Nothing In Common

This week, we lost a legend, filmmaker Garry Marshall. There's no denying that Marshall earned that legendary status in television by creating such classics as Happy Days, Laverne And Shirley, and Mork And Mindy. He parlayed his tv fame into a successful film career and directed such hits as Pretty Woman, Beaches, and Runaway Bride. His work on the big screen has been kind of hit or miss for me. I love his first film, Young Doctors In Love. I even wrote about it a few months back. But some of his bigger films I thought were overrated. One that had Marshall's touch that did work for me however is 1986's Nothing In Common.

Tom Hanks stars as ad exec David Basner. He has just landed a huge client. Unfortunately for him, his personal life is in shambles as he finds out that his parents, Jackie Gleason and Eve Marie Saint, are getting a divorce. Now David has to juggle work while trying to help his parents transition into single life. What makes matters worse is that David and his dad have an estranged relationship.

This can be a very schmaltzy film, something that Marshall revealed in. But it's a lot easier to take than most of his work. Marshall's films sometimes had a sitcom like feel to them, which makes since because that's where he got his start. And this one is no exception. It even became a short lived sitcom in the late 80's.The thing with this one however is that I could relate to a lot of the situations in it. I never had the best relationship with my dad. And when he and my mom divorced, I had to be there to help him.

Hanks is good as Basner. Even though this is a comedy, it does have some dramatic elements, giving Hanks his first foray into heavier themes. If you look at his career, Hanks took baby steps into drama. He started with comedy dramas like this and Punchline before going fully dramatic in Philadelphia. Gleason is good as well. This was his last film, and I remember seeing an interview with him saying how thankful he was that this project came along. He was terrified that Smokey And The Bandit 3 or The Sting 2 would be his last film and that Nothing In Common gave him the chance to go out on a good flick. Bess Armstrong is also quite good as Hanks' best friend.

Like I said, it's a bit too sentimental at times, but Nothing In Common is an enjoyable viewing none the less.

It's available on dvd.