Tom Hanks he collects typewriters yet he has just given one of his favorites to a child who has been bullied by his classmates because his name is Corona, like the virus that he and his wife Rita Wilson they contracted in Australia. The actor twice Oscar winner (for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump), which on July 9th will blow out 64 candles, it's like this. Together with Keanu Reeves, Matt Damon is Tom Cruise, has the reputation of having one of the purest hearts of the starsystem, which not even the Olympus of Hollywood has managed to corrupt. Although he is currently sorry that his latest film, Greyhound, will arrive streaming on Apple TV + on July 10 instead of in the room, realizes the delicate situation in which the world is pouring. Indeed he did not hesitate to put his face to the campaign awareness of the use of the mask.
In over 40 years of career he has consolidated the affection of the public without generational distinctions. The little ones know it as Sheriff Woody of Toy Story, while their parents probably grew up dreaming of being in its place in Big. American boyfriend alongside Meg Ryan in the Nineties, he often played intact characters, with a solid moral compass and great altruism, despite the difficulties of life. Select only ten cult roles - and leave wonders like The green mile or Save soldier Ryan - then it becomes an impossible mission, but some have certainly remained etched in the hearts of the public, albeit for very different reasons.
SPLASH (1984)
Tom Hanks is one of those loyal artists: he met Ron Howard on the set of Happy Days and relied on him as a director in one of his first films and they have never left each other since. Although Disney + has censored the B-side of the mermaid in Manhattan (Daryl Hannah aka Madison) in the scene in which it emerges from the ocean without a tail and with a breathtaking pair of legs, this Eighties jewel does not lose a bit of charm. The actor plays Allen, a hardworking worker and an honest boss, who hosts this girl in his house without even knowing the name. He trusts totally and falls in love with it, not remembering having known her at sea as a child.
Perfect for the whole family, it is a hymn to the innocence and purity of love.
WINNING GIRLS (1992)
One of the few times in which he lends his face to a poor devil, cynical, alcoholic and scurrilous. He is a former baseball champion recruited as the coach of the first women's team of a 1943 "stopgap" championship. Men are at war and to keep the morale of the Americans high, this championship of women with micro skirts was born. Nobody would have bet on anything, least of all he, James Dugan, and instead these girls have a higher gear, they are true champions and they conquer everyone. Based on a true story, the film features an all-star cast that includes Madonna, Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell and Bill Pullman.
Ideal for those who love sports metaphors and are looking for female redemption stories.
PHILADELPHIA (1993)
This heartbreaking story gave him the first, well-deserved, Academy Award of his career. His idealistic lawyer Andy discovers he has AIDS and fights against discrimination in the law firm as a homosexual. He is at the height of his forces, almost dying, but does not give up and finds a courageous colleague willing to help him in court, Joe (Denzel Washington). The trial of actor is sublime and not only includes the 14 kilos lost for the terminal stages of the disease, but also the humanity with which we wanted to surround ourselves on the set of real sick people, many of whom died shortly after the clapperboard. Pioneering in an era where gay rights were not in the least contemplated, the film gave a significant boost towards equality.
Recommended for those who always stand in favor of the weakest and seek the hope of a fair world in cinema.
FORREST GUMP (1994)
The second Oscar Award certainly does not come as unexpected as the taste in a box of mixed chocolates. With 14 nominations and 6 statuettes won, it remains among the cult films of the history of cinema, between iconic phrases and unforgettable scenes. Decorated hero, successful entrepreneur, loving father and devoted son: none of this even remotely tells who this boy is, Forrest Gump, bullied as a child for cognitive and physical disability and strenuously defended by a mother (Sally Field) willing to do anything just to give him a chance in life. "Stupid is who the stupid does," he often repeats to the boy. And this warning accompanies him throughout his extraordinary existence: goodness and courage, in fact, have little to do with the IQ. The poetry of this story based on Winston Groom's novel spans crucial historical epochs for the United States and tells of a society in constant evolution through the disarming amazement of this extraordinary man.
Unmissable for those looking for reassuring stories, deep and capable of making you dream without rhetoric.
