhines]

Mike Sullivan in Road to Perdition?

A villain? You mean anti-hero? He's the protagonist in that...and I did love that movie. Does it hold up?

 

[Behr]

A villain? You mean anti-hero? He's the protagonist in that...and I did love that movie.

Does it hold up?

Whatever. Although I love me some mobsters I think they qualify as villains, but I ain't gonna argue.

I think so, yes.

 

[n_huffhines]

Whatever. Although I love me some mobsters I think they qualify as villains, but I ain't gonna argue.

I think so, yes.

If he's the villain than what is Jude Law?

 

[Behr]

If he's the villain than what is Jude Law?

He was an asshat.

In my movie rule book there can be more than one villain.

 

[butchna]

Mike Sullivan in Road to Perdition?

Conflicted anti-hero at worst. The villains in that movie were played by Daniel Craig and Jude Law.