Dragnet (1987)

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Can we get some love for freaking Dan Aykroyd?! He's a comedy legend and he was such a delight to watch in this movie. He stars as Joe Friday, the nephew of the original Friday from the 1960's tv crime series, and also co-wrote the movie. Aykroyd was a huge Friday fan and even played him in an SNL sketch in the 70's. Hanks costars as his rookie partner Pep Streebek. Since it's a buddy cop movie, naturally I had to make donuts.

For me, the bar was honestly kind of low going into this. Usually remakes/sequels/prequels rub me the wrong way, especially when it's going off of something so classic. But this movie really surprised me with how damn funny it was! I really would like to give you a quick synopsis of the plot, but I don't know how to! The easiest way to describe it is that straight-laced, by-the-book Friday is partnered up with loosey goosey, shoot-from-the-hip Streebek to solve a mystery. I honestly didn't even care much about the plot as we were watching it. It was one of those movies that you can laugh at even if you're not paying much attention to it. And as much as I love and adore Hanks, and how funny he was, nothing really compares to Aykroyd's performance in this. It was perfection. 10/10 would watch again.

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Every Time We Say Goodbye (1986)

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Alright ladies and germs, here we have Hank's first official romance/drama - and his first official film where he's in a shot with boobies. Immature, but I had to mention it. I mean, I didn't, but I wanted to. Every Time We Say Goodbye takes place in Jerusalem in the 1940's during World War II. Before watching I was trying to think of what we could pair with this, so I started reading up on local cuisine in Jerusalem/Israel during this time frame. It was actually pretty interesting research and has since inspire me to do a monthly Global Dinner Party with my mom friends. Anyway, the hubby and I cuddled up to this romance on the living room floor with a platter of hummus, falafel, toasted pita bread and some roasted vegetables. I was in heaven - this was the best dinner (with the best company).

In this film Hanks stars as Lt. David Bradley, an American pilot who has recently recovered from a leg injury. He soon meets a Jewish girl of Spanish decent named Sarah, played by the adorable Cristina Marsillach. He pretty much immediately falls for her. And Sarah, being of modest and religiously strict upbringing, shuns him and his flirtations. Multiple times. She's got her creepy cousin breathing down her neck wanting to marry her (ew) and David making his repeated attempts to win her affection. She eventually caves (I mean come it, it's 80's Hanks) and falls for him, despite knowing that her family won't approve and there's no way for them to be together. This doesn't stop her from getting some passionate necking (get it girl). Her family eventually finds out and pretty much disowns her and treats her like she's used trash. In the end, she basically realizes that their disapproval isn't worth it and love triumphs over all.

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I've got to be honest, this was an unconventional role for Hanks. Up until this, he was pretty much only doing comedy. We didn't expect to see him in more dramatic roles for another decade or so. He definitely doesn't seem like the first pick for this role. He's also the only recognizable character in this movie. My research shows that the budget for this Israeli-made movie was $3.7 million with a worldwide gross of $278,623. Yikes. It's the lowest grossing theatrically released film of his career. So that's a fun stat! Honestly though, I'd watch this again over Nothing in Common. But I'm also a sucker for a good romance story.