Joe Versus the Volcano
Tags: cult, psychedelic, entertaining, satire, romantic

Plot synopsis:
Joe Banks is a downtrodden everyman from Staten Island, working a clerical job in a dreary factory for an unpleasant, demanding boss, Frank Waturi. Joyless, listless and chronically sick, Banks regularly visits doctors who can find nothing wrong with him. Finally, Dr. Ellison diagnoses an incurable disease called a "brain cloud", which has no symptoms, but will kill Joe within five or six months. Ironically, Ellison says that Joe's ailments are actually psychosomatic, caused by his experiences in his previous job as a firefighter. Ellison advises him, "You have some life left ... live it well." Joe tells his boss off, quits his job, and asks former coworker DeDe out on a date, but when he tells her that he is dying, she becomes upset and leaves.
The next day, a wealthy industrialist named Samuel Graynamore unexpectedly makes Joe a proposition. Graynamore needs bubaru, a mineral essential for manufacturing superconductors. There are deposits of it on the tiny Pacific island of Waponi Woo. The resident Waponis will only let him mine it if he solves a problem for them. They believe that the fire god of the volcano on their island must be appeased by a voluntary human sacrifice once every century, but none of the Waponis are willing to volunteer this time around. Graynamore offers to pay for whatever Joe wants to enjoy his final days, as long as he is willing to jump into the volcano within 20 days. With nothing to lose, Joe accepts.
Joe spends a day and a night out on the town in New York City, where he solicits advice on everything from style to living life to the fullest from his wise chauffeur Marshall. He also purchases four top-of-the-line, handcrafted, waterproof steamer trunks from a fanatically dedicated luggage salesman.
Joe then flies to Los Angeles, where he is met by one of Graynamore's daughters, Angelica, a flighty socialite who labels herself a "flibbertigibbet". The next morning, Angelica takes Joe to a yacht, the Tweedledee, owned by her father. The captain is her half-sister Patricia. She reluctantly agreed to take Joe to Waponi Woo after Graynamore promised to give her the yacht in return.
After an awkward beginning, Joe and Patricia begin to bond. Then they run into a typhoon. Patricia is knocked unconscious and flung overboard. After Joe jumps in to rescue her, lightning strikes, sinking the yacht. Fortunately, Joe is able to construct a raft by lashing together his steamer trunks. Patricia does not regain consciousness for several days. Joe doles out the small supply of fresh water to her, while he gradually becomes delirious from thirst. He experiences a revelation during his delirium and thanks God for his life. When Patricia finally awakens, she is deeply touched by Joe's self-sacrifice. They then find that they have luckily drifted to their destination.
The Waponis treat them to a grand feast. Their chief asks one last time if anyone else will volunteer, but there are no takers and Joe heads for the volcano. Patricia tries to stop him, declaring her love for him. He admits he loves her as well, "but the timing stinks." Patricia gets the chief to marry them.
Afterwards, Patricia refuses to be separated from Joe. When he is unable to dissuade her, they jump in together, but the volcano erupts at that moment, blowing them out into the ocean. The island sinks, but Joe and Patricia land near their trusty steamer trunks. At first ecstatic about their miraculous salvation, Joe tells Patricia about his fatal brain cloud. She recognizes the name of Joe's doctor as that of her father's crony and realizes that Joe has been set up. He is not dying and they can live happily ever after.

Review: Ossie Davis is excellent as the wise Limo driver, Lloyd Bridges is hilarious, Tom Hanks is of course everyman, and Meg Ryan, in one of her funniest roles, is actually "every woman".
"You know, the first time I saw you I thought that I had seen you before." A witty hero is commonplace and witty cast is truly memorable.The movie is probably too allegorical for most tastes, but this is a great tale about a character afraid of life, afraid of that next step, who finds his courage and puts his foot forward again.
When sad-sack Tom Hanks decides to give up his life for a few days of luxury, we understand because his existence may be a lot like ours: glum office job with lime walls, dirty floors, unpleasant co-workers, bad coffee and fluorescent lights on the fritz.
By far the best Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie.
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan both are absolutely fantastic in this movie that really is an allegory about life.
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.
Imagine if Stanley Kuprick had directed "You've Got mail." I'm surprised that the movie is not better known, especially that it is a big turning point in Tom Hanks career.
