We Ranked the 28 Best Tom Hanks Movies of All Time, From 'Big' to 'Asteroid City'

Starring in numerous classics that captured our imaginations, Tom Hanks is now nothing short of a cultural icon. The two-time Oscar winner and six-time nominee has earned an unprecedented level of affection and even trust from audiences; he is among the most beloved movie stars of our time and widely known as one of the absolute nicest guys in Hollywood, both onscreen and off.

When presenting Hanks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, President Barack Obama summed it up perfectly: “He has introduced us to America’s unassuming heroes. He has allowed us to see ourselves, not only as we are, but as we aspire to be.”

We've rounded up and ranked the best Tom Hanks movies of all time. What's the iconic actor and filmmaker's greatest movie ever? Here are the best Tom Hanks movies ever, ranked.

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Best Tom Hanks Movies of All Time

28. The Burbs (1989)

By 1989, Hanks was already so popular with audiences that The Burbs opened atop the box office simply because of his likability and star power, despite mixed reviews. A meh but pleasurable dark comedy from Joe Dante, five years after his handcrafted masterpiece of mayhem Gremlins, The Burbs co-stars Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman and Rick Ducommon. It's about neighbors who suspect that the new folks on the block are part of a murderous cult. Like other Dante efforts, The Burbs utilizes clever and eye-popping visual effects, but the greatest effect in an uneven film is Hanks' breezily funny presence.

27. Greyhound (2020)

At the absolute zenith of the pandemic, two Hank pictures were released on streaming to positive notice: News of the World and Greyhound on Apple. Directed by Aaron Schneider from a screenplay by Hanks, Greyhound co-stars Elizabeth Shue, Stephen Graham and Hanks' son Chet Hanks. It's a relatively low-fi World War II maritime thriller that fleshes out character and stages gripping action in an economical 91 minutes—no small feat. Greyhound was Oscar-nominated for Best Sound.

26. Asteroid City (2023) 

Tom Hanks is rarely bad in a movie, and he's certainly not bad in Asteroid City. Unfortunately, Wes Anderson loves a sprawling ensemble, and in this dramedy about a stargazing camp, Hanks is mostly relegated to telephone conversations. Here's to hoping that if he comes back for a second Anderson project he gets a little more screen time. 

25. Sully aka Sully: Miracle on the Hudson (2016)

Co-starring with Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney and Anna Gunn, Hanks teamed up with director Clint Eastwood for this biopic/legal drama hybrid about Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. Sully examines the emergency landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River and the legal investigation that followed. Sully doesn't have the heft of the director or star's absolute finest, but the set-piece is riveting, and so are the actors.

24. News of the World (2020)

News of the World reunited Hanks and director Paul Greengrass years after the considerable success of Captain Phillips. Based on the novel of the same name, the action drama stars Hanks as a Civil War vet who crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl (Helena Zengel) raised by Kiowa and journeys across perilous Texas terrain to return her to her family. News of the World nails the pacing of a classic Western: deliberate and explorative overall and nail-bitingly tense at times.

23. Turner & Hooch (1989)

Turner & Hooch is Tom Hanks and a big dog. Does it get any more high-concept appealing than that? Tomorrow Never Dies director Roger Spottiswoode directs the Oscar winner in a comedy crime caper about a by-the-book detective who inherits a deceased colleague’s Dogue de Bordeaux. The film was adapted for a Disney+ series in 2021. Be warned: This is a comedy that may require a box of tissues.

22. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2018)

Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers has to be among the most perfect casting decisions of all time. Hanks played the beloved, iconic children’s television personality in Marielle Heller's drama A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. The Oscar-nominated film, written by Noah Harpsand Micah Fitzerman-Blue, centers on real-life journalist Tom Junod (played by The Americans' Emmy winner Matthew Rhys), whose life was enriched by an opportunity to profile Rogers for Esquire. Hanks is perfect, and frankly, the movie would have benefited from giving him more screen time. It's a respectful and even insightful biopic, but with this casting, it should have been a home run.

21. Bridge of Spies (2015)

In frequent collaborator Steven Spielberg's Cold War-set Bridge of Spies, Hanks plays real-life lawyer James B. Donovan, tasked with a prisoner exchange after defending a convicted KGB spy. Divided into two distinct halves, Bridge of Spies is light on its feet, a little creaky at times, and mostly satisfying—a notch under top-tier Spielberg. Everyone in Bridge of Spies is upstaged by Mark Rylance, who won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars over favored Sylvester Stallone (Creed). It was the biggest upset of the night.

