The Forrest Gump star has proved himself to be one of our greatest actors with several award-winning performances. On top of that, he’s a really nice guy. That’s why it stings to have to point out a few of his career missteps that either left us expecting more or wanting to see less. He still tops our list of Favorite Hanks-es, but if he keeps pumping out films like those on this list, we’ll have to give Colin the edge.

The Terminal

In The Terminal, Tom Hanks plays a man trapped at JFK International Airport while his native country is in the grips of a revolution. That’s how I felt while watching it. Trapped.

It had all of the elements of a movie I would watch the crap out of.

- Tom Hanks. Great.
- Steven Spielberg. Cool.
- Catherine Zeta-Jones. Okay.
- The Tooch. Word.
- That guy that isn’t Gael Garcia Bernal. Fine. I’ll allow it.
- Partially based on the true life story of that guy I read about in Rolling Stone. Check.
- Kumar from Bottle Rocket. Awesome.

But the resulting sum of all these parts fell short. Of course, watching Tom Hanks actually live in the airport like Top Cat was fun. But when the additional characters and love interests enter the mix, things take a turn for the confusing and not needed. It’s no wonder a sequel where Tom Hanks sets up shop in Ikea never got the greenlight.

The Money Pit

This mid-80′s comedy about a house falling to ruin didn’t have enough going for it to stand on its own. On paper, it looks great. We’re talking about a movie where Shelley Long gets beaned in the head by falling plaster. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to see. Sadly, physical comedy, the charm of Tom Hanks, and a concussed Shelley Long weren’t enough to make this movie enjoyable. I’ll go to Funny Farm for my fix of “a couple in over their heads in new surroundings” comedy, thank you very much.

The drama looks like an interesting adventure. After losing his Tom Hanks in the attacks on the World Trade Center, a young boy is convinced that his father left a hidden message for him somewhere in New York City. He explores the five boroughs in search of a lock that fits the key his dad left behind, and moves past his complicated feelings of loss to see that there is more to the world around him. It also looks emotionally draining. He was such a fun dad.

“The plot focuses on Oskar Schell, a nine-year-old boy from Manhattan whose father died on 9/11. Two years later, the boy discovers a key belonging to his father, which sends him on a search through the city.”

The article doesn’t say what parts the new cast additions Jeffrey Wright and Viola Davis are going to be playing, but they’re joining Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and John Goodman along with child actor Thomas Horn.

I haven’t read the book yet, but my impression is it’s a bit of a weeper, so we’ll probably be seeing lots of Oscar buzz for this, especially considering the involvement of screenwriter Eric Roth, he of Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Plus if “the 9/11 movie” doesn’t at least get a Best Picture nomination, don’t the terrorists win, or something? (via The Playlist)

Now, he’s racked up roles in Red State, The Artist, Thicker, and as of today, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. He’ll join Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and whiz kid Thomas Horn in the story about a boy who pieces together a mystery about his father after losing him on 9/11. Goodman will play the doorman to the boy’s building who plays a crucial role in the boy’s story. Apparently the kid can’t open heavy doors. (THR)

Tom Hanks is considered one of the "nicest" guys in Hollywood. Sandra Bullock has the same "nice guy" image, but with a vaginal twist. Now comes word the pair may star in Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, thereby creating an overwhelming pile of nice-ness unlike anything the world has ever seen.

As if that wasn’t nice enough, Eric Roth is adapting the script, which tells the story of a young boy who lost his father on September 11th. Terrorist attacks aren’t very nice, but considering Roth also adapted the screenplay for a little movie called Forrest Gump, this film will probably be oozing with so much niceness that I’ll have to punch my grandma in the face just to even things out.

I love you, Nana. (First Showing)