10 Best Tom Hanks Movies, Ranked

For over four decades now, Tom Hanks has been one of Hollywood’s most well-respected actors. Ever since his breakout role as the co-star of ABC’s Bosom Buddies, Hanks has dazzled audiences in everything from beloved family classics like The Polar Express to major Oscar nominees like Apollo 13.

But some of Hanks’ films stand out more than others. He always delivers top-of-the-line performances, but some of his movies allow him to better display his comedic talents, while others illustrate his knack for portraying characters totally unlike himself. These are the 10 best Tom Hanks movies, ranked based on critical acclaim and how enjoyable they are as a whole.

10 ‘Forrest Gump’ (1994)

Appeared as Forrest Gump

Released in 1994, Forrest Gump brought Hanks his third nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars, and ultimately his second victory. The film follows its title character (Hanks), a man born with a lower-than-average IQ, as he pursues the love of his life, Jenny (Robin Wright), between the ’50s and early ’80s. Along the way, Forrest finds himself involved in a number of major events of the time, like the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy and later, the Vietnam War.

At the core of Forrest Gump is a fully transformative performance from Hanks. The actor brilliantly adopts a new set of physical and vocal mannerisms, perfectly adjusting them to reflect Forrest’s mood and bringing a great deal of life to the character. He also benefits from a great script, featuring genuine heart, along with some of the most quotable lines of all time. Certain aspects of the film haven’t aged perfectly, but it remains one of the best watches in Hanks’ filmography.

9 ‘Big’ (1988)

Appeared as Joshua Baskin

Throughout the early days of his career, Hanks was known for his roles in comedies like Splash, Bachelor Party, and The Money Pit, but his most famous ’80s comedy was, and continues to be, 1988’s Big. In it, Hanks plays Joshua Baskin, a 13-year-old boy (David Moscow) who finds himself stuck in the body of an adult after making a wish at a fortune-telling machine.

What makes Big such a fantastic entry in Hanks’ filmography is its ability to effectively demonstrate the actor’s talents. The film’s core premise requires Hanks to embody the temperament and mannerisms of a young boy, allowing him to display his comedic skills, like when Joshua first notices that he’s an adult, but also his dramatic ones, like in a scene where he breaks down into tears on his first night away from home. His performance in the film earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and it still stands as one of his best, and most heartfelt, comedies.

8 ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ (2019)

Appeared as Fred Rogers

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a delightfully wholesome film in which Hanks portrays Fred Rogers, known to many as the host of the classic children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. It focuses on Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), a cynical journalist assigned to write a profile on Rogers, interviewing him on a number of occasions before finally being won over by his sincerity in a story based on real-life events.

At the heart of A Beautiful Day is a totally convincing performance from Hanks, expertly mimicking the vocal rhythms and physical mannerisms of the real Mister Rogers. On top of that, the film is also a wonderful depiction of the value of the lessons that he taught on his show, illustrating through Rogers’ direct involvement in Vogel’s life just how valuable empathy and compassion can be. It may not be a flawless film, but it has a great message, and a perfect central performance, solidifying it as a great Hanks movie.

7 ‘The Terminal’ (2004)

Appeared as Viktor Navorski

The Terminal brought frequent collaborators Hanks and Steven Spielberg together for the third time, following Saving Private Ryan and Catch Me If You Can. In it, Viktor Nivorski (Hanks), a foreign tourist, finds himself stuck in an American airport when his home country falls into civil war while he is mid-flight. As such, his passport is no longer acceptable, and he is unable to enter America, or return home, leaving him a permanent thorn in the side of Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), the Director of Customs and Border Protection at the airport.

The Terminal is yet another highlight of Hanks’ remarkable range. A prominent piece of the film, somewhat based on a true story, is that Viktor has almost no initial understanding of the English language. As the story progresses, he begins to learn the language out of necessity, requiring Hanks to act out the process of slowly acquainting himself with an unfamiliar language. He does so masterfully, with the film also putting a spotlight on Hanks’ ability to act using just his face, providing depth to Viktor, even in scenes where he doesn’t have the words to say what he means to. It’s an underrated work in Spielberg’s catalog, but The Terminal is absolutely worth giving a watch, in no small part because of Hanks’ contributions.

6 ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ (1993)

Appeared as Sam Baldwin

In Sleepless in Seattle, Hanks plays Sam Baldwin, a newly-widowed man who finds himself at the center of national gossip when his son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), calls in to a radio show and asks his father to discuss his emotional state on-air. On her way home from dinner with her fiancé (Bill Pullman), Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) hears this broadcast and finds herself unable to stop thinking about Sam, eventually writing letters, and even tracking him down in an attempt to meet him.

While being a perfect example of a traditional romantic comedy, the film also contains some genuinely well-written drama between Sam and Jonah as they adjust to life without Jonah’s mother, Maggie (Carey Lowell). This element elevates the film, giving it an extremely endearing emotional core that makes it especially memorable when compared to other movies in the same genre. Hanks and Ryan starred in two other romantic comedies together, 1990’s Joe Versus the Volcano and 1998’s You’ve Got Mail, but Sleepless in Seattle remains the best.

