Nothing in Common (1986)

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Here we have another Hanks film we've never seen before, or even heard of! Nothing in Common stars Hanks alongside the legendary Jackie Gleason, who plays his skirt-chasing, self-destructive father. Gleason, it turns out, was actually severely ill with colon and liver cancer during the filming of this movie, and admitted to his daughter that he didn't think he had much time to live. This was his last film before passing away in 1987. And it wasn't a bad one to go out on. This was definitely more of a drama than a comedy, and dealt a lot with father/son relationships, honesty, love, and redemption.

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Since we do a goofy pairing with our Hanks movies, we chose to have a couple things that literally have nothing in common; Banh Mi sandwiches and Mint Juleps.

So, let's get down to it. Nothing in Common stars Hanks as David Basner, a young hot-shot in the advertising world who's presumably on his way up in the company. His life gets derailed when he finds out his parents are splitting up. Gleason, playing Max Basner, calls his son to tell him the news and doesn't exactly grasp why his wife of 30+ years suddenly decided to leave. As the story unfolds, David is struggling to find a balance between taking care of his dad, dealing with his mom, trying to nail a big ad campaign that will make or break his career, and nailing the boss's daughter, the movie seemed to skew quite a bit and break off into 3 or more plot lines. It was a bit scattered, a bit disjointed, but came together quite beautifully in the end.

It's revealed that David's mom, played by Eva Marie Saint, left because Max never really cared about her. He never talked, he never listened, she was completely unloved and unappreciated. And the bastard had been cheating on her for years. We get to see her rebuild her life. At one point, Max is terribly ill and in the hospital - I was afraid they were going to do mom dirty and make her go back to him to be his nursemaid. But thankfully they didn't! She walked away and washed her hands of it all. Is it weird to be proud of a character? Because I was proud of her! David and Max work out their issues, David finds love, and they all live happily every after.

The Money Pit (1986)

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What a freakin classic this movie is. This is another one that's been collecting dust on our shelves for far too long. This is a must-see for any new homeowner. This was one of our fears when we were house-hunting years ago. We'd end up with a pit that suck up all of our money and sanity. Thankfully it didn't end up that way! When I was thinking about what to make for this movie, I found myself looking up old superstitions and good-luck rituals for new houses. I came across one that said you should always sprinkle salt in a new home for good luck. Another said that burning sage will cleanse the house and clear it of bad energy. So I made a cocktail that combines the two! It's a Blackberry Sage Tequila Smash (with a salted rim of course).

The Money Pit has Hanks as Walter Fielding, and Shelley Long as his girlfriend Anna Crowley. They're getting booted out of the apartment they've been living in and are pushed into buying this lemon of a house that basically no contractor wants to touch. Everything that could go wrong, goes wrong. It tests the limits of their relationship, and of their own mental health. From door frames falling out and sludge spewing from the pipes, to wiring catching fire in the walls and a bathtub crashing through the floor, this movie is every homeowner's worst nightmare. And we laughed our asses off the whole way through. Hanks really nailed his performance in this. His physical comedy, down to simple mannerisms, really made the movie what it is. Both the husband and I agreed that literally nobody else could have done this role. It wouldn't be the same movie. 

I leave you now with the best laugh in cinematic history. You're welcome.

Volunteers (1985)

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I bought this movie on DVD easily over 10 years ago. I cannot tell you how long its been since I actually watched it. Turns out there was very little that I even remembered, so it was basically like watching it for the first time all over again.

Can I just say how freaking stupid I am for not watching this ALL THE TIME?! It was so much funnier than I remembered and it made so happy that I started this blogging adventure.

The movie takes place in Thailand, so we decided to make some Pad Thai to go with it. And you know what? For being a white girl who doesn't know what the hell she's doing...it turned out pretty damn good! It was so good, in fact, that the two of us ate all 4 servings while we watched the movie, and in a food coma, I accidentally deleted the pictures I took of it. Derp.

So, Volunteers stars (obviously) Tom Hanks as the wealthy and arrogant Lawrence Bourne III, Rita Wilson as Beth Wexler, and John Candy as Tom Tuttle from Tacoma. This is Hanks and Candy's second movie together and they really do make a great pair. Hanks and Wilson first met on the set of the TV show Bosom Buddies, and met for the second time filming Volunteers. They married 3 years later and are still together today. Looking at them together too is sickeningly sweet. When Hanks was speaking at the Golden Globes, and they cut to Wilson, she had freakin stars in her eyes. They are so clearly still in love and damnit, it just gives you hope!

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But enough of the mushy stuff. This movie was excellent. From the casting, to the writing, to the acting - even all the extras. Hanks has this godawful accent and is the most conceited, entitled SOB you've ever seen, but he still is so lovable! His character is in a pickle because he gambled away his father's wealth, and Daddy Moneybags isn't doing a thing to help him. He ends up taking his college roommate's place on a Peace Corps mission to Thailand in order to escape his gambling debts - a choice he immediately regrets when he gets on the plane and everyone is singing "Michael Row the Boat Ashore". Had I been in the same shoes, I would have jumped out the freakin emergency exit.

Of course, since he's charming as hell, he manages to schmooze all the villagers where they're working to build a bridge, he learns the language, bonds with the locals, almost gets his hands dirty, and really just ends up being the project manager for the build. All of this manages to win over Beth Wexler and just like us, she falls head over heels for him. Even when he's a pompous asshole, we just can't walk away.