Tom Hanks Clashed With a TV Legend In This Underrated Gem

The prestigious career of Tom Hanks has been marked by dynamic performances alongside some of the best actors in cinema. He touched the hearts of audiences worldwide opposite Meg Ryan in three popular romantic comedies. He also sharpened his dramatic skills working opposite Denzel Washington in Hanks’s Oscar-winning hit, Philadelphia. But Hanks’s first true test as a serious actor came in 1986, when he played the angst-ridden yuppie son of the legendary Jackie Gleason in Garry Marshall’s Nothing in Common.

Back in the 1980s, when he was starting in Hollywood, Hanks was largely typecast in high-concept comedies, ranging from Splash to The Money Pit. The former sitcom star of Bosom Buddies had a natural charm that radiated warmth in his characters. When Nothing in Common came along, however, the industry and the public witnessed a level of emotional depth his previous roles had not required. The film received mixed reviews, earning a 58% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, it was a modest box office success that elevated Marshall’s directing profile and even spawned a short-lived television series. It also served, poignantly, as a swan song for Gleason, who passed away in 1987.

What Is 'Nothing in Common' About?

Marking a departure from his nice-guy roles, Hanks plays successful yet immature Chicago ad agency executive David Basner. He embodies the decade’s yuppie culture with expensive suits, a Jeep, and a physical relationship with a wealthy airline heiress (Sela Ward). David’s ambitions are soon sidelined when his mother, Lorraine (Eva Marie Saint), leaves his salesman father, Max (Gleason), who is subsequently fired from his garment-business job.

David becomes a reluctant caretaker to the testy Max while Lorraine reenters the dating scene. Bouncing between the needs of both parents, David’s work begins to suffer. When Max develops serious health issues, David must reconcile years of resentment toward his father and confront resurfacing feelings for his ex-girlfriend Donna (Bess Armstrong), who believes it is time for the boy to become a man.

‘Nothing in Common’ Showcased Tom Hanks’ Dramatic Depth for the First Time

Unlike Hanks’s 1980s comedies dealing with mermaids, broken-down houses, and mischievous dogs, Nothing in Common required a careful balance between grounded humor and family drama. The actor is still drawn into absurdity through ad-agency scenes involving airline pitches and client deception, delivered with sharp satire reminiscent of Jerry Maguire. In his scenes with Gleason, however, the light, breezy tone gives way to dramatic tension, with humor masking the emotional friction between Max’s carefree lifestyle and David’s career-driven focus.

Whether meeting deadlines or serving as an emotional anchor to his parents, Hanks’s comedic style in Nothing in Common is driven by stress. At the agency, David sheds responsibility by tossing pencils toward the ceiling and drumming restlessly like an irritable student. Around Max, he struggles to maintain composure in situations involving petty theft at a market and reckless partying at a jazz club. Many of these stress-fueled comedic beats reflect the winning formula of Hanks’s earlier vehicles, yet his performance remains restrained enough to avoid slipping into slapstick.

Jackie Gleason's Bittersweet Farewell

If Nothing in Common showcased Hanks’s dramatic potential, it also gave Gleason one last opportunity to remind audiences he was more than Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners fame. His brash, larger-than-life persona made him both a sitcom icon and a memorable cinematic heavy in The Hustler and Smokey and the Bandit. While he retains his cigar-chomping, condescending exterior here, Gleason reveals a vulnerability he had rarely displayed onscreen.

Beneath the excessive spending and selfishness, Max is haunted by lifelong regrets. One of the film’s most emotionally charged moments comes in a scene in which David confronts Max about an affair he conducted behind Lorraine’s back. While Hanks heightens the drama with a fury he seldom displayed at the time, Gleason matches him by resisting sitcom theatrics. As Max struggles to justify his infidelity, his emotional paralysis becomes clear — he simply cannot express remorse with honesty. The regret plays silently across Gleason’s face as he avoids eye contact. Max ultimately fails to live up to being a good parent. David, however, gradually reframes his father as a flawed human being, which transforms the nature of their relationship.

Nothing in Common proved a career-defining moment for Hanks. It demonstrated he was far more than a stock Hollywood everyman. The film’s organic blend of comedy and drama opened the door to more layered performances like Big and helped pave the way toward an Oscar-winning career. It also marked a turning point for Marshall, who evolved from Happy Days producer into a dominant romantic-comedy filmmaker, later directing 1990’s Pretty Woman. For Gleason, portraying a deeply flawed father served as a reflective final note — an exclamation point on a remarkable career.

Nothing in Common is currently streaming on Tubi in the United States.