5 ‘Philadelphia’ (1993)

Appeared as Andrew Beckett

Philadelphia, released in 1993, won Hanks his first Oscar for portraying Andrew Beckett, a gay man with AIDS, fired by his law firm shortly after a coworker spots visual symptoms of his medical status. Convinced that he has a legal case, Beckett seeks a lawyer who will assist him in court, eventually finding an unlikely ally in Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), a homophobic man whom Beckett has a professional history with.

Throughout the film, audiences are faced with watching Beckett slowly degrade as a result of his disease, with Hanks’ heartbreaking performance fully capturing each stage of his deterioration. Washington delivers an equally strong performance, honestly displaying Miller’s flaws while displaying enough charisma that the character remains likable as he gradually reassesses his beliefs. Many aspects of the film were controversial at the time of its release, while other aspects are controversial today, but Philadelphia is still a great watch with stellar performances, and an important message about the value of empathy.

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4 ‘Toy Story’ (1995)

Appeared as Sheriff Woody

In a strange way, Toy Story may be the most influential film that Hanks has ever starred in. Pixar’s debut feature was also the first commercial release to be fully animated using CGI, finally giving big screen animation a third dimension. This would change the course of animation history forever, to the extent that, nowadays, it is exceedingly rare to see a newly released 2D animated film on the big screen, with even Disney’s last being 2011’s Winnie the Pooh.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Toy Story is also a stellar film. Hanks voices Sheriff Woody, a cowboy doll who struggles with jealousy when the new and shiny Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) replaces him as Andy’s (John Morris) favorite toy. Hanks and Allen have great chemistry, sharing plenty of witty banter throughout, courtesy of the movie’s snappy screenplay. There’s a tendency to underestimate the quality of family-friendly animated films, but regardless of this stigma, Toy Story is a fantastic entry in Hanks’ catalog, more than capable of entertaining audiences of all ages.

3 ‘The Green Mile’ (1999)

Appeared as Paul Edgecomb

The Green Mile, a drama based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, focuses on death row supervisor Paul Edgecomb (Hanks) as he manages his inmates, including a new one named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a black man imprisoned for rape and murder. Later, Edgecomb becomes aware that Coffey appears to have some sort of healing ability, leading him to question the convicted man’s guilt.

Hanks delivers a typically fantastic performance as Edgecomb, but he is surrounded by equally amazing supporting performances. Michael Jeter is memorable as convict Eduard Delacroix, Doug Hutchison is appropriately despicable as antagonistic guard Percy Wetmore, and Duncan’s performance was so effective that it earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Academy Awards. The film is also brilliantly shot and edited, with the cinematography and performances ensuring that the film is just as emotionally powerful as the book it’s based on. Following its release, the film itself was nominated for Best Picture, and it still stands as one of the best movies based on King’s works.

2 ‘Cast Away’ (2000)

Appeared as Chuck Noland

In the Robert Zemeckis classic Cast Away, Hanks portrays Chuck Noland, a FedEx employee who finds himself stranded on a remote island when a plane he is on goes down mid-flight. Left with nothing but his clothing, a raft, and the occasional package floating ashore, Chuck, motivated by the thought of seeing his girlfriend, Kelly (Helen Hunt), is tasked with learning how to survive in the hopes of one day escaping the island.

Cast Away is a brilliantly made movie, sacrificing dialogue throughout most of its runtime in favor of drawing an emotional response primarily through an emphasis on the ambient sounds of the island, heartbreaking visuals, and Hanks’ truly stunning physical performance. Zemeckis’ direction is also fantastic, with the director knowing exactly how long to linger on each shot in order to create the desired emotional effect, even managing to get viewers attached to an inanimate volleyball that Chuck refers to as Wilson. It may not be Robert Zemeckis’ best film, but it is certainly up there, and it’s a prime example of why both he and Hanks are such well-respected figures in Hollywood.

1 ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998)

Appeared as Captain John H. Miller

Hanks has starred in a number of amazing films throughout his career, but it’s hard to get much better than Saving Private Ryan. One of director Steven Spielberg’s best works, the film is a heartbreaking portrayal of the horrors of war, depicting a platoon of soldiers, led by Hanks’ Captain John Miller, as they attempt to track down the eponymous Private Ryan (Matt Damon), a soldier who has gone missing.

From its very first moments, Saving Private Ryan sets itself apart from other films, depicting the Omaha Beach Landing with shocking, yet honest brutality in a great Spielberg scene that perfectly highlights the film’s emphasis on accuracy. Hanks also does some career-defining work here, like in a scene where his character is able to break down into tears in a quiet moment alone following the death of Irwin Wade (Giovanni Ribisi), one of his men. It’s a film that looks at its subject matter in a unique, emotionally powerful way, cementing it as both one of the best war films, and the best film that Tom Hanks has ever starred in.

NEXT: The Best Tom Hanks Movie Quotes, Ranked