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Joe Versus the Volcano
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Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) More at IMDbPro »

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Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) -- 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.
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
5.3/10   16,103 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writer (WGA):
John Patrick Shanley (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Joe Versus the Volcano on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 March 1990 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
An Average Joe. An Adventurous Comedy. more
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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Kristen Bell loved punching Meg Ryan
 (From The Hollywood News. 19 October 2009, 1:37 PM, PDT)

The Hollywood Film Festival Announces Craft Honorees
 (From MovieWeb. 8 September 2009, 5:59 AM, PDT)

User Reviews:
One of my all time favorites more (175 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
Jim Ryan ... Bellman
Karl Rumburg ... Ralph
Brian Esteban ... Emi, Waponi Lookout

Nathan Lane ... Ben, Waponi Advance Man
Wally Ruiz ... Spanish Singer
Guillermo Guzmán ... Spanish singer
Tom Franco ... Spanish Singer (as Tommy Franco)
Tony Salome ... Rectal Probe Company Clerk
Courtney Gibbs ... Hammacher Schlemmer Saleswoman

Lala Sloatman ... Waitress (as Lala)
Jennifer Stewart ... Statue of Liberty
William Ward ... Hammacher Schlemmer Salesman
Paul Michael Thorpe ... Woo, Waponi God
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jon Conrad Pochron ... Tony (as Jon Pochran)
Jack E. Herman ... Waponi Warrior (uncredited)
Sidney S. Liufau ... Waponi (uncredited)

Beverly Overstreet ... Female Waponi at feast (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Patrick Shanley 
 
Writing credits
(WGA)
John Patrick Shanley (written by)

Produced by
Kathleen Kennedy .... executive producer
Frank Marshall .... executive producer
Roxanne Rogers .... associate producer
Teri Schwartz .... producer
Steven Spielberg .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
Georges Delerue (original music score)
Peter Gordon 
 
Cinematography by
Stephen Goldblatt (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Richard Halsey 
Kenneth Wannberg 
 
Casting by
Marion Dougherty 
 
Production Design by
Bo Welch 
 
Art Direction by
Tom Duffield 
 
Set Decoration by
Cheryl Carasik 
 
Costume Design by
Colleen Atwood 
Robert Chase 
Sue Moore 
 
Makeup Department
Lon Bentley .... makeup artist: Hawaii
Lyle Carter .... hair stylist: Hawaii
Paulette Crammond .... makeup artist: Hawaii
Leonard Engelman .... makeup artist
Susan Germaine .... hair stylist
Albert Jeyte .... makeup artist: Hawaii
Sheri Lee .... makeup artist: Hawaii
Ellis Lierow .... hair stylist: Hawaii
Barbara Lorenz .... hair stylist
Maya Pruett .... makeup artist: Hawaii
Daniel C. Striepeke .... makeup artist: Tom Hanks
Nancy Wilder .... makeup artist: Hawaii
David Yerks .... hair stylist: Hawaii
Allegra Curtis .... assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Ian Bryce .... unit production manager
Edward K. Dodds .... unit production manager: Hawaii
Lee Haas .... unit production manager: New York
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yvonne Davis .... second assistant director: Hawaii
Ed Dessisso .... second assistant director: New York
Alan Edmisten .... second assistant director
William M. Elvin .... first assistant director
Jerry Leeds .... first assistant director: New York
Lucille Ouyang .... second second assistant director
 
