Why is he considered great? I don't get it.
Hanks can deliver lines, and he can be quite likeable on screen. But I don't see greatness in the guy, and never did. He has very limited range, unable to vary his act or convincingly play anything but the naive good guy. He's not even attractive and has a long, bean-like head.
I remember seeing him on a Hollywood Reporter roundtable with Willem Dafoe, Gary Oldman and Sam Rockwell, and almost marvelling at how inferior he is to those guys, despite being a bigger star.