If you’re someone who loves Hollywood cinema, you’ve definitely seen a film starring Meg Ryan or Tom Hanks.
Stalwarts of the entertainment industry since their career beginnings in the 1980s, collectively, the films of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have managed to gross over USD 6.4 billion worldwide, a testament to their enduring popularity in the minds of film fans globally.
Tom Hanks looks sharp in a dark suit with a black tie, while Meg Ryan stuns in a sleek black leather coat paired with a sparkling gold clutch (Credit: Startraksphoto)
Despite their enduring popularity, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have appeared together in only four films. Each collaboration, however, has resulted in a movie that remains memorable and cherished by fans.
Starting with Joe Versus the Volcano in 1990, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have continued to star in classics such as Sleepless in Seattle (1993), You’ve Got Mail (1998), and finally, their most recent collaboration in Ithaca, which was released in 2015.
With this in mind, let’s retrospectively look at these four films and how they’ve held up over the years since their premiere. Read through to the end to learn about any Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks projects currently in the pipeline as well!
From Stage to Stardom: How Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan Became Hollywood Legends
Before diving into the films they’ve made together, let’s see how Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan got their big break in Hollywood.
Tom Hanks was born in Concord, California, in 1956. Growing up, Hanks’ parents often moved houses, and Hanks has confirmed that he lived in ten different locations across the United States before settling down in Red Bluff, California, when he was ten years old.
A young Tom Hanks in the 1980s, wearing a light blue blazer over a striped shirt and black tie, showcasing his early charm and iconic curly hair (Credit: Cover Images)
While attending Skyline High School in Oakland, California, Hanks got his first taste in acting by starring in stage plays like South Pacific. He pursued acting and studied theater at Chabot College and California State University.
By 1980, at just 24 years old, Tom Hanks made his feature film debut in New York City with a role in the low-budget slasher He Knows You’re Not Alone. This early project marked the beginning of his journey toward becoming one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors.
Tom Hanks, in his feature film debut as Elliot with Elizabeth Kemp as Nancy in the 1980 American slasher film He Knows You’re Alone (Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists)
He continued to land small roles in television productions before landing his breakout role in Splash (1984), a film about a man who falls in love with a mermaid (played by Daryl Hannah) – the film was a surprise success and kickstarted Hanks’ career.
Meg Ryan, on the other hand, grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, after being born there in 1961. Opting to study journalism at the University of Connecticut and later at New York University, Ryan began her acting career to earn some extra money, pay off her university tuition, and starred in soap operas like As The World Turns in her early 20s.
Billy Crystal as Harry Burns and Meg Ryan as Sally Albright in the 1989 American romantic comedy-drama film When Harry Met Sally… (Credit: Columbia Pictures)
Her first leading role came in 1989 when she starred alongside Billy Crystal in the rom-com classic When Harry Met Sally…. She would then star alongside Tom Hanks in Joe Versus the Volcano, their first film together.
1. The Whimsical Journey of Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
If you’ve ever seen this film, you know it has a plotline that is hard to forget. Tom Hanks stars as Joe Banks, a man who is diagnosed with a terminal illness that will kill him in 6 months.
After being propositioned by a mining capitalist, Hanks is hired to throw himself into a volcano on a South Pacific island to complete an indigenous ritual within 20 days.
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, adorned with vibrant floral leis, share a colorful scene in a tropical setting from their quirky romantic comedy Joe Versus the Volcano (Credit: Amblin Entertainment)
Things get complicated, however, when he falls in love with Patricia (one of three roles played by Meg Ryan), the daughter of the mining capitalist who sent him on this fatal escapade.
Joe Versus the Volcano was a flop at the box office but managed to garner a cult following in the years following its release. The film is now remembered for its philosophical themes on death and for being the first picture that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan worked alongside each other on. When the film premiered, Hanks was 34 years old, and Ryan was 29.
2. Romantic Perfection: Why Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Defined a Generation
It’s hard not to think of this film when looking back at some of the best films of the 1990s.
Jeff Arch, a struggling writer in Malibu, Florida, conceived Sleepless in Seattle. Inspired by the French film And Now My Love (1974), Arch had difficulty pitching the film to Hollywood studios, who were skeptical of a romantic comedy in which the leading actors rarely share screen time.
