Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

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 | Portugal:M/12 | 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:

At the end, Joe refers to the "crooked road" he traveled. He walked the crooked sidewalk to the factory, drove the crooked road from the airport, then walked the final crooked path to the top of the volcano, all of which were in the same lightning bolt shape.

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.

Quotes:

Patricia: I'm soul sick.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Bob Saget/TLC (#20.19)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Mas Que Nada

Without a doubt one of the greatest movies ever made.

I am a very tough critic, and most movies are nothing but incredible disappointments for me. However, Joe vs. the Volcano is a movie that I can honestly say is a cinematic masterpiece. When people call this a romantic comedy, they are committing a great injustice to this film. That is not to say that there is not romantic comedy in the story, but to say that it is the point of the film is monumentally short sighted. The real story in Joe vs. the Volcano is about coming to terms with yourself, finding that spark that we spend our lives searching for. It is about discovering our humanity and what that entails. Normally, this would end up being pretentious and sophomoric crap, but because the heavy subject matter is taken so lightly, we are treated to a modern fairy tale that runs the gamut in terms of emotional impact. The performances are stellar and to this day I have never enjoyed Tom Hanks more, the direction pays tribute to classic films with cinephillic glee, and the soundtrack is simply superb. 10 out of 10!