Product Details

• Actors: Tom Hanks, Jackie Gleason, Eva Marie Saint, Hector Elizondo, Barry Corbin
• Directors: Garry Marshall
• Writers: Michael Preminger, Rick Podell
• Producers: Alexandra Rose, Nick Abdo, Roger M. Rothstein
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: July 28, 1998
• Run Time: 118 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0767811704
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #414,502 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Tom Hanks wanted to prove his dramatic talent in the mid-1980s, and Nothing in Common gave him a ripe opportunity. Playing an emotionally immature Chicago advertising executive, Hanks offers a prototype of his later, better role in Big--the joking man-child with seemingly limitless reserves of energetic humor, perfectly suited to director Garry Marshall's trademark blend of featherweight comedy and sentiment. The movie wanders aimlessly before settling into its dramatic groove, involving Hanks caring for his aging, diabetic father (Jackie Gleason, well cast in his final screen role) after his mother (Eva Marie Saint) files for divorce and strikes out on her own. Like Marshall's Pretty Woman, the movie hits several grace notes and finds unexpected depth in its characters and their need for loving connections. Meanwhile, there's cheesy nostalgia in the '80s trappings, including songs by Carly Simon and Christopher Cross, and Once and Again TV star Sela Ward in an early supporting role. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hanks and Gleason are a winning team, July 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Nothing in Common [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Once in a while you find a movie that mirrors your own actual relationship with someone. For me, Nothing In Common sums up my relationship with my father. Even though I do have a lot in common with my dad, I could definitely relate to the fights that father(Gleason) and son(Hanks) had in the movie.

I think that we were raised on thinking that Father Knows Best, but what happens when the father starts to lose it. Nothing In Common answers that question. This movie would make a great Father's Day gift.

Hanks starts out the movie as a grown-up child without a care in the world other than pleasing his every whim. He evolves into this mature adult who realizes that he owes more to his parents than just the occasional visit once every six months or a gift for Mother's and Father's Day.

Gleason starts out as an angry man who reluctantly asks his son for help. He becomes an enlightened father who is truly proud of his son.

I don't believe I'm giving to much away. I think that if you are a fan of Hanks, Gleason, and Garry Marshall. Enjoying this movie will not be difficult.

This movie is one of my favorites. I have lost count as to how many times that I've seen it.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST SEE!!!, September 16, 2002

By 

Kirsten Chance (VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nothing in Common [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of my most treasured films of all time and I can't understand why it receives so little attention. This is the story of an immature but successful bachelor whose world is disrupted when he gets an unexpected call from his estranged father, telling him his mother left him. Tom Hanks gives one of his BEST performances (comedically AND dramatically) as the carefree fellow who is forced to get to know his parents all over again while supporting them emotionally.
While many label this a comedy--and it IS pretty funny-- I find it one of the most heartfelt and touching films ever thanks to a brilliant director, soppy but appropriate music, and an extraordinary cast. There've been so many films made concerning father-son relationships but if you're looking for the most genuinely realistic one, this is it. The final line of dialogue spoken by father to son ("You're the last person on earth I would've ever expected to come through for me") never fails to choke me up.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hanks' Gem, November 27, 1999

By 

tyuke (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothing in Common [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of Tom Hanks' (and director Garry Marshall's) best films, yet it has received little publicity.

Among Hanks' fans I know who have seen this film, all hold it in very high regard. It's classic Tom Hanks - funny and serious at the same time. As it's promoters said, "It's a comedy and a drama, just like life." You will surely love it.

Jackie Gleason, Eva Marie Saint, Hector Elizondo, and the rest of the cast do wonderful jobs.

I only wish it was on DVD, but hopefully in time it will be.