By Stuart Levine
msnbc.com contributor
“Cast Away” (2000)
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20th Century Fox
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What makes this film, and Hanks in particular, so astounding is that he’s able to keep us gripped to the screen by doing nothing but learning how to start a fire or talking to a volleyball. With his character stranded on a deserted island, he’s forced to occupy every scene by himself, without another single actor to react off of. Between shooting the beginning and later scenes in the film, he also had to lose a massive amount of weight in order to show how much of a physical toll he’d have to endure by living himself in this environment. A staggering achievement, both in front of and behind the camera.
“Forrest Gump” (1994)
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Paramount Pictures
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Hanks won his second Oscar for portraying this Alabama simpleton in a movie that doesn’t get enough credit as a whole because people are quick to only remember its catchphrases: “Stupid is as stupid does” or “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” But looking back at the film in its entirety, Hanks’ walk through American history — segregation in the South, the Vietnam War demonstrations, the beginning of the AIDS crisis — and seeing his uncompromising loyalty to those who were close and kind to him makes for a magical best picture.
“Philadelphia” (1993)
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TriStar Pictures
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Before “Philadelphia,” many people had never known anyone personally who suffered from AIDS, but Hanks put a face everyone knew on the disease. Director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Ron Nyswaner brilliantly didn’t portray as a far-left homosexual or deviant who was “deserving” — as, back in those times, some believed those were the only people to get AIDS — but a regular Joe who was being ostracized by his own law firm, even though he was excelling in his job. It may not be Hanks’ best performance, but the film’s social implications rank second to none.
“A League of Their Own” (1992)
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Columbia Pictures
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In case you didn’t know, there’s no crying in baseball. But there is plenty of laughter, especially while seeing grizzled ballplayer-turned-manager Hanks try to coach a group of women players who he initially didn't believe in. He eventually warms to their cause and professionalism, of course, and the team begins to gain his acceptance and trust as well. Jon Lovitz delivered one great zinger after another and give credit to director Penny Marshall for somehow making both Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell not only tolerable, but funny too.
“Saving Private Ryan” (1998)
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DreamWorks
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Probably more of an accomplishment for Steven Spielberg than Hanks, but it is the actor’s face — showing fear, courage and leadership, sometimes in the same scene — that makes this World War II story of so many millions so personal. A school teacher from Pennsylvania, Hanks is asked to lead a group of men not only through the horrors of D-Day in Normandy, but also traipsing through France to find a soldier and bring him home. The fact that “Shakespeare in Love” defeated “Ryan” for Oscar’s best picture still irks me to this day.
© 2009 msnbc.com. Reprints ![]()
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