The 1989 movie that brought a nostalgic Tom Hanks to tears: “I cried like a baby”
For those with sentimental tendencies, what could be more beautiful than being able to watch yourself grow over the years through cinematic documentation? For actors who started out young, being able to look back at themselves in such detail is a privilege that few people get.
Sure, most of us have photo albums and old home movies, drawings, school work, and old diaries that form a portrait of the person we used to be, but how many of us have whole feature films in which a younger version of ourselves graces the screen for an hour and a half? Not many of us can say that, but Tom Hanks certainly can.
The actor made his film debut when he was just 24 in He Knows You’re Alone, a cheap slasher movie, but over the coming years, he’d build up a profile that made him an instant Hollywood star. He had this easy charm that made him perfect for the screen, especially when it came to accessible movies that needed an everyman character that people could love and relate to – the ‘80s saw him appear in the likes of the mermaid romance Splash and the age-swapping comedy Big, paving the way for his dominance over the following decade.
The ‘90s saw Hanks win an Oscar two years in a row for Philadelphia, then for Forrest Gump, while he also lent his voice to the Toy Story series, appeared in movies like Apollo 13, Sleepless in Seattle, and Saving Private Ryan, and even made his directorial debut with That Thing You Do!… No one in the industry was bigger, no other actor seemingly had more power.
Now, pushing 70, Hanks can look back at decades of his life through his filmography, able to witness not just the evolution of his acting skills, but his appearance, too. It must be strange to watch yourself get older through movies. And with this comes the remembrance of so many great filming experiences, of fond memories of working with beloved friends, of visiting different countries, and of embodying the kinds of characters he perhaps never thought he’d get a chance to play.
There’s one movie in particular that sticks out as a particularly emotional memory; however, the actor once admitted to sobbing at the remembrance of it… He didn’t even need to watch the movie to be brought to tears – instead, all he had to do was look at the front cover. “I saw Turner & Hooch the other day in the SAC store and couldn’t help but be reminiscent. I cried like a baby,” he once said.
The 1989 movie saw Hanks act alongside Beasley the Dog, who, of course, is long dead now, having passed away in 1992. It was unlike anything Hanks had ever done before, because really, how often do you have an animal as your co-star?
Turner & Hooch is an unlikely buddy cop comedy, with Hanks’ Detective Scott Turner taking in the dog when his owner is murdered. Hooch was the only witness to his owner’s death, so he works with Turner to try to solve the mystery, although the movie soon becomes a unique tale of friendship and, ultimately, tragedy.
What is it with movies killing off beloved canine characters? No wonder Hanks felt emotional when he looked at a copy of Turner and Hooch. It all came flooding back.