Related: 25 Throwback Photos of Tom Hanks' Most Memorable Roles

20. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

Before box-office behemoths Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, the classic pairing of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks shined in Moonstruck writer/director John Patrick Shanley's cult classic, underrated rom-com about a hypochondriac who's apparently about to die, accepting an offer from an eccentric millionaire (Lloyd Bridges) to die with dignity, in a remote tropical volcano. Ryan plays three roles in a comedy that's boldly absurdist and mostly just a treat. Watching it all these years later, it's easy to wish that, one day, we'll see Hanks and Ryan share the screen together again.

19. That Thing You Do! (1996)

Hanks' debut as screenwriter/director is an ensemble dramedy about a fictional rock band in the vein of The Beatles. High-energy That Thing You Do! is charming and fun; it succeeds handsomely in evoking a bygone era, and it's fluffier than some of the more groundbreaking pictures Hanks was attached to in the '90s. That's a high bar! A deleted scene gave Hanks, who plays the band's gay manager, a boyfriend played by NFL star Howie Long. The scene also features Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson. It's very funny, and frankly, it's a shame it didn't make it into the final cut. Fortunately, it can now be enjoyed in all its glory online.

18. You've Got Mail (1998)

Nora Ephron's follow-up to Sleepless in Seattle is a higher-tech ('90s!) remake of Ernst Lubitsch's masterpiece The Shop Around the Corner. Reuniting Ryan and Hanks, hilarious as bitter business rivals who are secretly in love over dial-up, You've Got Mail was a huge box-office success, grossing over $250 million, even more than Sleepless in Seattle or When Harry Met Sally.

17. The Post (2017)

Steven Spielberg found Liz Hannah's script for this dramatic thriller about Katharine Graham, Ben Bradlee and the 1971 publication of the Pentagon Papers so timely and vital that he shut down development on a stalled period piece and fast-tracked The Post for a holiday 2017 release. Timing matters, and The Post, a model of stripped-down, streamlined storytelling, became a must-see movie of the moment. It’s easy to overlook imperfections (it’s not exactly subtle) because high-spirited The Post is mostly exhilarating, a showcase for MerylStreep's best performance in at least a decade, maybe since Adaptation. She’s understated to great effect, and Graham’s arc carries the film. Quiet, deliberate and tough, her rapport with Hanks‘ gruff Bradlee is easy, lived-in, and amusing when they occasionally lock horns.

16. Road to Perdition (2002)

Sam Mendes' period gangster film casts Hanks against a weathered criminal; he headlines a cast that includes Paul Newman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and a pre-Bond Daniel Craig. With this talent behind and in front of the camera, Road to Perdition looked like it could be one for the ages, but ultimately it's a little overly orchestrated. It's easy to recommend, though, and is particularly affecting in its themes surrounding fathers and sons. Road to Perdition looks breathtaking in virtually every moment, thanks to Mendes re-teaming with American Beauty cinematographer Conrad Hall.

15. Splash (1984)

Hanks and Daryl Hannah charm in Ron Howard's rom-com about an everyman and a mermaid. Notable for being the first film released under Disney’s Touchstone banner for more grownup audiences, Splash was Oscar-nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The smart script is the most valuable element here, mining a concept that could have been merely cute for rom-com misunderstandings and antics in a classic sense.

Related: 25 Facts You Never Knew About Tom Hanks

14. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Hanks stars with Emma Thompson in The Blind Side director John Lee Hancock's winning, somewhat underrated family dramedy about the long road to the production of the classic 1964 musical Mary Poppins, focusing on the prickly relationship between author P.L. Travers and Walt Disney. Some critics said the film was a bit embellished and softened from reality, but Thompson and Hanks are enchanting, and Saving Mr. Banks has an emotional hook that works all too well. This is the first-ever depiction of Disney himself in a mainstream film; Disney CEO Bob Iger contacted Hanks personally about the project.

13. Elvis (2022)

Stylized within an inch of its life, sometimes positively pulsing with anachronistic hip-hop beats, Baz Luhrmann's best since the mighty Moulin Rouge! does everything it must, honoring pop music's pioneer for a modern audience. Like the Australian auteur's 2001 Oscar winner, Elvis is so opulent and kinetic it would be chaos if it weren't for fine performances and heart—and there's much of that.