One of my favorite things about my Netflix subscription is how many classic movies there always are to explore, and the other night, I was looking for a comfort comedy that would put a smile on my face. The movie I landed on with my partner was 1986’s The Money Pit. I remember having a lot of laughs with it when I was younger, and man, it didn’t disappoint nearly 40 years after its release. And, I have to say, the viewing had me thinking about Tom Hanks’ career on a broader scale.
It’s pretty wild to think about all the movies Tom Hanks has made across his 45-year career thus far. As the 68-year-old soon will be featured in the new Wes Anderson movie, The Phoenician Scheme, and will reprise Woody for Toy Story 5 next year, I want to talk more about my hopes for the Oscar winner to return to his comedy era.
I Rewatched The Money Pit On Netflix, And I Had The Best Time
To back up a bit, let’s talk about my recent feature presentation, The Money Pit. The comedy was one of Tom Hanks’ first movies after his breakout in Splash. It is about a young couple, Walter and Anna, who jump on buying a below-market mansion which has ridiculous problem after problem, from the staircase collapsing to a turkey catapulting through a window because the oven seriously doesn’t work. Tom Hanks is hilarious from start to finish, employing tons of physical comedy and high energy that is infectious to watch.
I don’t often think about Hanks as a comedic actor by and large, because he’s the whole package, but The Money Pit reminded me how great he is in the genre specifically. It had been a while since I had a laughing fit while watching a movie, but I was busting up when the bathtub falls through the floor after a series of other fixes and Walter starts manically laughing as he stares at the comical hole in the floor. It’s a simple thing, but the way he laughs is just the best thing ever. It’s very clear to me the actor made specific choices in his laugh to make it as funny as it is, and I was nearly rolling on the floor after going through the wringer with him. Watch the scene below:
And I’ve seen this movie so many times, too! I knew it was coming, and there I was still laughing so hard.
It Made Me Think About How Tom Hanks’ Early Career Was All Comedies
The Money Pit was preceded by other memorable comedies of Tom Hanks’ early career like Big, The ‘Burbs and Joe Versus The Volcano, before the 1990s had him changing things up with more dramatic roles like Philadelphia, Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan. Since the actor’s career is so packed full of beloved movies I think we often forget movies like this, because they are considered not as “good” as many other roles he’s had. After this recent viewing of The Money Pit, I’m thinking about how good of a comedy it is on its own. Nevermind it not being on the same caliber as Cast Away or Sully, it was everything I wanted out of a movie on the evening I watched it, and I think we need to celebrate the actor more for this portion of his career.
It’s not only The Money Pit that has stood the test of time either. I find so many of Hanks’ early movies from the ‘80s underrated, and there’s so many hilarious quotes from them. Oh, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve rewatched You’ve Got Mail (which was from 1998, but somewhat a return to form). Tom Hanks is such a charismatic leading man in romantic comedies, and much as he is a great lead of a comedic plotline, and I wish there were more of them from recent years.
I Love Tom Hanks’ Dramatic Work, But It’s His Comedic Chops That Make Them Better
And, if it wasn’t for his comedy era being so beloved, filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis likely wouldn’t have trusted him with his “bigger” roles over the years. I actually think Hanks is so amazing in so many genres because he mastered comedy so early on. I mean, I think about Cast Away, which can be a very dramatic movie considering it centers on a character who is alone on an island and could die alone there, and how Hanks makes it better because he adds his comedic chops and that element about how one would be if they were on their own trying to survive.
Even though it’s been a while since a comedic Tom Hanks movie came out, I just think we need to start connecting him with his comedic roots because it’s a lot of what makes the actor as good as he is.
Now I Can’t Stop Thinking About How Much I Want Another Tom Hanks Comedy
These days, comedy movies are few and far between, and it’s really a problem I think. Having more movies that are committed to having audiences laugh and forget their worries, and later turn into comfort movies we go back to over and over just doesn’t happen much anymore. I know I’m not alone when it comes to random evenings where I want to just engage in some lightness on my television and I end up having to go to movies from the ‘80s, ‘90s or early ‘00s to capture that feeling I’m looking for.
Yes, this has a lot to do with the era we live in. People aren’t really going out to the movies anymore to watch a straight comedy anymore. But, if Tom Hanks, who is one of the highest-grossing actors ever, were to star in a comedy movie again, I think that could be a big deal for a lot of people. It would have to be under the right circumstances, but I’m really rooting for this for Hanks now.
