Sela Ward in Nothing in Common (1986)
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Jackie Gleason’s last feature film appearance is a fun little dramedy starring every man’s everyman, Tom Hanks, as an advertising executive whose parents are going nuts dealing with their divorce as he tries to deal with his dysfunctional love life.
Barely there dad (Gleason) is going a little senile and covering up the fact that he needs medical help, while suddenly free mom is dating for the first time and beginning to understand that thirty years of marriage have pretty much screwed up her sexual technique.
In the middle of them both is only-child Hanks, the kind of guy that’s always ready with a joke and continually hopping from bed to bed, stewardess to secretary, one night stand to half-hour stand. He’s good at his job, great with the ladies, making money, visits his parents for birthdays and Christmas and basically lives his life as a wealthy 16-year-old, until he meets a woman (Sela Ward) who is richer than he, smarter than he and out of the bed quicker than he. Spotting a feminine prize that will finally give him a little challenge, Hanks falls head over heels for the strong-willed businesswoman, before being spurned and seeing in her exactly what he’s become.
Throw in a tumultuous ad campaign, a browbeating client, his father getting fired, the occasional sexual misadventure and two romantically inclined Clydesdales and you’ve got a manic month in the life of a man on the brink.
There are many good reasons to watch Nothing in Common but first and foremost are the performances of Hanks and Gleason as a father/son combination that doesn’t combine so well as a family. Both are on fire from start to finish, with Gleason adding a dramatic element to his work of which most wouldn’t have realized he was capable. At the time this was filmed, Hanks was right on the cusp of his comedy-to-drama transition and even though this flick won’t be well remembered on his dying day, it’s interesting to watch him beginning to dawn on the fact that he could handle drama. Watching the best comedians of two generations turn their talents to the dramatic stuff is a great way to enjoy a rainy Sunday afternoon but it’s not all roses for this Garry Marshall affair. Marshall’s work has always been sickly sweet (Runaway Bride, Pretty Woman, The Other Sister) and in this outing he seems to decide halfway through the film that what’s turned out to be a pretty good comedy should turn around and be a good drama instead. Pick a road and go with it Marshall, you dink!
A scene involving two Clydesdale horses having sex as Tom Hanks and Sela Ward become aroused stands out as perhaps the least well thought out of everything on the screen in Nothing In Common. There are several other scenes that fall flat both before and after that one but having said that, it’s tough to dislike what you’re seeing when so many talented folks are doing such good jobs in front of the camera. If only as the swan song of one of the comedic greats of our time, Jackie Gleason, it’s a film that deserves far more attention than a lot of folks pay it.
Nudity Report: Sensational Sela Ward gives a nice ‘almost’ boob shot here, as she climbs out of bed with Hanks after a nice round of shagging. It’s a tantalizing shot that neeeeeeearly shows what we all want to see but not quite. Ditto Cindy Harrell, playing a stewardess engaged in a one-night stand. Nice tops of her breasts but it would be nice to see a little more.
Ratings: Ebert: 2.5/5, Apollo: 67/100, IMDB: 5.8/10, Amazon: 4.7/5, OZ: 3/5 - A lot to like, a lot to blink at.
Box Office: Upon its July 30 1986 release, Nothing In Common earned over US$32.3m, a great return for a mid-80’s comedy.
Versions: TV/VHS/DVD – This is one of those flicks that’s just totally made for Sunday afternoon TV. Totally inoffensive (but for one or two side breast shots), funny, TV-like and all-around nice, it’s most assuredly family fare. The region 1 DVD contains TV spots from the film’s initial release and pan’n’scan or widescreen options.
Written by: OZ