Cast Away Redux

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2005)

This is a great story that combines humor, drama and romance in parts that are likely to appeal to women wanting a romantic comedy and enough comedy and drama so that a guy wouldn't be embarrassed seeing it with his wife/girlfriend.
In a sense, however, Tom Hanks is revisiting his role in "Cast Away" in this movie. The essential premise is the same: A resourceful man is isolated in a context where he is unable to get help from other people. The man must exploit his environment to rise above his circumstances of isolation.
The Terminal, of course, is not exactly identical to Cast Away because of the presence of people. But I think the essential premise of the movies is the same.
Hanks is superlative as the protagonist, who is immediately likable. His authenticity and ingenuity throughout the movie draws you in to care deeply about his plight. While Americans scream and throw tantrums if they are stuck in a terminal for 4 unplanned hours, Victor is in the terminal for 9 months. I found his perseverance, his patience, his humility, his adaptivity and his utter lack of demandingness to be inspiring. Watching Victor adapt to uncontrollable circumstances and insensitive airport personnel reminded me how good life is here and to be thankful for it.
Catherine Zeta Jones is wonderful eye-candy but plays a character who I felt was inconsistent. She is a woman who can only choose poisonous men but is somehow able to respond to Victor with gentleness, intimacy and affection. Her sudden turn fits the initial premise that she can only handle poisonous men, but doesn't fit the tenderness she shows him earlier. And of course, the number of times they meet accidentally is sheer folly.
The movie is shot with strong color themes. There are numerous times when the sets, lighting and scene color are themed with yellow, blue and green. I noticed a dominant green them while Starbucks was the featured product and I noticed a dominant yellow then when Borders was the featured product. If this is intentional, it is an interesting approach to product placement.
Least important to me is the romantic theme but the women might like it. There are two romantic plot lines, both of which are improbable. Hanks and Zeta-Jones and two minor characters who get married after never having actually met one another. Completely absurd romanticism that bears no connection to reality but I guess it gives the ladies something to keep them emotionally connected to the movie.
(Tangent: Why do so many romance movies depend on the random event that leads to true love? Does this reveal that finding love is nothing but sheer luck and that sustaining it is not a function of relationship but chance? Look at all the romantic comedies that are out there and you will see that the random connection is a dominant theme in them. Very odd.] Overall, I found this movie to be well-acted, the lighting and sets were excellent, the cinematography had great clarity and color and the editing was strong too. It is an engaging movie in spite of its plot line flaws.)