Tom Hanks has been the linchpin of countless cinematic smashes since the 1980s, traversing genres from side-splitting comedies to tear-jerkers, and now Rotten Tomatoes has sorted them into a definitive ranking.
Harnessing the power of genuine fan feedback, the aggregation site compiles each film’s score and lists them from the all-time greats down to the less acclaimed flicks. Topping off the lower end of this star-studded list is a film that received a paltry 15% from the public, sitting at number 52: The Bonfire of the Vanities.
Released in 1990, The Bonfire of the Vanities pairs Hanks with a glittering cast such as Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Kirsten Dunst, and Melanie Griffith, but even these heavyweights couldn’t save the comedy from being dubbed a “lifeless satire”.
A critical viewer condemned the movie on Rotten Tomatoes stating: “Bloated, facile, mostly lifeless satire that takes forever to get going and doesn’t have much to say once it gets there. Actors are either miscast (Hanks), misused (Willis), or shamelessly cartoonish (Griffith).”
Echoing the disappointment, the Irish Star reports that another added: “Even with an all-star line-up, the stars couldn’t hold up this movie from eventually sinking. The satire was good, but the comedy was hit and mostly miss.”
Despite being in the early stages of his career, the film faced a slew of controversies and failed to make a mark at the box office. Despite its roots in Tom Wolfe’s popular novel and a star-studded cast, the 1990 release only managed to rake in $15.6 million against a hefty $47 million budget.
In stark contrast, Hanks’s most critically acclaimed film, boasting a flawless 100% rating, is Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 2. This beloved 1999 animation has become a cultural touchstone, featuring one of Hanks’s most cherished roles – even though his face never appears on screen.
Hanks lends his voice to Woody, the cowboy toy who springs to life in this heartwarming tale. He reprised this role in all four instalments of the series, which incidentally rank as his top four films.
Indeed, audiences adore Toy Story so much that all four films have earned some of the highest ratings, with the fourth instalment scoring an impressive 96%.
Beyond his animated roles, Hanks’s fifth highest-rated film is Big, a 1988 comedy where he portrays a teenager who morphs into an adult overnight. One review attributes the film’s success to Hanks’s “brilliant performance”.
The reviewer elaborated: “He is able to embody childhood innocence and wonder while also trying to figure out the adult world.”
They added: “Unique, fun and charming, there is a lot to love about Big.”
The sixth spot is claimed by the 2002 hit Catch Me If You Can, trailed by Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood at eighth place, with Captain Phillips securing ninth. Rounding out the top ten with an impressive score of 94% is the acclaimed Spielberg masterpiece Saving Private Ryan, widely regarded as one of the finest war films ever made.
Tom Hanks Top 10 films rated by Rotten Tomatoes
- Toy Story 2 (1999)
- Toy Story (1995)
- Toy Story 3 (2010)
- Toy Story 4 (2019)
- Big (1988)
- Catch Me if You Can (2002)
- Apollo 13 (1995)
- A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
- Captain Phillips (2013)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)