Tom Hanks' worst movie
I've seen every Tom Hanks movie listed on imdb with two exceptions (Bachelor Party and Every Time We Say Goodbye). This is easily his worst movie. The only thing that comes close is The Bonfire of the Vanities.
I couldn't tell if Nothing in Common was supposed to be a comedy or a drama. It failed on both accounts. Hanks' character told a joke every few seconds, all of them falling flat. His character was too over the top and annoying. Also, Jackie Gleason's character was unlikeable. Even at the end, he says to Hanks, "You're the last person I thought would ever come through for me." I think it's supposed to be a touching scene, but it's nothing more than a thinly vieled insult from a despicable man. Even as Gleason's character is dying, he can't help but be a prick. The two main characters are both selfish, womanizing, salesman. What's to like? I have a hard time liking movies where the main characters are unlikeable.
Also, the movie is so dated. Don't give me that crap about it being a timeless classic. The extremely 80s music was disgustingly sappy and omnipresent. Some movies from the 80s can be passed off as timeless (e.g. Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Back to the Future, and select others), but this is not one of them. This is on par with Pretty in Pink.
When Tom Hanks' character is fired from his job for tending his dying father, my eyes about rolled out of my head. Talk about your typical two-dimensional bad guy. I can understand a rich business guy being a jerk, but no one would fire someone for visiting his dying father. It was simply a cheap plot twist to make us feel more gushy.
It sucked.