Nothing in Common *** (1986, Tom Hanks, Jackie Gleason, Eva Marie Saint) – Classic Movie Review 6174

Director Gary Marshall’s interesting if slightly awkward 1986 movie stars Jackie Gleason in his last film before he died in 1987, along with Eva Marie Saint and Tom Hanks.

Gleason plays a grumpy old dad Max Basner, a laid-off salesman who finds he has nothing in common with his advertising agency executive son David (Tom Hanks), when his wife (Eva Marie Saint) seeks a divorce after 30-odd years together.

Edgily written by Rick Podell and Michael Preminger, this is an uneven but sometimes very amusing comedy drama from talented director Marshall, who juggles the film’s disparate elements of laughs and sentiment with confidence, keeps it moving along niftily through an extended running time of 118 minutes, and of course casts Hector Elizondo as always.

The nimble, sure-footed performances from Hanks and Gleason are a big factor in helping see the film through to considerable success.

The odd mix of Eighties advertising industry satire and family weepie drama touched American sensibilities, and it was a cinema hit there, grossing $32,324,550, but it didn’t do nearly as well in Britain.

Also in the cast are Barry Corbin, Bess Armstrong, Sela Ward and John Kampelos.

A TV series of just seven episodes followed in 1987 with Bill Macy and Todd Waring.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6174

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