Joe Versus the Volcano
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Joe Versus the Volcano was a 1990 comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and was the first film directed by screenwriter John Patrick Shanley. It was the first of three films starring Hanks and Ryan together. Though it was praised by notable reviewers such as Roger Ebert at the time of its release in 1990, Joe Versus the Volcano was considered a box office flop, and one of Tom Hanks' minor films. Since then, it has accumulated a cult following.
Plot
Joe Banks (Tom Hanks) is a downtrodden everyman, working in a factory for a pointy haired boss, Frank Waturi (Dan Hedaya). Banks is chronically ill, and finds no joy in his existence. One day, he visits a doctor (Robert Stack) who finds a fatal brain cloud, apparently an inoperable tumor. Ironically, it didn't cause his poor health. Those symptoms were psychosomatic - he was just imagining them. The doctor suggests, "you have some time left to you, Mr. Banks, live it well." Joe promptly quits his job, tells his boss off, and asks a former co-worker (Meg Ryan in the first of three parts that she plays) out on a date. The date goes well, but when he tells her he is dying, she becomes upset and leaves.
The next day, Joe is visited in his apartment by a wealthy industrialist, Samuel Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges), who has a proposition for him. There is a small inhabited Pacific island called Waponi Wu. It has deposits of a mineral that Graynamore needs, but the natives won't sell it to him. They believe that the volcano on their island must be appeased with a voluntary human sacrifice once every century, but none of the Waponis is willing to sacrifice himself. If he can provide them with a willing victim, Graynamore can have the mineral. Having heard of Joe's situation, the businessman offers him the opportunity to "live like a king, die like a man." Graynamore will pay for whatever Joe wants, as long as he throws himself into the volcano afterwards. With nothing to lose, Joe agrees.
Joe spends a day and night on the town in New York, where he receives advice on style and life from a wise chauffeur (Ossie Davis), and purchases some expensive items, including four top-of-the-line, hand-crafted, waterproof steamer trunks and an Armani tuxedo. He then flies to Los Angeles, where he is met by one of the industrialist's daughters, Angelica (also played by Meg Ryan). She takes him to a yacht, captained by the other daughter, Patricia (Meg Ryan yet again).
The ocean voyage starts out well enough and an emotional connection begins to form between Joe and Patricia. All is interrupted when a typhoon strikes and the yacht sinks. Joe rescues Patricia and fashions a raft out of his steamer trunks. She has been hurt and does not regain consciousness for many days. Joe saves the small amount of available fresh water for her, while he gradually becomes delirious from thirst. When Patricia awakens, they find they have fortuitously drifted to their destination.
The Waponis treat them to a grand feast before the ceremony. The chief asks one last time if anyone else will volunteer, but none will. Joe heads for the volcano to the great relief of the natives. 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. Then she decides to join Joe in his jump; he can't persuade her to change her mind and finally he gives up. They jump in, only to be blown out into the ocean when the volcano erupts. The island sinks, but Joe and Patricia find their trusty steamer trunks and are saved. Upon discussion, Patricia realizes that the doctor who diagnosed Joe was her father's crony and was lying to him. Joe is not dying and they can live happily ever after.
Trivia
- There is a running gag throughout the film where Joe remarks to each of Meg Ryan's characters that when he first saw them, he felt he had seen them somewhere before.
- A recurring image of a jagged thunderbolt plays a part in the movie. It is part of the company logo, it is seen in the plaster damage in Joe's apartment, in the lightning bolt that destroys Patricia's boat, and in the path to the volcano. Other recurring images include ducks, the façade of the factory, dogs, and the moon.
- Carol Kane, Amanda Plummer, Abe Vigoda and Nathan Lane make cameo appearances in this film.
- The Waponi tribe is a bizarre cultural mix of Polynesian, Hebrew, Latin, and Celtic influences. They are also major fans of 'Jump Soda', an orange drink.
- According to people close to Shanley at the time, the story is based on a near death experience Shanley had and is his attempt to describe and explain the altered outlook on life he adopted as a result.
- The original screenplay had a somewhat different ending with the doctor and the industrialist getting their comeuppance.
- Shanley wrote two songs for the movie, 'Marooned Without You' and 'The Cowboy Song', the latter performed by Tom Hanks.