Review of Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) by Rory D — 05 Dec 2009

Charmingly and uniqely original. I find this film to be smart and sophisticated yet filled with a most young fantastical element. Great cameos from Bridges, Stack, McGovern, and Vigoda support Hanks in a well played role of a man finally living life for once.

Meg Ryan plays three roles as three different yet strangely familiar women Joe meets along the way pretty well. On the surface, it's a movie about a man who is told he has a terminal illness and decides to travel to a small tropical island to jump into the volcano appease the god that lives inside, which sounds whacky enough.

But the real charm comes from the film's sly satire, wise and wishfull dialouge, great song choice and score from Georges Delerue. Perhaps a bit too out there for the average veiwer, but Writer / Director John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck) achieves in making a film that, like Joe and Patricia talk about, travells away,"away from the things of man".