Based on the evidence of "Moonstruck"and the woefully underrated "Joe Versus the Volcano," writer/director John Patrick Shanley could have developed into avital film figure on the level of a Frank Capra or Woody Allen, acreator whose personal voice would have given him a distinctiveidentity - potentially his artistic and commercial strength (orundoing)."Joe Versus the Volcano" has its occasional shortcomings, but itssheer conceptual audacity set it apart from the film fare of its day.Now, nearly a decade and a half after its premiere, the quality ofthe dialogue alone reminds us how far our THX-ed out, Dolbyed-out, effects-obsessed movie "culture" has fallen.The plot combines fantasy and satire in equal proportions.
Joe(Tom Hanks), a seemingly passive man who's worked at adreadful, abusive, dead-end job for years is told he has anincurable disease (authoritatively diagnosed by physician RobertStack as a "brain cloud.") Joe quits his job and receives an offerthe next morning to go on an all-expenses paid journey to a tinyisland...that will culminate with his leap into a volcano!
Even the occasionalgambits that fall slightly flat (for instance, Abe Vigoda's turn as aleader of island natives obsessed with orange soda) cannotseriously mar the overall brilliance of Shanley's work.As it turned out, the box-office failure of "Volcano" didn't deterHanks and Ryan from reteaming for the enormously popular butcomparatively colorless "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've GotMail." (It's probably no accident that these were far safercommercial bets than "Joe," both owing large debts to earliermovies.) On the other hand, John Patrick Stanley has returned to craftingplays for live theater, apparently for good; one hopes his finelytuned ear and immense imagination will flourish in an environment that's largely removed from the demographicpanderings of Wal-Mart Nation.
Earlier, I mentioned Frank Capra as a semi-analogue to Shanley.Perhaps this comparison may help: If you are one of the many whocan't abide Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," you probably shouldstay away from "Joe Versus the Volcano" as though you had theplague...or even a "brain cloud."9/10.
I've seen this movie 15 times and to me it's a true masterpiece, nearly perfect in every frame, like Casablanca or Citizen Kane.Practically every name, line and visual image has multiple meanings.
I enjoyed Hanks' character, an average Joe suffering from hypochondria, and I enjoyed Ryan's characters, weird at times, but ultimately cute and sweet.Written and directed by the genius playwright John Patrick Shanley, this is his first feature film.
But then again, that's probably on purpose, which makes it funny.If you're looking for a Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie which is not a romantic comedy, then "Joe Versus the Volcano" is your choice..
The first and best of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's films together.
On the surface, a romantic screwball comedy about a guy hired to jump into a volcano to save an island tribe, but at the core of this wonderful movie (a 10 in my opinion) is the story of two complicated people who fall in love, while doing some major soul searching.
He becomes involved with three quirky women (all played by Ryan, who uses her three acting styles with the characters--airhead, snobby and adorable) before making "the leap."  Never dreary in tone (despite the premise), the movie is a deep, beautiful fairy tale for audiences (young and old) who like to think..
This is a highly underrated movie, that tells the story of one mans quest to find himself, and his soul.Tom Hanks, before the Oscars, gives as good a performance as anyone has on screen.
She is able to create different characters, all with the same basic undercurrent of sadness and desire.Many wonderful cameos and short scenes with Lloyd Bridges standing out as the man who sends Joe Banks on his quest.This fantasy film is a great barometer of those that "get it' and those that don't.
It is a comedy of immense proportions and also manages to be heart warming and touching.It follows a man through a journey of self discovery and along the way introduces us to the absurdities of daily living as embodied in the odd group of supporting characters.Meg Ryan plays three different characters, each one personifying a quirk of personality that we all possess.
This is how we track his growth.Some of the most effective scenes are the no or little dialogue scenes which exemplify Joe's journey, not just to the volcano, but to his self awareness.Along with the beautiful message, we are treated to some of the most clever visual comedy images ever filmed.
I just don't get it- great acting by Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan (in three very different roles), Ossie Davis and Dan Hedaya, among others.
When Joe says, "We've come a long way on a crooked path," we know exactly what he's referring to!I could go on with these details for pages, but I don't want to leave out the main reason this is my favorite film.
However, I almost always hate every film Meg Ryan is in, so it balances out.Maybe I just liked Hank's role of a hypochondriac who is thinking of killing himself after he learns he's dying.
