Joe Versus the Volcano
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
- Genre:Comedy / Romance
- Runtime:101 minutes
Cast
Tom Hanks : Joe Banks
Meg Ryan : DeDe / Angelica Graynamore / Patricia Graynamore
Lloyd Bridges : Samuel Harvey Graynamore
Robert Stack : Kenneth Hindmick / Dr. Ellison
Abe Vigoda : Waponi Chief
Joe Banks (Tom Hanks) is a downtrodden everyman from Staten Island, working in a factory for an unpleasant, demanding boss, Frank Waturi (Dan Hedaya). Joyless, listless, and chronically sick, Banks regularly visits doctors who can find nothing physically wrong. Finally, Dr. Ellison (Robert Stack) diagnoses a fatal, incurable “brain cloud”, which has no symptoms but will kill him in six months. Ellison believes Joe’s ailments were psychosomatic, caused by frightening experiences in his previous job as a fireman. Ellison advises him, “You have some life left… live it well.” Joe tells his boss off, quits his job, and asks former co-worker DeDe (Meg Ryan) out on a date. It goes well, until he tells her he is dying; she becomes upset and leaves.
The next day, a wealthy industrialist named Samuel Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges) makes Joe a proposition. Graynamore needs “bubaru”,[3] a mineral essential for the manufacturing of superconductors. There are deposits of it on the tiny Pacific island of Waponi Wu, and the resident Waponis will let him mine it if he can solve a problem for them. They believe that the volcano on their island must be appeased by a voluntary human sacrifice once every century, but none of the Waponis is willing to volunteer this time around. If Graynamore can provide someone, he can have the mineral. Graynamore offers Joe credit cards to pay for whatever he wants, as long as he jumps into the volcano at the end, suggesting he “live like a king, die like a man.” With nothing to lose, Joe agrees.
Joe spends a day and a night on the town in New York, where he solicits advice on style and life from his wise chauffeur, Marshall (Ossie Davis). Among other things, Joe purchases four top-of-the-line, handcrafted, waterproof steamer trunks from a fanatically dedicated luggage salesman (Barry McGovern).
Joe then flies to Los Angeles, where he is met by one of Graynamore’s daughters, Angelica (also played by Ryan), a flighty socialite. The next morning, Angelica takes Joe to a yacht owned by her father. The captain is her half-sister, Patricia (Ryan again). She had 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. While Joe is rescuing her, lightning strikes and sinks 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 water to her, while he gradually becomes delirious from thirst. Joe experiences a revelation during his delirium and thanks God for his life. When Patricia finally awakens, she is deeply touched that Joe gave her all the water. They then find that they have fortuitously drifted to their destination. Read more
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