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks share a heartfelt moment with young Ross Malinger atop the Empire State Building in the iconic finale of Sleepless in Seattle (Credit: TriStar Pictures)
The film follows Sam Baldwin, a recently widowed architect whose son calls into a radio station to find a romantic partner for his lonely father. He meets journalist Annie Reed, who falls in love with Baldwin despite being recently engaged.
In casting for the film, several actresses were considered for the role of Annie Reed, including Julia Roberts, Kim Basinger, Sharon Stone, and Jodie Foster.
Eventually, director Nora Ephron settled on Meg Ryan after enjoying working with her on When Harry Met Sally. For the role of Sam Baldwin, Ephron initially considered Dennis Quaid, although she found that he lacked the comedic chops to handle the role and cast Hanks instead.
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks share a tender handshake under the sparkling city lights on the Empire State Building in the climactic scene of Sleepless in Seattle (Credit: TriStar Pictures)
Sleepless in Seattle is now considered one of the greatest romcoms of all time, and for good reason.
It’s an unusual way of telling a romance story (with the two leads rarely sharing a scene until the climax) that won over audiences and critics alike and solidified Hanks and Ryan’s status as performers with undeniable chemistry. When the film premiered, Hanks was 37 years old, and Ryan was 31.
3. Love in the Digital Age: Revisiting You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Directed by Nora Ephron (who also directed Sleepless in Seattle), You’ve Got Mail was inspired by a 1937 Hungarian play, Parfumerie, by famous playwright Miklos Laszlo.
You’ve Got Mail follows Joe Fox (Hanks) and Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), two business rivals in the literature space. Kelly runs a small children’s book store, while Fox runs Fox Books, a large national chain.
They unwittingly fall in love when meeting in an anonymous chatroom, unaware that Fox’s bookstore chain is killing Kelly’s small shop.
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks share a lively exchange in a cozy bookshop setting, capturing the heartfelt charm of You’ve Got Mail (Credit: Warner Bros.)
Eventually, they discover each other’s identities and fall in love. What a sweet story.
During the production of You’ve Got Mail, Ephron always had Hanks and Ryan in mind for the lead roles, saying: “I always have both of them in mind. It’s very hard if you write a comedy to not think about both of them, because they are so good. And it’s a short list of people who can do comedy, much less do it well.”
Unsurprisingly, You’ve Got Mail was a massive success at the box office, and critics also found the film the be endearing as well. Hanks was 42 when the film premiered, and Ryan was 36.
4. A Bittersweet Reunion: Ithaca (2015) and Its Emotional Impact
It would take seventeen years before Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan would appear onscreen alongside one another again, with this film being directed by Ryan herself.
Based on a classic 1943 novel by William Saroyan, Ithaca follows Homer McCauley, a young boy in 1942 who desires to be the fastest cyclist messenger in his small fictional town of Ithaca, California.
Meg Ryan, in a reflective moment, portrays grace and emotion in her latest role, showcasing her enduring charm and talent on screen (Credit: Momentum Pictures)
Tom Hanks plays the role of Homer’s father, who dies before the film’s events, while Meg Ryan plays the role of his widowed mother, Kate.
The film is a bittersweet reunion for Hanks and Ryan, even though they are certainly not the film’s leads in this WWII tale.
Tom Hanks exudes quiet strength and timeless charisma in a rugged denim shirt and suspenders, embodying his character’s resilience and authenticity (Credit: Momentum Pictures)
The reception to the film was certainly bittersweet as well, as this film is easily the most poorly received film in the catalogs of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
To date, it’s the last film starring the two star-crossed actors. When the film premiered, Hanks was 59 years old, and Ryan was 53.
On-Screen Chemistry, Off-Screen Friendship: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s Real-Life Relationship
Despite their continued chemistry onscreen, the pair has seemingly never dated. They still have a great working relationship and an enduring friendship, but never more.
By the time Ryan and Hanks worked together on Joe Versus the Volcano, Hanks had already married Rita Wilson, to whom he is still married.
Tom Hanks met his future wife Rita Wilson on the set of Bosom Buddies in 1981 (Credit: Startraksphoto)
Do you have a favorite Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan film? This cinematic pair should team up again for another rom-com classic.
Meg Ryan’s timeless appeal and on-screen chemistry with Tom Hanks have cemented her as a Hollywood icon. Learn more about her career and influence by reading about her financial achievements in her most lucrative movies and explore the transformations that have kept her in the spotlight in her before-and-after journey.