His emotional messages seem to mirror those of Spielberg's, a celebration of wonder, of youth, and of Americana. Yet with Zemeckis this always comes off as forced. He never seems at ease as a filmmaker, almost as if he's delivering the message that he thinks the audience expects of him. Spielberg for all of his wide-eyed wonder is always believable and one senses that it's genuine. This is the root of the problem with Cast Away .
Hunt always seems aware of the camera.
Her hyper-ventilating delivery and exaggerated gestures are the exact opposite of Tom Hanks' approach making it all the more noticeable. Tom Hanks gives such an emotional performance in all his roles that, even with all his praise, I still find him to be a captivating actor. The fault goes to Zemeckis and the scriptwriters who seemed to be searching for complexly profound messages without justification. Hanks got the idea after reading an interview about a real castaway. The person was asked if they ever wanted to go back to the island, missing the solitude it offered.