APOLLO 13 (1995)
Another modern hero for Tom Hanks who retraces the unfortunate space mission of the same name on the Moon. Patriotic and adrenaline-fueled, the film - with another stellar cast that includes Kevin Bacon and Gary Sinise, already his superior in Forrest Gump - retraces the tragedy of the NASA spacecraft whose actor plays the commander, Jim Lovell. For three days the whole world remained glued to the television to follow the events of the three astronauts. Nothing to do with the glory and pride of Apolo 11 and Neil Armstrong's first American moon landing. Here these men fight for their survival and return home from their families. Let's call it timing, fate or fate: being in the right place at the right time has changed the course of history but these pioneers are now trying to keep going.
Dedicated to those who appreciate extraordinary stories and impossible missions.
THERE'S A MAIL (1998)
Reviewing this comedy today without experiencing continuous tenderness is really unlikely. The romance in the days of email, with the 56k modem, well before social networks and fiber, seems really retro. Yet this mysterious love between a publishing giant and a neighborhood bookstore melts the hearts of the most cynical. She, Meg Ryan, was at the height of America's sweetheart fame and he, Tom Hanks, represented the other half of the apple, the perfect gentle gentleman to whom every mom would entrust her daughter with her eyes closed. They fall in love via e-mail, without even seeing each other and ignoring that they are each other's archenemy, yet they complement each other, they encourage themselves to be better and open their soul unconditionally. Perhaps because they are two strangers and the keyboard could not seem less personal than that.
Recommended for those who believe in soul mates, serendipity and love at first sight, even if virtual.
CAST AWAY (2000)
Perhaps he is one of the most famous castaways in the history of cinema and one of the roles that the actor is most fond of. It is no coincidence that in quarantine he spread a photo on social media with the famous Wilson ball, which kept him company on the desert island (he had painted the bloody imprint of his hand on it to give it human features). His character, Chuck, is a scrupulous manager who ends up on an atoll lost in the Pacific on the eve of his wedding during the Christmas holidays and spends four interminable years in absolute solitude. Again Tom Hanks puts his hand on the scales, forced to put on 23 kilos. And, again, he manages to give the protagonist a heartbreaking humanity.
Suitable for those who do not fear extreme situations.
TRY TO TAKE ME (2002)
A brilliant mouse hunt between his agent and a young forger (Leonardo DiCaprio), this comedy shows an unedited version of Steven Spielberg. Dynamic, intriguing and decidedly forbidden, the existence of Frank Abagnale Jr. is a true story: the boy, years before he came of age, managed to pretend to be an airline pilot by submitting false checks for all the United States . On his trail, agent Carl Hanratty, who considers it a matter of honor to catch this highly intelligent villain. The years go by and a relationship is established between the two based on mutual respect, even if at a distance. A misstep, however, is enough to blow everything up.
Recommended for a light, but compelling evening.
THE DA VINCI CODE (2006)
Dan Brown's bestseller (who also gives himself a cameo in the film) brings the actor together with his friend Ron Howard to stage an international religious intrigue. This time Tom Hanks plays Professor Robert Langdon, struggling with a mysterious code to decipher together with his friend (or so he believes) Sir Leigh Teabing (aka Ian McKellen) to then discover that the Holy Grail belongs to Mary Magdalene, in the reconstruction rather imaginative of the writer. In the footsteps of the woman told by the Gospels, the scholar travels half of Europe bringing to light more than he ever thought possible. Once again, stars are raining in the cast, including Paul Bettany, Jean Reno, Audrey Tatou and Alfred Molina.
Ideal for those who love plots, alternative theories and unlikely scenarios.
THE POST (2017)
Still paired with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks carries on a bitter reflection on the state of modern journalism, joining another icon of cinema, Meryl Streep. The affair involves the disclosure of secret Pentagon documents in the 1970s, shortly after the Vietnam War. The new owner of the Post, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), relies on the editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee (Hanks) and his journalistic flair. The disclosure of these top secret files triggers an unprecedented scandal, but the press decides to remain free and independent, without bowing to any threat from above.
Perfect for those who still rely on the fifth power.
