Retro Review: Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

The beginning, albeit a little drawn-out, is great. You quickly meet Joe played by Tom Hanks, a down-on-his-luck hypochondriac who works for the worst company ever and can't seem to stay healthy. In a funny unraveling, you start to get an understanding of who Joe is and the magnitude of how terrible his life has become. To me, the interactions with his boss at the beginning of the film are classic and easily the best parts of the movie. When Joe finally has decided he has had enough and wants to quit, a hilarious scene ensues that I found myself laughing harder at than when Jerry Maguire packed up and left his agency.

That was the beginning and, if I only had to rate movies based on the first ten minutes, not only would I have a lot more time on my hands, but I would have probably given this movie a solid B. Unfortunately, there was another eighty-seven minutes to sit through and things quickly unraveled. Starting with the premise, Joe is approached by a random millionaire tycoon to jump into a volcano in the South Pacific as a sacrifice to keep the locals happy. I can't make this stuff up. John Patrick Shanley can, however, and let's just say I hope some kind of disarming drug was involved when he did. Maybe it's satire, but I don't get it.

In any event, Joe is convinced to perform this sacrifice after he is told by a doctor that he has a "brain cloud" and only has months left to live. Again, not making this up. I'm normally pretty good at suspending disbelief for movies, but why Joe didn't think to question a brain cloud is beyond me. What follows, though, actually left me in a brain cloud of my own. It was scene after scene of what felt like forced but random interactions that steered Joe to the final climax--The volcano. By that point, I didn't really care that he had fallen in love and now had a reason to live. The relationship itself between him and Patricia (Meg Ryan) seemed rushed and more a necessary means to get to the end of the story.

Roger Ebert gave Joe Versus the Volcano 3.5 stars. This is one we're going to have to disagree on. I give it a 22.