Art Department
Carl Aldana .... production illustrator
Paul J. Campanella .... stand-by painter
William D. Derham .... assistant property master (as Bill Derham)
Scott Doran .... swing gang
Richard Drake .... set dresser: Hawaii
Ann Harmon .... art department researcher
Rick Heinrichs .... set designer
Jack Johnson .... production illustrator (as John 'Jack' Johnson)
Fred Lucky .... production illustrator
David Manhan .... swing gang
Richard F. Mays .... set designer
Frank McEldowney .... greensman
Chuck McSorley .... lead man
David Moon .... scenic artist: New York (as Dave Moon)
Nick Navarro .... set designer
Tom Shaw Jr. .... property master
Stosh Stern .... set dresser: New York
John Villarino .... construction coordinator
Wallace Wong .... greensman
Irwin 'Eppy' Epstein .... greens (uncredited)
Craig K. Lewis .... set dresser (uncredited)
Mike Villarino .... construction foreman (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Gordon Davidson .... dialogue editor
Greg Dillon .... dialogue editor
Joaquin Elizalde .... assistant sound editor
John Elizalde .... sound effects editor (as Jon Elizalde)
Mark C. Grech .... cable person
Jeff Haas .... boom operator: New York
Carl Mahakian .... foley editor
Dennis Maitland .... production sound mixer: New York
Donald O. Mitchell .... sound re-recording mixer
Dan O'Connell .... foley artist
Lauren Palmer .... adr editor
Gary Parker .... sound recordist: New York
Tally Paulos .... adr editor
Jerry Pirozzi .... assistant sound editor
Troy Porter .... adr mixer
Greg P. Russell .... sound re-recording mixer
Timothy P. Salmon .... boom operator
Kirk Schuler .... sound effects editor
Gary Shepherd .... sound effects editor
Alicia Stevenson .... foley artist
William L. Stevenson .... supervising sound editor
Elliot Tyson .... sound re-recording mixer
Keith A. Wester .... production sound mixer
Douglas Vaughan .... boom operator (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
David Amborn .... special effects
Stanley Amborn .... special effects foreman (as Stan Amborn)
James Fredburg .... special effects (as Jim Fredburg)
Greg C. Jensen .... special effects
David Kirk .... special effects
Richard Lopez .... special effects
Jeffrey Machit .... special effects (as Jeffrey C. Machit)
Richard Ratliff .... special effects
Paul Tremaine .... special effects: Hawaii
Joseph A. Unsinn .... special effects supervisor
Roland Blancaflor .... special effects technician: Robert Short Productions (uncredited)
Michael Meier .... pyrotechnician (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Carl Assmus .... stage crew
Tom Bertino .... animation supervisor
Anne Calanchini .... visual effects coordinator
Dave Carson .... visual effects supervisor (as David I. Carson)
Jo Carson .... matte photography
Lanny Cermak .... camera engineer
Terry Chostner .... visual effects cameraman
Charlie Clavadetscher .... special effects camera operator
Elise Couvillion .... visual effects camera assistant
Bernie Demolski .... stage crew
Dick Dova .... visual effects key grip
Bob Finley III .... visual effects gaffer
Rolf Fleischmann .... optical effects assistant
Bill George .... model shop supervisor
Brian Gernand .... model maker
Ray Gilberti .... visual effects cameraman
John Goodson .... model maker
Ned Gorman .... visual effects coordinator
Joanne Hafner .... rotoscope artist
Janet Healy .... visual effects producer
David Heron .... visual effects rigger
Phil Heron .... stage crew
Edward Hirsh .... project manager
Tony Hudson .... chief model maker
Tony Hudson .... project supervisor: ILM
Peg Hunter .... optical line-up
Rod M. Janusch .... stage crew
Harley Jessup .... visual effects art director (as Harly Jessup)
Brad Kuehn .... optical photography supervisor
James Lim .... optical camera operator
Keith London .... model maker
Kim Marks .... visual effects cameraman
Patrick McArdle .... visual effects camera assistant
Patrick T. Myers .... special effects camera operator
Lori J. Nelson .... optical line-up
Buck O'Hare .... stage crew
Michael Ohta .... stage crew (as Mike Ohta)
Michael Olague .... stage crew (as Mike Olague)
Alan Peterson .... model maker
Thomas Rosseter .... optical line-up
Mark Siegel .... chief model maker
Thomas J. Smith .... optical camera operator (as Tom Smith)
Mitch Suskin .... optical effects supervisor
Kathleen Swain .... concept illustrator
Tom Sylla .... assistant visual effects editor
Larry Tan .... chief model maker
Yusei Uesugi .... matte artist
Bruce Walters .... special effects camera supervisor
Judith Weaver .... animation coordinator
Debra Wolff .... visual effects editor (as Debra Wolfe)
 
Stunts
John Ashby .... stunts
Ted Barba .... stunts
Jeff Bornstein .... stunts
John Cade .... stunts
Ralph D. Carpenter .... stunts
Eric Chambers .... stunts (as Erik Chambers)
Phil Chong .... stunts
Clarke Coleman .... stunts
Tom Davidson .... stunts
Brian Davis .... stunts
Christopher Doyle .... stunts
Bill Erickson .... stunt coordinator (as William Erickson)
Sandra Lee Gimpel .... stunts
Mark Ginther .... stunts
Jeff Jensen .... stunts
Brett A. Jones .... stunts
Gary Littlejohn .... stunts
Solly Marx .... stunts (as Solly Mark)
James C. Morange .... stunts
J. Suzanne Rampe .... stunts
Lynn Salvatori .... stunts
Paul E. Short .... stunts
Gunter Simon .... stunts
James Rod Stone .... stunts
Robert 'Bobby Z' Zajonc .... stunts
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Jamie Anderson .... additional camera operator
Red Burke .... chief lighting technician: New York
Andrew Casey .... second assistant camera: New York
Ray De La Motte .... camera operator
Angelo Di Giacomo .... first assistant camera: New York
Danny Falkengren .... dolly grip (as Dan Axel Falkengren)
Tim Griffith .... chief lighting technician (as Timothy J. Griffith)
Emil Hampton .... second assistant camera
Robert Ikeda .... electrician
Michael Kelem .... aerial camera operator
Patrick Marshall .... rigging gaffer
Geary McLeod .... first assistant camera
Hal Nelson .... best boy grip
Walter Nichols .... assistant chief lighting technician
Jane O'Neal .... still photographer
Richard Rose .... key grip: New York
Charles Saldana .... key grip
Chris Silano .... second assistant camera: New York (as Chris Salano)
Steven H. Smith .... additional camera operator (as Steve Smith)
Robert L. Blatman .... assistant camera (uncredited)
Vincent Contarino .... rigging gaffer (uncredited)
Robert Zullo .... rigging grip (uncredited)
 
