Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

John Patrick Shanley

Writer (WGA):

John Patrick Shanley (written by)

Release Date:

9 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

An Average Joe. An Adventurous Comedy.

Plot:

When a hypochondriac learns that he is dying, he accepts an offer to throw himself in a volcano at a tropical island, and along the way there, learns to truly live.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Volcano | Love | Tropical | Yacht

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Joe Banks
Meg Ryan	...	DeDe / Angelica Graynamore / Patricia Graynamore
Lloyd Bridges	...	Samuel Harvey Graynamore
Robert Stack	...	Kenneth Hindmick / Dr. Ellison
Abe Vigoda	...	Waponi Chief
Dan Hedaya	...	Mr. Frank Waturi
Barry McGovern	...	Luggage Salesman
Amanda Plummer	...	Dagmar
Ossie Davis	...	Marshall
Jayne Haynes	...	Nurse
David Burton	...	Mike
Carol Kane	...	Cassandra the Hairdresser (as Lisa Le Blanc)
Jim Hudson	...	Fred the Guard
Antoni Gatti	...	Italian Tailor
Darrell Zwerling	...	Underwear Salesman

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1994) | Spain:13 | Iceland:L | Germany:6 (re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:6 | Argentina:13 | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

There are at least four references to losing one's soul: - in the song "Sixteen Tons" played at the start of the movie, the lyric "I sold my soul to the company store" - Joe responds to DeDe's question in the factory while inspecting his damaged shoe - Patricia's reference to being soul sick the first night on the yacht - several lines involving the Waponi's Tobi Chief such as when Joe states that he hopes the chief will not lose his Tobi (soul).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the morning when the daisy gets stepped on, everyone's shadows are to their right. Later that afternoon, when Joe fixes the daisy, his shadow is also to his right, and from the same camera angle. In the afternoon Joe's shadow would have been of a different angle.

Quotes:

Joe Banks: I tell you one thing, though. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're gonna take this luggage with us!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks/Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (#16.8)" (1990)

Soundtrack:

The Cowboy Song

Quirky is not a dirty word...

...yet this eccentric comedy never quite found its niche with the public, and I don't know why. It's beautifully produced and written, wonderfully acted, and endlessly weird! How many films can you say that about? When sad-sack Tom Hanks decides to give up his life for a few days of luxury, we understand because his existence may be a lot like ours: glum office job with lime walls, dirty floors, unpleasant co-workers, bad coffee and fluorescent lights on the fritz. When he's out to sea, floating on his luggage, he sees shapes in the sky at night that light up his face. He may be in a precarious position, stranded on the ocean, but he's the happiest and most alive he's ever been. It's a beautiful and wonderful moment in a movie chock full of 'em. **** from ****