No, I don't advocate that, but it's actually credible and darkly humorous.The film turns out to be a life-affirming, inspiring story in many ways because Hanks meets various people who change his outlook, from one of probable suicide to "life is worth living." Maybe a positive message is the big reason the national critics didn't like it, as they tend to gravitate toward darkness, not light.If you're looking for a "cute," lightweight feel-good film for the evening, I'd recommend renting this one..
my life philosophy comes from Joe. most people hate this movie.
Like all 'journey' movies (no, not the 80s band, eeew), if the path the characters are taking doesn't resonate with you, the film will seem to drag on and on.The metaphors and path of JVtV (for me) center around the idea of belonging and believing.
By the end of the movie, he belives his life is worthwhile and he belongs to himself.I think this is the best of the Hanks-Ryan movies ("You've Got Mail" being the worst) because it lets them be themselves and not just a cutesy couple.
The other films had sold out so we went to this movie and I am very happy that we did.I found it very entertaining - I worked in a place just like Joe did at the beginning of the film - I was laughing enough that I actually disturbed other viewers.
I loved the crazy cracked symbol they kept using - it was fun trying to count the usages of it during the movie.I liked all of the characters and found the Limousine driver an absolute gem!
Some of my favorite quotes were from the driver.I liked Joe's transformation after he knows he has little time to live.
Some people resonate with Joe Versus the Volcano (JVtV) in such an amazing way that it becomes one their alltime favorite films.
By now, early 2008, we have come to expect great things from him, and even here, in this outlandish little black sheep of a film, he shows us that early Hanks charm for which he is so known and loved.
Of course, this diagnosis is the perfect reason to quit his job and tell off his boss, so Hanks gets a "telling-off" scene that is so good that you may wonder why Julia Roberts was ever allowed to do it in just about ever movie she ever made after Pretty Woman.
This movie is the rarest of delights; it is visual literature, performed with heart and beauty rarely seen in our modern age.Joe is a long-suffering factory worker that leads a life of quiet despair.
As Joe steps into his new life, he finds himself emboldened to chase after what he desires, true love, because he knows his time is short.
Meg Ryan shows her versatility as three separate, wonderfully funny characters and Tom Hanks (think of his character in The Money Pit but amusingly depressed) as Joe Banks trapped in a dead end job and is told he has a terminal illness.
Meg Ryan shows her versatility as three separate, wonderfully funny characters and Tom Hanks (think of his character in The Money Pit but amusingly depressed) as Joe Banks trapped in a dead end job and is told he has a terminal illness.
If you appreciate the craft of acting you'll like this movie, there is a whole range of emotions expressed but with the exception of Joe, you get only a slice of the others, but that slice is like a fine piece of cheesecake with a scandalous hint of strawberry stuff on it.It, the movie, feels like real life when you feel like your day is being directed by fate, it feels like that weird sensation when syncronicity happens, something is said that you remember later and it suddenly doesn't sound random any more.Definitely the best romantic movie I have ever seen..
Worth watching especially if you miss the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan funny characters of the old days!.
I remember when it failed at the box office the Saturday Night Live show poked fun at Hanks saying.."and that Volcano movie didn't help you either ( with his career )." I just think most people didn't get the film!
There's a scene early in "Joe Versus The Volcano" where Joe (Tom Hanks) tells DeDe (one of Meg Ryan's three parts) that he felt like he had seen her before.
This line ends up being very important; he says it again to Patricia (also Meg Ryan), and even though he doesn't say it to Angelica (ALSO Meg Ryan), Patricia's sister, it's clear that he's thinking it.Yes, welcome to the oddly metaphysical world of "Joe Versus The Volcano".The plot, in a nutshell: Joe Banks has about the most depressing job in the most depressing place ever, finds out he has less than 6 months to live, quits his job, and is offered the opportunity by an eccentric millionaire (played by Lloyd Bridges, one of many terrific smaller parts in this movie) to go on a spending spree and a South Seas cruise, but only if he's willing to jump into a volcano on the island of Wapani Woo, in order to help him keep doing business with them.
He does it, and ends up falling in love.Tom Hanks puts in a brilliant understated performance; in fact there's much about this movie that's understated.
The complexity of Joe's relationship with these three women is almost a sidebar to the movie's central theme (the "long, winding road of life", as it says elsewhere on this site), but it seems to be implied that he's met her many times before finally getting it right with Patricia.
