He may be known as one of Hollywood’s nice guys, but Tom Hanks had a few choice words for the world of film criticism during a recent podcast interview.
The two-time Oscar winner is the latest guest on the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, where the host took a moment to reflect on some of Tom’s more divisive films.
In particular, he singled out the Forrest Gump star’s directorial debut That Thing You Do, which was savaged by critics at the time, but has gained a following in the decades since.
“You were disappointed when it came out, and it has this whole other life now,” Conan pointed out, celebrating the film as a “cult classic.”
“Let me tell you something about these cocksuckers who write about movies,” Tom then remarked, to big laughs from the room. “Can I say that?”
He continued: “Somebody who wrote about [That Thing You Do said at the time], ‘Tom Hanks needs to stop hanging around veterans of TV because this is just like it’s shot on TV, and it’s not much of anything’.
“That same person then wrote about the ‘cult classic’ That Thing You Do. Same exact person.”
Listen to that particular section of Tom Hanks’ interview on Conan O’Brien’s podcast below.
It’s perhaps understandable Tom might not be full of praise for film critics at the present time, as his latest offering Here has now been well received.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the movie reunites Tom with his Forrest Gump co-star Robin Wright, and sees the pair playing the same couple over a series of decades.
Here heavily employs the use of AI technology in order to de-age its stars, so they can play younger versions of their characters, which has come under heavy scrutiny in reviews.
It has also been singled out for its heavy-handed emotional moments, described in one particular one-star review as “cloying and ham-fisted”.
Take a listen to Tom Hanks’ full interview on Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend here.