Joe Versus the Volcano

When I see the words Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan and romantic comedy all together in a film's description, that box is usually back on the shelf before I can process another word. I had good memories of this one, though, so I chanced it and came away happy. Hanks, still early into his burgeoning film career, hits two wildly exaggerated extremes in his portrayal of Joe, the hopeless working stiff who learns he's got roughly six months to live and rediscovers the miracles of spontaneity. Behind the film's absurd premise and a few witty, hilarious caricatures lies a pointed, layered look at the trappings of modern society and the gray fog we spew around ourselves to cope with the dull nine-to-five schedule. Joe Versus the Volcano offers an original take on that message, one which is constantly reinforced by a quirky, distinct visual style and a playful personality. Hanks is just as eccentric as ever, flying around the screen like a kid chasing a superball, while Ryan stretches herself with three wildly contrasting roles. Loads of fun, even if the ending flies a bit over the top.

This film is one of those comedies of the Eighties that did not stay for the cinema history. It fell into some king of oblivion like many other films. However, it is not a bad movie. The script has a lot of non-sense humor and focuses on Joe Bank, a depressed, hypochondriac man, who has a monotonous job in an impersonal office at a rectal probe factory, under the orders of an idiot boss. When a doctor gives him just a few months due to having a brain cloud, Bank decides to take full advantage of the months he has left. Shortly thereafter, he is hired by a millionaire to jump into an incandescent volcano in order to appease the beliefs of an island in Polynesia. Of course, he will be royally paid to do so and he can spend the money in the short time he have. Does it sound strange? In fact, it is a film that will displease those who prefer a more rational mood. The film is starred by a young Tom Hanks, during a period of his career when he made a lot of comedies and asserted himself as a promise in acting. He's good, he does his job very well, but Meg Ryan virtually manages to outdo him by playing three distinct characters in a truly impeccable way. If there is anyone to whom the film owes merit and quality, it is this duo of actors, but most particularly Ryan's chameleon work. Lloyd Bridges, Ossie Davis and Dan Hedaya also do a pretty good job. The film has a regular cinematography, but makes up for it with excellent sets and costumes. And about that we have to talk about, because there is a critical intention underlying the film that is very noticeable in the sets and costumes. Right at the beginning, we see the employees on their way to their jobs in a factory, in a style that resembles "Metrópolis" and the transformation of the human being into a machine part. The way a flower is pressed and trampled shows the impersonality and dehumanization of the world in which we live. Everything in that factory is part of a critic of our world. Then, we still have harsh criticisms of the way we see economy and the market: a character who is seduced to certain death by using no limit credit cards and the possibility to buy useless things, the obsession to have another ship when you already have one, the concern to guarantee a mineral monopoly even if it means the death of a person... everything is more than just comedy. Its a harsh critic. Even the costumes of the Polynesian natives, loaded with Western soda cans, can be seen as a critic about barbaric globalization and the way that elements of Western culture were sold and implanted in strange countries around the world. The humor and non-sense are powerful satires to our society, which is portrayed as materialistic, depressive, manic and greedy. Not being a movie that makes us laugh out loud, it works well and makes us smile. The succession of satirical criticisms I mentioned adds intelligence and pertinence to a script that, without it, would seem more absurd than funny.