Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Mr-Fusion Jackie Gleason and Tom Hanks: two very gifted actors in a movie that runs all over the road. "Nothing in Common" opens up with Hanks at maximum likability, his successful ad executive riding in on cocky youthful charm. His relationship with his coworkers is the stuff of dreams (or fiction), and he makes the job look fun. Which gives no indication as to just how no-nonsense this story will get. He's playing an only child who has to deal with his parents' sudden separation and father's failing health. In short, he brings his dramatic A-game (especially notable for being so early in his serious actor career). Gleason, for his part, is playing a character that's not all that easy to stomach (sometimes even hateful), but it's one hell of a performance. This movie is all about their struggling relationship, and both men make it work. It's the tone that's inconsistent; sometimes light, sometimes serious, with an ending that feels sugarcoated. The comedy feels at odds with the darker material.

Syl The film starts with a Christopher Cross song, "Lovin Strangers," which should have earned an Academy Award Nomination for Original Song. It's a catchy tune! The film stars Tom Hanks before hitting big. The film is directed by Garry Marshall. Tom Hanks holds his own against heavyweights like Jackie Gleason and Eva Marie Saint. This film was probably a final chance for Jackie Gleason who had a legendary status as comedian. His performance is subtle and terrifically played out as the father of Tom Hanks. This film is a comedy and melodramatic at times. Tom Hanks proved himself in his performance. Other actors like Hector Elizondo and Sela Ward act as his co-workers and boss.. Hanks's character Max Baxter works at an advertising agency. His mother leaves an unhappy marriage to pursue a single life. In the end, the theme song of loving strangers by Christopher Cross makes perfect sense. In some ways, they are not strangers but more similar than different with a stubbornness too. It's a must for any Jackie Gleason fan! Too bad, the Academy couldn't have given him one final shot at an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Regardless, Jackie Gleason was legendary.

sampson-tx This is a great movie. It combines several emotional aspects of the human condition. Classic Tom Hanks humor, emotionally touching realism as well as some serious drama.Over the years since it was released I have watched this dozen's of times. I never get tired of it. I am moved as David Basner is forced to face the reality of his parents divorce and tries to build an individual relationship with each of his parents.I think this is much better than Splash, probably on par with BIG. Of course, just about anything with Tom Hanks is great simply because he is able to carry the load.

OCOKA I happened to catch this movie while I was in college in 1991. At the time though, I only saw the ending, but it really piqued my interest b/c the last scene where Tom Hanks is pushing a wheel-chair-bound Jackie Gleason down a hospital corridor through a windowed overpass was actually filmed where I was born -- Northwestern Memorial Passavant Hospital in Chicago. Years later, I was finally able to view "Nothing in Common" in its entirety on video, and while I liked some parts of it -- mostly b/c of its numerous Chicago location shots -- I thought the film's production value was a little bit low for a Hollywood film as it was produced and directed in such a way as to be reminiscent of network television soap operas and made-for-TV movies. The overlaid 80's soundtrack, for example, gave this movie a sappy feel and exuded tres gauche maudlin schamltziness, IMO. Nevertheless, Tom Hanks was great, as usual, in his reprisal of the sympathetic 'everyman' role that has now become his trademark, and I believe that this was Jackie Gleason's last performance. Sela Ward, however, is the number one reason to see this film, as she is from beginning to end the unequivocal scene stealer. Not only is Sela Ward hot hot hot, Ward brought a certain amount of authenticity in her portrayal of a big-city advertising executive circa 1980s. This is because long before Ward became a model and began her acting career, Ward, who majored in advertising at Ole' Miss, was a real-life advertising copywriter and exec on Madison Avenue in NYC in the late 70's and early 80's. Regardless, Ward's drop-dead gorgeousness did not detract from her believability as the cutthroat yuppie executive, Cheryl Ann Wayne, by one iota. Great Chicago references though, e.g., Wrigley Field, location shoots in neighborhood pubs, downtown scenes, etc.