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.

Director:

John Patrick Shanley

Writer:

John Patrick Shanley

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Joe
Meg Ryan	...	DeDe / Angelica / Patricia
Lloyd Bridges	...	Graynamore
Robert Stack	...	Dr. Ellison
Abe Vigoda	...	Chief of the Waponis
Dan Hedaya	...	Mr. Waturi
Barry McGovern	...	Luggage Salesman
Amanda Plummer	...	Dagmar
Ossie Davis	...	Marshall
Jayne Haynes	...	Nurse
David Burton	...	Mike
Jon Conrad Pochron	...	Tony (as Jon Pochran)
Jim Hudson	...	Fred - Guard
Antoni Gatti	...	Italian Tailor
Darrell Zwerling	...	Underwear Salesman

Storyline

Joe versus the Volcano is a fable which opens with somewhat surrealistic scenes of the dehumanization of Joe Bank's job and work environment (at a company whose product rather literally screws people) with imagery that seems to have been inspired by the classic film Metropolis. Joe is diagnosed with an incurable disease, quits his dehumanizing job, and accepts an offer to briefly "live like a king, die like a man" - but to fulfill his agreement he must willingly jump into a live volcano on the island of Waponi Woo in order to appease the volcano god. En route to the island, Joe meets a series of interesting characters in NYC and LA, then boards a yacht, captained by Patricia Graynamore. During the voyage Joe and Patricia survive disaster, fall in love, and finally arrive at the island where they face their destiny.

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Plot Keywords:

surrealism | actor playing multiple roles | character name in title | island | volcano | 

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Taglines:

A story of love, lava and burning desire.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. WB Shop / Warner Archive

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Joe contre le volcan

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,252,232, 11 March 1990, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$39,404,261

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Joe and Angelica are overlooking Los Angeles in her convertible, her license plate on the rear reads "BAAD GIRL". When she is dropping him back at the hotel in the next scene, the front plate reads "GOOD GIRL".

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Goofs

In the storm scene, Joe and Patricia are facing each other (having just kissed) when the boom hits Patricia in the back of the head. In the subsequent cut, she is flung (face-first) into the ocean, but Joe is nowhere to be seen - she would have taken him with her, or at least knocked him over. He's also taller than she is, so he would have been hit too (clearly, nobody had time to duck).

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Quotes

[Joe is about to jump into the volcano]
Patricia: I love you!
Joe Banks: I love you, too! I've never been in love with anybody before, either! It's great! I'm glad! But the timing stinks.
[kisses her on the cheek]
Joe Banks: I've gotta go.

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Connections

Referenced in Gilmore Girls: Santa's Secret Stuff (2007)

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Soundtracks

Good Lovin
Written by Arthur Resnick and Rudy Clark
Performed by The Rascals
used while fishing on the yacht

User Reviews

An Under-appreciated Delight

For many people, the fact that I love this movie will throw the integrity of everything else I write about into doubt. "Joe" has unfairly become an industry joke, shorthand for the depths to which Tom Hanks sank before redeeming himself with Academy Awards. This fate is horribly undeserved. "Joe" is an imaginative and gloriously life-affirming movie, a hysterically funny fantasy nearly on a par with the best of Terry Gilliam with a "carpe diem" moral that comes across with a lot more honesty and a lot less preachiness than some other movies I could mention. Every Tom Hanks performance is virtually flawless and this one ranks near the top. Meg Ryan's performances are warm and hilarious. Usually it's men who play more than one role in a movie and then it's more often for ego's sake than art's. Ryan pulls off her multiple characters with remarkable grace. More amazingly, it makes perfect sense for her to play three characters. For the sake of argument, I am willing to concede that there are those who just aren't going to enjoy this movie's unique mixture of whimsy and genuine emotion. But for me, it's a classic, easily one of my favorite movies of the decade.