A boring, stupid movie

Rating: 3/10 (15 January 2001)

"Cast Away" is not a good movie for numerous reasons, not the least of which is that for an hour of screentime the only conflict is Tom Hanks' toothache. Very simply, nothing happens on the island except some ridiculously silly bits of expository dialogue between Hanks and a volleyball: "What's that, Wilson? Why am I sad? It's because...." Stupid, awful screenwriting plagues the movie, from bad dialogue to equally ridiculous coincidences-- good thing that FedEx package contains something that Hanks can use as an axe!
Hanks is a fine naturalistic actor in the style of Spencer Tracy, and is always fun to watch, but "Cast Away" is boring: the only scenes of poignancy and impact are those that aren't set on the island.
Wait for the video. Better still, watch Nicolas Roeg's "Castaway"-- it's a far superior movie.