Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

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 Bank (Tom Hanks) has a depressing job in the Advertising Dept of American Panascope in Long Island City, New York. They make rectal probes. He suffers under his supervisor Mr. Waturi (Dan Hedaya). He's diagnosed with terminal brain cloud with six months to live. He quits and asks out his co-worker DeDe (Meg Ryan). Wealthy businessman Samuel Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges) needs to placate locals on an island to mine a rare mineral. He hires Joe to jump into the volcano to appease their god. Joe hires limo driver Marshall (Ossie Davis) to help him spend the money. Samuel's flighty daughter Angelica (Meg Ryan) picks him up at the airport in L.A. Angelica's half-sister Patricia (Meg Ray) captains the yacht that brings him to the island.I like his surrealistic work life. It reminds me of Brazil. The movie does get uneven at times. After getting the credit cards, Joe goes back into the real world. I expected more surrealism. After that, the surrealism returns with Meg Ryan playing another character. It makes shopping in Manhattan out of step.The 3 Meg Ryan performances are a little jarring at first. I enjoy DeDe as a little wacky and a little darker than her usual fare. Angelica is not as enjoyable. She seems to be trying to hard with her voice. She should pull back a little with the crazy voice and she could replace Ossie Davis on his shopping trips. Patricia is classic Meg and shows their easy chemistry once again. Overall, this may be uneven at times but there are plenty of interesting imaginative concepts.

I can fully understand why this movie currently has a 5.7 average rating. The first time I saw it, I didn't like it at all. It wasn't until years later that a co-worker's constant quoting of "I know he can get the job, but can he DO the job?" combined with finding the DVD in a cut-out bin for $5 prompted me to watch it again.Part of the problem is that the promotional trailer sold the film as a colorful, screwball, romantic comedy. But it starts out looking about a bleak as you'll ever find in a major studio "comedy". It's not until a third of the way into the film that Hanks' character starts living his life and color starts seeping into the movie. It's not until nearly two thirds of the way into the film that the main romantic couple finally meet. After that, the movie eventually becomes that colorful screwball comedy that the trailer promised, but by then it had probably lost half its audience.You won't find too many other major Hollywood productions complete with big name actors that come close to the surreal, symbolic fable quality of Joe Verses the Volcano. The movie's moral seems to be that you should really live your life, doing the things you want to do with the people you want to be with. Don't waste your life slaving away at a dead-end job that you don't even like. Of course, that's easy to say when you think you're dying and some multi-billionaire gives you an unlimited credit card in return for jumping into a volcano.Overall, there are enough funny bits and quotable lines to make this movie worth watching, and it might actually make you think a bit and reflect on life in general. Meg Ryan is pretty amazing playing three very different roles, with Patricia at the end of the film being about as adorable as Ryan gets. Tom Hanks on the other hand - to be honest, I've never been a big fan of his, and he seems kind of miscast in this movie. For some reason while I was watching it, I kept thinking that Joe would have been a good role for Dudley Moore.

An early Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan pairing. The story is simple: Joe works for a dreadful company. He is depressed with his life, which is going nowhere. The company doctor tells Joe he has a "brain cloud" and will die soon. Joe decides to end it all on a tropical island populated by zany "natives" that drink orange soda pop; to sacrifice himself to their volcanic "god". Sounds like a Hope-Crosby "Road" picture, right? Well it could have been. Strangely written and directed, it should have been funnier. I get it that this is social commentary about big companies and pointless jobs. The movie is somewhat depressing, especially at first. The only thing that saves this film is Meg Ryan's acting (She plays three different characters) and Tom Hanks' likable nature. Cast includes Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, with Abe Vigoda and Nathan Lane (as "natives"). More enjoyable the second time through, however. Kind of a "shaggy-dog" unique story. Remember, "luggage is everything".