In short, "Joe Versus The Volcano" is a fine little comedy with a big heart and big themes that deserved better treatment than it got the first time around..
Frought with symbolism with a terrfic love story this is one of the most underrated movies that Tom Hanks has done.
One, they don't want to admit that they like a Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan movie, even though this one ismore idiosyncratic than the others.
If you like predictable plots, generic scenes and cookie cutter characters you'll despise this movie.John Patrick Shanley created "real" fairy tale characters in the old sense of the term and crafts a story of a modern man's struggles within it.
Joe Banks is a character with whom I think we can all identify, and his adventure is one we wish we had the guts to attempt.Maybe it's just too different from other Hanks/Ryan movies.
Great performances by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.There are so many hilarious parts in this movie that I can't even begin to mention them all.
Joe vs the Volcano differs from most Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan movies--it is so much more than a romantic comedy.
To put it directly, this movie is a tragicomedy about life and our attitude towards it, particularly in difficult times.Joe Versus the Volcano showcases Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as actors that have really come into their own.
For those who think "Sleepless in Seattle" was the first film for Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, you might be surprised to see the chemistry between them in this earlier outing, in which Meg plays three different (VERY different) characters.I fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it.
Like another commentator, I would love to have a copy of the music from the film.This is one of my favorite movies to watch that elevates my mood.
Hanks and Ryan are perfectly cast and play their parts to a "T".My favorite scene is the short scene where Joe is buying luggage from a man who says that "luggage is the central pre-occupation" of his life, and that his journey is "very interesting...as a luggage problem."Indeed.I urge anyone out there curious about this movie to give it a try, or a second one if you didn't like it the first time.
Now I own it and love it.This movie is an excellent story with a fabulous message about how to live your life.
It's a modern day fairy tale, a live-action cartoon, stylistically filmed, and well-played by consummate actors Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
No one understood this delightful film with Tom Hanks and Lloyd Bridges.Joe Versus the Volcanao allows the romantic to believe that love still heals the broken-heart, creates hope and fulfills dreams in an age of disillusionment and despair.' Volcano' embellishes this fundamental truth.
i have heard meg ryan speak about the film with affection and the good natured performance by tom hanks screams 'i am loving this!' ..
Personally i saw no value in movies until one day when i was on "duty" at my job and it was night time during a holiday the only thing on TV that was in English and wasn't a rerun to me was Joe VS The Volcano, so i watched.
Rather, a dark tale, and a fairy tale all rolled into one.A metaphor for modern life: in some ways not un-like Orwell's "1984"...if you watch this movie, it might just make you think.Zen perfection, pure and simple.This movie does not relate to the later careers of either Tom Hanks nor Meg Ryan.
I always watch this movie LOUD because I love the music so much.Joe Versus the Volcano is a modern classic and one of my all-time favorite films.
The opening song "16 Tons" is great as is Hank's "Cowboy Song."Whenever I'm feeling like life is a real crapper, all I have to do is put this film in and I'm good again; everything's right with the world.
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are shipwrecked and are floating on his luggage - the scene where the moon rises over the empty ocean is one of the most startling, touching and memorable pieces of cinema I've ever seen.Most people who love the film will almost always draw your attention to this scene.
This movie is good on so many levels it's not funny...At the shallowest levels it allowed our first glimpse of the funny yet romantic chemistry between Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
Also Tom Hanks is easily one of the best actors in the past 30 years.This movie is just good ol fashion fun and should be given a shot..
Every time I need it, I pop it in the player and it makes me feel really, really good.I haven't liked a single Tom & Meg movie since this, and I don't think that I ever will.
When I first watched this film, I had no idea that Meg Ryan was even in it, never mind playing three different roles.
JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO (1990) *** Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Dan Hedaya, Ossie Davis, Robert Stack, Abe Vigoda, Amanda Plummer.
I didn't really love Meg Ryan's performance, but she did a good job with the different roles.One line that I picked up from the movie was "Brain Cloud" - that's hilarious!
Tom Hanks' and Meg Ryan's chemistry is just icing on the cake as are the last two lines of the movie: Patricia: "I wonder where we'll end up" Joe: "Somewhere away from the things of man, my love, somewhere away from the things of man." 8 out of 10..
Those of you who hated it already have your minds made up and anything I say won't change it.Before "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail", Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan starred in a romantic comedy called "Joe Vs. The Volcano".