Some films defy easy categorisation, either due to a wildly nonsensical storyline or an unlikely pairing of actors who’ve never shared the screen. Usually, these end up in a mental file alongside fever dreams, high school maths exams, and cringe-worthy memories. Yet, one film resists this label, thanks to the unexpectedly charming pairing of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.
Larry Crowne was directed by Tom Hanks in 2011 and marked his second feature film at the helm. It follows a man named Larry Crowne, after being fired from a job he’s had for most of his adult life, returning to college in an attempt to jump-start his life and try something new, finding himself in a new community of people and with a crush on his teacher.
The film is very much a labour of love, despite the fact that there is no overwhelming feeling of this when watching it. Considering all the lengths that Hanks went to in order to realise this story, leading the project from both sides and wearing multiple hats during production, it’s surprising that you don’t come away from it with a definitive takeaway; it sort of washes over you and then finishes. You watched a film, and that’s about it.
But despite the vanilla-esque story that is squished into a fairly bland script, the cast is completely stacked, with Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston and Rami Malek starring in the project. While the magic of the film might be lost on me, the pairing of Roberts and Hank isn’t, and something that certainly wasn’t lost on Roberts either.
After starring alongside Hanks, the actor later said: “Tom Hanks gives 100 per cent in every department all day long. He’s happy. He’s buoyant. He’s present. It’s mind-boggling that this is his second time directing, and he has it down. He can shape-shift from acting to directing. It’s pretty impressive.”
Hanks’ work ethic is very much on display in everything he chooses to do, giving 110% to each and every project. But when I look at this film, I wonder – what was the point? Why give your all to something that is so uncomplicated? Yes, sometimes simple movies are great and the perfect mood lifter when you need to switch off your brain. But this film isn’t even relaxing or massively heartwarming, it just chugs along until it poofs into nothing, without ever hitting its emotional beats. Why wear so many hats, Hanks?
However, despite my personal reservations about the validity of this project, we can be grateful to it for another addition to the Hollywood canon of unlikely stars who made weird movies together in the early 2000s. Because while it is slightly random, films like Larry Crowne have become the backbone of the American film industry – stories with no need to be there or have $30million pumped into their budget but somehow still exist. And for that, I’m somewhat grateful. Thanks, Hollywood.
