Hanks did an interview on his 67th birthday. He has a debut novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece. I don’t love that title. It’s awkward. But who doesn’t love Tom Hanks? I’ll watch any film he makes and I like 85% of his filmography with a few in my top ten of all time. In the interview intro, it says he will talk about growing up across California, the Kubrick film that made him want to be an artist, his early work doing Shakespeare and moving to L.A. for his television debut in Bosom Buddies.
But the writerly part is about how Nora Ephron taught him about being a writer. Sort of.
I wouldn’t be a writer if it wasn’t for Nora Ephron. She told me that in response to the work I was doing in preparation for Sleepless in Seattle, in which I was fighting and cranky and having suggestions and wanting, and always asking, “Is this enough? Is this enough? I don’t get it. I don’t get it.” She put in something that had come out in our rehearsal process. When it was done, she said, “You wrote that!” And I said, “I didn’t write that! I was just complaining during rehearsal, and you put it in.” And Nora says, “Well, that’s what writing is, isn’t it?” From then on, I would always send her something and say, “Is this writing?” She would always come back and she says, “It is writing, but you ain’t done writing it. So get back to work.”
That movie is sentimental and somewhat corny – and I have watched it at least a half dozen times. Is that what being a writer is? I don’t think so.
It’s his first novel, but not his first book. He has published Uncommon Type: Some Stories – 17 stories, to be precise. The novel has gotten mixed reviews – meaning it has gotten some bad ones and some love. I’m going to get the audiobook which is read by Tom and a full cast of friends.
The novel is described as being about the making of a star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film inspired by comic books.
Part One 1947. A troubled soldier, returning from the war, meets his talented five-year-old nephew, leaves an indelible impression, and then disappears for twenty-three years.
Cut to 1970: The nephew, now drawing underground comic books in Oakland, California, reconnects with his uncle and, remembering the comic book he saw when he was five, draws a new version with his uncle as a World War II fighting hero.
Cut to the present day: A commercially successful director discovers the 1970 comic book and decides to turn it into a contemporary superhero movie.
Cue the cast: We meet the film’s extremely difficult male star, his wonderful leading lady, the eccentric writer/director, the producer, the gofer production assistant, and everyone else on both sides of the camera.
Interspersed throughout are three comic books that are featured in the story—all created by Tom Hanks himself—including the comic book that becomes the official tie-in to this novel’s “major motion picture masterpiece.”
The audiobook is about 15 hours which I can do in a week of walks. Then again, I could spend that time rewatching a half dozen of his films. Maybe what Nora said about being a writer and writing wasn’t great advice?
Watch the first 10 minutes of Nora’s film with him (or get the whole movie)
Milneville 