Synopsis
Hypochondriac Joe Banks finds out he has six months to live, quits his dead end job, musters the courage to ask his co-worker out on a date, and is then hired to jump into a volcano by a mysterious visitor.
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Cast
- Tom HanksJoe Banks
- Meg RyanDeDe / Angelica / Patricia Graynamore
- Lloyd BridgesSamuel Harvey Graynamore
- Dan HedayaFrank Waturi
- Ossie DavisMarshall
- Barry McGovernLuggage Salesman
- Robert StackDr. Ellison
- Amanda PlummerDagmar
- Lala SloatmanWaitress
- Abe VigodaChief of the Waponis
Recommendations
- 88
Chicago Sun-Times
It is not an entirely successful movie, but it is new and fresh and not shy of taking chances. And the dialogue in it is actually worth listening to, because it is written with wit and romance. - 80
Time Out London
Passing from the depressing grey-blue of Joe's office through LA's neon brashness to the abstract colours of the later scenes, this engaging fable builds from a slow bubble to an outright eruption of comedy, romance and tear-jerking sentiment. If you go with the flow of Joe's Capraesque journey of self-discovery, you may be swept along. - 80
Washington Post
The movie is humble as child's play, graced with the effortless comedy of Hanks and Ryan. They're as fresh and warm as summer peaches, but never sappy, thanks to the off-kilter honesty of Shanley's writing. - 75
ReelViews
Joe Versus the Volcano is difficult to review because some parts are fresh, inventive, and entertaining, while others are near-misses or even complete failures. On balance, however, I readily admit liking this movie, although the second half pales in comparison to the first. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
A thoroughly captivating romantic adventure in the grand tradition of the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s. With a plot flavored with elements from such classics as the Carole Lombard-Fredric March romp NOTHING SACRED and Frank Capra's delightful masterpiece YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, this Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan outing is writer-director John Patrick Shanley's gift to moviegoers who are tired of films distinctive only for their excessive violence, sex, gutter language, or a combination of all three. - 40
Empire
Despite magic moments, this is so lop-sided in conception it's really only worth seeking out as a folly. - 30
Variety
An overproduced, disappointing shaggy dog comedy. - 10
The New York Times
Not since "Howard the Duck" has there been a big-budget comedy with feet as flat as those of Joe Versus the Volcano. Many gifted people contributed to it, but there's no disbelieving the grim evidence on the screen.