Animation Department
Sean Turner .... animator
 
Casting Department
Owens Hill .... casting assistant
Franklyn Warren .... extras casting (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Win Anderson .... costumer: Hawaii
Robert Chase .... costume supervisor: men
Allegra Curtis .... costumer: Hawaii
Patricia Eiben .... costumer: New York (as Patty Eiben)
Sue Moore .... costume supervisor: women
Hartsell Taylor .... costumer: New York (as Hartzell Taylor)
Melissa Antablin .... costumer (uncredited)
Kelly Porter .... costumer (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Catherine Best .... second assistant editor
Ron Fode .... negative cutter
Colleen Halsey .... first assistant editor
Ron Lambert .... color timer
 
Music Department
Kenneth Wannberg .... music editor
Robert Fernandez .... scoring mixer (uncredited)
David Van Tieghem .... musician (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Stan Burden .... transportation supervisor: Hawaii
Steve Collins .... transportation coordinator
Daniel Quick .... transportation captain (as Daniel C. Quick)
Charles Renfroe .... transportation co-captain
John Rodrigues .... transportation captain: Hawaii
Ben Salomone .... transportation captain: New York
Bobby Marsh .... driver (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Donovan Ahuna .... craft service: Hawaii
Sarah James Arbeid .... assistant production secretary
Summer Banner .... script supervisor: Hawaii
Stanley Bogest .... production accountant: New York
Stanley Brossette .... unit publicist
Catherine Cederquist .... assistant production secretary
Robert Dunn .... animal handler
Chris Silver Finigan .... production accountant
Jack Gallagher .... production aide
Roberto Gonzales-Rubio .... production aide
Angela Heald .... production secretary
Kurt Hessler .... production aide
Nancy Hopton .... script supervisor
David James .... production assistant
Jamie Kehoe .... craft service
Grace Kerr .... production secretary: Hawaii
Oliver Konia .... first aid: Hawaii
Lynn Kuwahara .... location manager
Adeline Leonard Seakwood .... production secretary: New York
Molly M. Mayeux .... production aide
George McDowell Agnew .... location manager
Isamu Oshiro .... first aid: Hawaii
Ellen Pasternack .... unit publicist
Jason Roberts .... production aide
Mike Sampson .... location manager: New York
Richard W. Scarpone .... craft service
Robert Short .... mechanical hammerhead shark designer
Michelle Skoby .... assistant: Ms. Schwartz
Tom Summers .... location supervisor: Hawaii
Robert 'Bobby Z' Zajonc .... aerial coordinator
Laurie Arnow-Epstein .... construction accountant (uncredited)
Jack E. Herman .... extras set coordinator (uncredited)
Shauna L. Kroen .... assistant accountant (uncredited)
Terry Odem .... assistant: Tom Hanks (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Runtime:
102 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The mask worn by the Waponi who is representing the evil spirit resembles the factory where Joe used to work. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The first night on the ship, when they are having dinner, we see a crescent moon with horns pointing downward. The crescent moon is actually a spherical object that is illuminated by the light of the sun. Therefore, the "horns" of the crescent always point away from the sun. In the northern hemisphere of the Earth, when the evening sun is below the horizon in the west, the horns of the crescent moon point upward and to the left. And several weeks later, when the morning sun is below the horizon in the east, the horns point upward and to the right. Downward horns would imply that the sun is above the horizon, therefore it would not be night. more
Quotes:
Luggage Salesman: This is our premier steamer trunk, it's all handmade, only the finest materials. It's even watertight, tight as a drum. If I had the need, and the wherewithal, Mr. Banks, this would be my trunk of choice.
Joe Banks: I'll take four of them.
Luggage Salesman: May you live to be a thousand years old, sir.
more
Movie Connections:
References My Fair Lady (1964) more
Soundtrack:
Good Lovin more

FAQ

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48 out of 52 people found the following review useful.
One of my all time favorites, 11 January 2005
8/10
Author: 5860backup from VA

I am one of the few who saw this on the big screen TWICE when it opened. This is the movie I would take to the desert island, which miraculously has electricity a big screen and a DVD player. This is one of those rare films where every single character, no matter how minor, has a major impact on the hero and the plot. This film is also rare because the Lion's share of the funny and insightful dialogue belongs to the minor characters and not the protagonists. You have to love a movie where a luggage salesman is a major plot milestone. Ossie Davis is excellent as the wise Limo driver, Lloyd Bridges is hilarious, Tom Hanks is of course everyman, and Meg Ryan, in one of her funniest roles, is actually "every woman". "You know, the first time I saw you I thought that I had seen you before." A witty hero is commonplace and witty cast is truly memorable.

The movie is probably too allegorical for most tastes, but this is a great tale about a character afraid of life, afraid of that next step, who finds his courage and puts his foot forward again.

All in all this is one of the best kinds of movies, Funny and Hopeful.

Was the above review useful to you?
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