Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

What makes it different from others?

Am I Missing Something?

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

One thing you can say about John Patrick Shanley's writing, he can do charming without being too maudlin. He's a master of quaintness and while Joe Versus the Volcano stands as one of the playwright's biggest misfires, there's still a surprising amount of depth to it. The movie starts with Joe Banks (Tom Hanks), an overworked corporate drone and hypochondriac who is told he has less than a year to live. Joe is propositioned by an eccentric billionaire who would like to exploit a remote island tribe, but their one caveat is they need someone to jump into their volcano. Joe volunteers and for a week is treated like a king while learning what it means to truly live.The art direction is cartoon-y and outlandish to the point of surrealism. There are so many little throwaway gags that work so well and the acting is very strong all-around. First and foremost this film is a fable with Meg Ryan (playing three different roles) acting as a guide of sorts to Joe's ultimate revelation. It's a life affirming film. A film which despite risking being a parody of itself winds up being surprisingly astute. Joe Versus the Volcano managed to accumulate a cult following despite being a box-office bomb when it was released. Today it has some notable supporters including esteemed film critic Roger Ebert who described it as "fresh and new...".

"Joe Versus the Volcano" is a mixed bag of comedy, romance, fantasy and adventure. The comedy is a little on the dark side initially, but then brings in some outlandish stuff for laughs toward the end, including some hilarious history. One suspects, however, that many modern viewers (i.e., younger) may not catch that. For instance, Patricia (one of three characters that Meg Ryan plays very well) reads the history of Waponi Woo, the fictitious Pacific Island they are sailing toward. It was settled 1,800 years ago after a Roman galley with a crew of druids and Jews was caught in a huge storm off Carthage (in the Mediterranean Sea off North Africa). "They were swept a thousand miles off course and wound up on the wrong side of the horn of Africa (in the Indian Ocean). Thinking they were returning to Rome, they sailed deep into the South Pacific and finally ended up colonizing a lightly populated Polynesian Island." No wonder the Waponi's were known to lack a sense of direction. But, as outlandish as the storm is that carried them more than a couple thousand miles away, the crew makeup is even more hilarious. The Romans had just conquered the druid areas of England in the first century, and by the second century, the druids had all but disappeared. While the Bible tells us of the fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, the ancient Jews were not a seafaring nation So, a Roman galley with a crew of druids and Jews would be a truly hilarious fictitious arrangement. Then, as Joe (played by Tom Hanks) and Patricia come ashore, the natives are singing a song to the tune of "Hava Nagila." ("Let Us Rejoice"), a modern Jewish festival song. Patricia concluded reading the background on the island and people, "Thus was born the Waponi culture, a mixture of Polynesian, Celtic, Hebrew and Latin influences."The story is quirky and the parts of the plot don't seem to blend together well. The writing is weak and the direction and editing aren't quite in sync. The best thing of the movie is the cast and the performances of all. It's especially a good vehicle for the talents of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Ryan steals the scenes she is in as DeDe and Angelica, because we know that that's Meg Ryan under the quirky makeup. The movie is fun to watch once, but that's about it.

The film has lots of fun details (the raft, for instance) and you can tell there's been put some loving work into it, but that's about it. The character Joe is at times poorly played by Hanks, though it must be said he didn't get a lot to work with. The same goes for Ryan and her characters, and for the 'chemistry / romance' between the leads. I am sorry to say.In the beginning there's a lot of bleakness, the settings are pretty neat and there is hope for an okay storyline. That hope diminishes by the minute when Joe gets to go shopping with a big wallet and subsequently gets into all kinds of incoherent boredom along the way. And no, there is no fight between Joe and the volcano...I can appreciate the fact that director Joe Dante wanted to put in some sarcastic observations on some mind-numbing aspects of industrial society that are finally overcome by hope and a sense of life around us, maybe even on the field of medicine / psychiatry, but it's still a straight up flop for the greater part. Again, I'm sorry to say.A (very) small 4 out of 10.

When I see the words Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan and romantic comedy all together in a film's description, it's usually back on the shelf before I can read another word. I had good memories of this one, though, so I chanced it and came away happy. Hanks, still early into his burgeoning film career, hits two wildly exaggerated extremes in his portrayal of Joe, the hopeless working stiff who learns he's got roughly six months to live and rediscovers the miracles of spontaneity. Behind the film's absurd premise and a few witty, hilarious caricatures lies a pointed, layered look at the trappings of modern society and the gray fog we spew around ourselves to cope with our dull nine-to-five schedule. It's an original take on the message, and one which is constantly reinforced by a quirky, distinct visual style and playful personality. Hanks is as eccentric as ever, flying around the screen like a kid chasing a superball, while Ryan stretches herself with three wildly different roles. Loads of fun, even if the ending flies a bit over the top.