The “very funny” comedy Tom Hanks called a delightful enterprise
Saying that a movie you produced was a “delightful enterprise” is such a flex. It would be like Meryl Streep calling one of her Academy Awards “a cute bit of hardware” or Christian Bale referring to his period of preparation for The Machinist as “a decent summer” (neither of which, to be clear, have actually happened yet). It is both humble and just a tiny bit dismissive, a masterclass in subtly wielding power through nonchalance. But that’s par for the course for Tom Hanks, a Hollywood icon whose charisma and influence stems from seemingly genuine self-deprecation and the broad consensus that he is a good guy to his very core.
Over the decades, the actor has appeared in some of the most beloved movies that everyone can cry to, whether it’s Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, or Forrest Gump. He’s also emerged as a modern-day Jimmy Stewart, adding heart and humour to romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. Along the way, he’s racked up two Oscars and four further nominations.
Aside from being America’s favourite actor, Hanks has found success as a producer, throwing his enthusiasm behind dozens of projects as varied as Parkland, a dramatisation of the immediate aftermath of the JFK assassination at a Dallas hospital, to a 2020 Christmas special of a Carrie Underwood concert.
One of his most successful early producing ventures also turned out to be one of his favourites. After producing Cast Away and the hit TV series Band of Brothers, Hanks provided support for a low-budget comedy that turned out to be a surprise box-office smash. Speaking to the BBC in 2004, the actor explained how he decides which properties to produce and why that one in particular was so special.
“It’s mostly seeing something that’s unique and off the beaten path that in some way goes against the grain of standard business philosophy,” he said. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a delightful enterprise that I thought was very funny, and I thought that if there was a way of doing it retaining that truthfulness and letting Nia Vardalos tell her story, then it had a shot. I can honestly say that I pursue the things that are interesting to me and me alone, and I’m always amazed when it turns out to be something that other people are attracted to as well. And that is a good thing.”
Released in 2002, My Big Fat Greek Wedding followed the classic rom-com arc of an ugly duckling meeting her Prince Charming, undergoing a movie star glow-up, and living happily ever after. Regardless of the message this storyline sends, it is irresistible when done well, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding absolutely nails it. Starring and written by first-time screenwriter Nia Vardalos, it had a teensy budget of $5million. When it landed in theatres, however, it racked up $375m worldwide, making it the ninth highest-grossing film in a year that had a Lord of the Rings movie, a Harry Potter movie, a Star Wars movie, and a Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie.
The film went on to be nominated for an Oscar and remains a classic rom-com as long as you ignore the sequels. Hanks clearly knew a good one when he saw it.
