Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

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Directed by John Patrick Shanley.

Starring Lloyd Bridges, Dan Hedaya, Meg Ryan, Robert Stack, Abe Vigoda, Tom Hanks.

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Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley's first foray into the director's chair is a quirky romantic fantasy, featuring Bo Welch's signature production design. Tom Hanks plays Joe Banks, a man who hates his job, thinks the overhead fluorescent lights are making him sick, and quakes at the presence of his boorish boss Frank Watori (Dan Hedaya). He is attracted to the office secretary DeDe (Meg Ryan) but is afraid to speak to her. Then his life changes when he visits Dr. Ellison (Robert Stack). Dr. Ellison tells Joe that he has something called "a brain cloud" that is rapidly spreading throughout his brain. He will feel great, but he'll be dead within five months. Instead of being depressed at this bleak prognosis, Joe suddenly feels free. He quits his job, asks DeDe out, and is contacted by a rich millionaire named Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges). Graynamore owns an island named Waponi Woo, whose natives need to be placated. The natives require a sacrifice to their island volcano, the Big Woo, so that the island won't sink beneath the Pacific. Graynamore offers unlimited wealth to Tom in exchange for Tom's becoming the object of human sacrifice. Joe has nothing to lose, so he accepts the offer. As he heads out to the island, Joe meets Graynamore's daughters -- Angelica, a Los Angeles socialite, and Patricia, Angelica's blonde half-sister (both roles played by Ryan). Joe arrives at the island, and as he stands at the lips of the Big Woo he has to decide whether he really wants to leap into the maw of the fiery volcano. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Films or film making??
by leeroy711 in Viewing with a purpose

is neutral about it.

"[quote user="mercurial"] [quote user="leeroy711"] Having said all of this, I would clearly put myself in the catagory of the latter. These are not that easy to pin down because they are absolutely not mutually exclusive. That is to say, a fan of films is naturally going to be also a fan of the process and vice versa. But, I do think that if you look at it just right, there are two distinct catagories. Any thoughts??? [/quote] Yeah, you're right. I unfortunately find myself in the third distinction where I juggle both schools of thought and have to breakdown (usually) each film I watch. Most of my friends have given up listening to my advice about films because they have seen my movie collection and have said that they can't trust someone that has Requiem for a Dream (the fan of filmmaking side of me) next to Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (the fan of stupid, fun films side of me) on the shelf. On the other hand, I consider myself along the lines of Ebert. He has said how h ... " [More]

Re:Films or film making??
by mercurial in Viewing with a purpose

loved it.

"[quote user="leeroy711"] Having said all of this, I would clearly put myself in the catagory of the latter. These are not that easy to pin down because they are absolutely not mutually exclusive. That is to say, a fan of films is naturally going to be also a fan of the process and vice versa. But, I do think that if you look at it just right, there are two distinct catagories. Any thoughts??? [/quote] Yeah, you're right. I unfortunately find myself in the third distinction where I juggle both schools of thought and have to breakdown (usually) each film I watch. Most of my friends have given up listening to my advice about films because they have seen my movie collection and have said that they can't trust someone that has Requiem for a Dream (the fan of filmmaking side of me) next to Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (the fan of stupid, fun films side of me) on the shelf. On the other hand, I consider myself along the lines of Ebert. He has said how he submits to the unconven ... " [More]

Jodie Foster in Retrograde: ‘Ni ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"For the last twenty years, Jodie Foster has had a lot in common with Tom Hanks. They both were nominated for Oscars in 1989, and again in 1995 (she won the first time; he won the second time), a year in which they each were recognized for playing kind of retarded. Each now has two Academy Awards and each is considered a dark, dark horse for this year’s Oscar race (neither will be nominated). Both actors continue to remain at the top of America’s favorites, even when or after they star in critically scorned blockbusters. And now, Foster is apparently trying to add one more thing she has in common with Hanks: she’s gone and made her own Joe vs. the Volcano. In the trailer for Nim’s Island, we see that Foster’s character, like Hanks’ “Joe”, is a closeted, unwell human being who ends up on a mission to a little island, of which she has been deemed the savior. And like Joe, Foster meets an annoying little blond — though this time it’s child actress Abigail Breslin instead of childish ac ... " [More]

An Allegorical Fairy Tale
by JohnC in JohnC Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"This film is not about a guy who jumps into a volcano. It's about everyman (and everywoman - or at least three women, each played by Meg Ryan) and the "crooked road" to self realization and action from the crippling inaction of life's daily grind. Everything is a symbol from the haircuts to the sets to the land, air and sea journey... I'm not smart enough to point them out, but the film begs for repeated viewing to decipher the meaning of the images, like, "Why are there Great Danes outside the NYC store? Why are there three Meg Ryans? Why does Joe's boss have prosthetic testicles on his desk?" Maybe it suffered by the timing of its release, coming off of the flashy "me" 80's or maybe it suffered the high expectations of being Speilberg produced and a follow up to a screenwriting Oscar by writer/director John Patrick Shanley. It seems to be a small film in a big film's clothing. But it's ideas are big. Not the least is ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

The directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley, this quirky comedy is one of the few flops under the belt of star Tom Hanks, its off-kilter brand of loopy charm flying over the heads of most audiences. As a nebbish who thinks he's dying of a bizarre disease, Hanks diverges from his usual role of an intelligent, supremely competent professional, perhaps alienating his fan base, but delivering a winning, funny performance that ranks with his work as a wide-eyed innocent in Big (1988). In her first pairing with frequent co-star Hanks, female lead Meg Ryan loses herself in a trio of roles that rank among her best work and presage the most undeservedly ignored performance of her career in Courage Under Fire (1996). It's the goofball characters and sneaky symbolism of the screenplay by Shanley that make this wacko project the comic delight that it is, however. Whether it's Abe Vigoda as an Orange Crush-worshipping tribal chief, Lloyd Bridges as an eccentric millionaire, or the recurring visual references to fate (keep an eye peeled for hidden zig-zags and lightning bolts), the film is a major cinematic treat. Although trounced by many critics, Joe Versus the Volcano is a woefully underrated film, one of the decade's lost classics and a film that star Hanks has often singled out as the lone, unfairly tarnished gem on his resumé. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Tags: volcano , lame , terrible , interesting , betterthanexpected
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