
Joe Versus the Volcano
Director: John Patrick Shanley Run Time: 102 min. Format: 35mm Rating: PG Release Year: 1990
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Abe Vigoda, Dan Hedaya
B-Sides, Tom Hanks: Tom Hanks has done his fair share of comedies, but Joe Versus the Volcano effectively brings out the best of his quirks.
Joe Banks (Tom Hanks) is dying, apparently. This is good news, since his life was not much worth living anyway. On the upside, a strange millionaire (Lloyd Bridges) offers Joe a way to die with meaning and dignity: by hurling himself into a volcano. With plenty of spending cash and an ensemble of new luggage, Joe embarks on an absurdist journey to his demise, guided by two very disparate sisters, and trying to puzzle out the meaning of existence.