Joe Versus the Volcano

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Joe Versus the Volcano

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Joe Versus the Volcano

Abe Vigoda, Amanda Plummer, Barry McGovern, Dan Hedaya, Lloyd Bridges

Joe Versus the Volcano is a true early-1990s cult film. This fantasy-comedy was the first pairing of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, yet it polarizes viewers like a Blue Velvet or Happiness. As the only direc...( read more  read more... )torial effort from John Patrick Shanley (the Oscar-winning writer of Moonstruck), it is something special, and it's hard to resist the film's feather-light heart tugging. Joe Banks is having the life sucked out of him at a dead-end job. Miserable in his gray surroundings with stark fluorescent lighting, Joe dreams of being brave again. A visit to the doctor reveals that he has a "brain cloud." It's fatal, but he'll be fine for a few more months. An eccentric millionaire, Samuel Harvey Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges), hears of Joe's predicament and comes to him with a proposal: The people of the Pacific island of Waponi Woo need a human sacrifice to appease their gods. Why not live like a king for a few weeks, then throw yourself into a volcano? (Graynamore needs a sacrificial victim to offer in exchange for permission to mine the island for a rare mineral.) Joe accepts Graynamore's lavish proposal and on his journey meets three romantic possibilities (all played by Ryan). Joe embraces life; so does the movie. It's packed with smile-inducing supporting performances by Bridges, Ossie Davis, Robert Stack, and Dan Hedaya; playful songs ("Sixteen Tons," "Ol' Man River," Presley's version of "Blue Moon"); and amusing scenes (such as Joe buying luggage). Add the daring, imaginative production design of Bo Welch (Edward Scissorhands), Hanks and Ryan's chemistry, and Georges Delerue's romantic music and you have a film to fall for. --Doug Thomas

Id: 8775319

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Recent Reviews

Joe Versus the Volcano Recent Reviews
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Fun film but I'm not understanding the 'Cult' following this film claims to have, does it really exist?
  • crackingdanio
    April 29, 2008
    crackingdanio
    can't get enough of this one
  • danperry17
    February 11, 2008
    danperry17
    What an odd movie. It's patently ridiculous, yet somehow charming. There are some really interesting scenes, and its building up of big clichés just to cut them down again is definitely not a typical move. You find yourself investing a good 15 minutes at a time into a scene that ...( read more)doesn't really mean anything or go anywhere. Or maybe it does, you're never quite sure. It's weird, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy it. Perhaps it was supposed to be something else and fell short due to production problems, or maybe a little movie got a ton of money and studio power behind it and wobbled out of control... I don't know how to explain it. The message is simple and valuable, though: don't just accept your situation, try to change it. Meg Ryan inspires Joe (Tom Hanks) to do so three times, as three different characters, which is also interesting and a credit to her actual acting talent. Why does she keep making such dumb movies nowadays? Not to say that this one's great, but does anyone remember Courage Under Fire? When Harry Met Sally?? I think she should fire her agent... I digress.

    Watch this movie - just expect nothing and you'll be fine.
  • clooneyfan
    February 10, 2008
    clooneyfan
    I love Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan but they could not save this script.
  • thmtsang
    February 2, 2008
    thmtsang
    Comedy about a man who is terminally ill and decides to jump in a volcano.
  • filmfanatic1982
    December 20, 2009
    filmfanatic1982
    One of the few romantic comedies I can watch.
  • Codrutz
    December 9, 2009
    Codrutz
    I've seen it loong time ago, and I enjoyed it very much.. Tells a good life story.
  • whisperkree
    November 30, 2009
    whisperkree
    Wasn't one of my favorites :(
  • 21rclemente
    November 28, 2009
    21rclemente
    Nathan Lane has a not-so-subtle cameo towards the end. Other than that it was nothin to get excited about... almost "Brazil"-esque
  • railwaypaddy
    November 21, 2009
    railwaypaddy
    Weird movie - not so much in the sense that it is quirky (which it is), but because it is kinda confused. For instance, Joe resents the fact that he "sold his life" to his boss for 300 dollars a week but then he's delighted with all the luxury that the golden credit card can buy....( read more) Lloyd Bridges is great, Amanda Plummer is wasted. Meg Ryan is a lot more entertaining when she's playing either DeDe or Angelica than when she's playing Patricia (aka herself). Also, for a movie that kicks off in such offbeat fashion it is rather disappointing that the outcome turns out to be so conventional. Yet, despite of its flaws, this little charmer is still a one of a kind.
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