Nothing in Common

It's not usually the done thing to quote another film critic, but Pauline Kael was spot-on when she said that this mawkish mess was tantamount to a sitcom version of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Once the king of American TV comedy, Jackie Gleason stars here as a washed-up rag trader who foists himself on his yuppie son (Tom Hanks) after his wife of 36 years (Eva Marie Saint) walks out on him. Director Garry Marshall treats the veteran Gleason with far too much respect, allowing him to get away with a hugely self-indulgent performance. Even Hanks is below his usually sparkling best.