tom hanks book review

tom hanks book review

The Impact of Tom Hanks: A Book Review

1. Introduction

The book briefly glances on Hanks’ life from childhood till present; from his experiences as a college drop out, working as a hotel bellhop and intern in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, to the day he received an Academy Award Nomination for his work in the low budget film Big. Owen speaks of the challenges faced by Hanks through early career roles of cross-dressing, retarded, and homosexual characters and how he overcame those obstacles to become the most powerful and versatile actor in today’s film industry. The various interviews and articles cited by Owen portray the love and unbiasedness Hanks feels towards characters in film, his modern-day heroes of acting in the era before him.

In ‘The Impact of Tom Hanks: A Book Review’, Alun Owen brings out various aspects of the magnificent actor Tom Hanks. He has portrayed Hanks as a phenomenon in the world of acting, a man courageously different from the present era of actors and is of his own kind. Hanks has had a powerful impact throughout his career on the film industry, for his works are significantly different from the characters portrayed by various actors in the present era.

2. Exploring Tom Hanks’ Early Life and Career

It is significant to have a comprehensive understanding of somebody before creating an opinion of the actions which he or she had done. This also applies to understand Tom Hanks who had been popularly famous for his skill in acting. This part will discuss the early life of Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks was born in Concord, California on July 9, 1956, to Amos Mefford Hanks and Janet Marylyn Frager. Tom Hanks’s parents divorced in 1960, afterwards which Tom Hanks had moved with his eldest brother to Red Bluff, California to live with his father. In 1965, his father had married Frances Wong, a San Francisco native. During the times when Tom Hanks was living in the Bay Area, he realized that his love for movies had started. It was difficult to not notice that Tom Hanks had a mini passion for acting. When Tom Hanks moved to Oakland, he had to attend school at a place where the majority of people were African-American. Tom Hanks then later attended Skyline High School in Oakland and then graduated in 1974, where upon observing the grades that he had received in high school, it is recognizable that history shows that Tom Hanks was an ‘average to below average student’. After graduating from high school, Tom Hanks had attended Chabot Community College in Hayward, California, with the two years that had followed which he had attended California State University, Sacramento. Although Tom Hanks had attended college with the notion to obtain the knowledge for his acting career, he later referred to the experience by saying, “But I spent a lotta time just sitting and watching the loading dock, and I’d make a list of things in my head, the first thing that would come, I’d stop and go do that, and it wasn’t ’til a fail at a quarter and then see that there was no way I was going to get a passing grade, so I think I could blow off that and go right to class and I realized that I was not being a functional college student”. Tom Hanks then moved to New York City in 1978 with a small load in tow and a mere $100 in his pocket.

3. Analyzing Tom Hanks’ Iconic Film Roles

The viewer gets the insurmountable sense when watching a Tom Hanks movie that he is an ordinary person placed in various situations in which he overcomes an obstacle or adversity he has faced. This quality draws the viewer to Hanks’ characters, and when he takes on a role, continuously wins the viewer to his characters’ side. As Higgins states, “He [Tom Hanks] manages to remain cool, calm and collected while surviving in the most extraordinary situations (Castaway).” Be it the fact that Hanks is the everyday man or the way he portrays the everyday man is unknown, but it has been a successful formula for the actor. He manages to ‘stay afloat’ and garner sympathy from the audience no matter what dastardly deed his character may have committed. A prime example of this is in the film The Terminal, where Hanks’ role is a foreigner halted by a civil war during a flight to his home country only to find that war had dissolved his identification and effectively barred him from entering the United States. Due to technicalities, his home country is no longer recognized as a nation and he is forced to live in the airport terminal, unable to leave nor step on U.S soil. Because of the relative ease in which a Tom Hanks character is identified with, he’s been given wide critical acclaim for his roles. This is quite an accomplishment when many actors are pigeonholed with following a stereotype when portraying a character or are receiving the ‘typecast’ treatment throughout their career. Hanks has made a career out of diversity in his roles and has starred in a number of different genres, taking on wildly varying characters. This sort of flexibility in an actor and such a quality performance is what garners people the entertainment industry’s version of an MVP award, an Oscar.

4. Examining Tom Hanks’ Influence on the Film Industry

The most notable area in terms of impact with Hanks’ work lies in the critical response and commercial success of his projects. By the mid 1990s, Hanks has solidified his status as a bankable leading man due to his consistent ability to put butts in seats in a film industry that was becoming more competitive. This recognition has led to the release of high caliber films often times yielding award nominations and the praise of peers, with some of these projects still gaining regular airplay in movie culture discussions.

At first glance, one can simply say that Hanks’ ability to tackle different styles of characters is an instantly recognizable trait. Starting from early on with the cross-dressing comedy “Bosom Buddies” to voiceover work in “Toy Story”, to present day with starring roles in “The Ladykillers” and “The Terminal”, few actors have a resume as eclectic as his. Hanks’ range of characters is evidence of his desire to grow as an actor, and with this evolution he has brought enjoyment to various audiences by appealing to different senses of humor, drama, and intellect.

It is without question that Tom Hanks has made a significant impact on the film industry in the last two and a half decades. In a time when people are more likely to remember the latest piece of gossip about a film star, Hanks has risen above the frenzy to become known for his solid work and warmth in his professional and personal life. With his impressive scope as an actor, one can examine the range of characters he has brought to life, the critical acclaim and box office success found by a number of his films, and the influence he has gained in the industry.

5. Conclusion: Tom Hanks’ Enduring Legacy

In conclusion, the value departing from The Films of Tom Hanks is equivalent to the value one may find concealed within any one of his films. Although it is not a monumental account of heroism, it leaves its reader or in this case viewer with a feeling of satisfaction and hope. Hanks has created a rich anthology of film and film characters, many of whom represent modern icons. This compendium is a resource for film teachers, critics, and any fan of Hanks and his works.

Although the book could improve accessibility and readability for the reader by providing a thorough explanation of the cultural, social, and political climate of the era’s contextually relevant to each film, it said more I could say in a moment (Babington and Evans 187). Tom’s thirty years of acting, his films, and his performances have a highly commendable impact on society. Hanks proves that it is possible for an individual to strive for personal and professional higher ground, to uphold their beliefs and their privacy, and to invoke positive change in the world of entertainment and its consumers. Tom Hanks has continued to create relatable characters in meaningful stories while maintaining a sense of self.

The totality of Hanks’ performances reflects an unwavering ideal characterized by human decency, humility, and a quiet confidence. This is how he is perceived, a man for all seasons. This belief in personal good and a high level of American ethics and morality is what Hanks personally and professionally strives to reinforce.