Search - Joe Versus the Volcano on DVD

Kathleen L. from OREM, UT
Reviewed on 11/8/2009...

Very funny in a dry sort of way. Tome Hanks and Meg Ryan in their younger days. Ryan plays three rolls--all purposely spacey to different degrees. I loved this movie the first time I saw it when it was new. Now I find it a 2-star.

Ellen H. (grammieofsix) from PEMBROKE, GA
Reviewed on 8/10/2009...

4 stars

Aimee M. (AimeeM)
Reviewed on 2/25/2008...

Good movie, I love Meg Ryan... and Meg Ryan, oh and Meg Ryan! (She plays three different characters)

The plot is funny, though unbelievable. Don't take it too seriously.
It is worth watching!

Misunderstood, Poetic Fantasy

Robert E Wilson | West Covina, CA | 08/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan will be best know for "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail" but this is really their best work. Tom Hanks has seemingly gone through three stages as an actor. Inane, teen-oriented buffoon ("Bachelor Party", "Volunteers") to quirky, but lovable ("Big", "Joe Versus the Volcano") to serious ("Philadelphia", "Saving Private Ryan"). "Joe Versus the Volcano" represents the best of his middle career and in my opinion, his best period. In playing Joe Banks, he captures the best of silliness and seriousness in one role. He shows a much greater range of acting ability than he has in any other film. Meg Ryan is equally amazing, playing three very different roles convincingly. This is a movie I have to view over and over because each time I do, I pick something up I hadn't previously. There is a hidden story underneath the surface and its up to the viewer to discover it. This movie is a veritable tapestry of symbolism and hidden messages. Listen carefully to the dialogue, especially the speech Joe gives to his boss after he leaves his job. And try to spot how many times you see the zig-zag symbol throughout the film."

Delightful Sleeper

G P Padillo | Portland, ME United States | 02/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tom Hanks gives one of his best comedic performances here as Joe, a hypochondriac who's led to believe he's dying from a "Brain Cloud." So he strikes a bargain in which he gives up his humdrum existence working for an artificial prosthesis factory with loud, buzzing flourescent lighting, to live a life of luxury for several weeks until he is forced to become a human sacrifice by hurling himself into a volcano to appease the gods of an island populated by orange soda drinking natives of a bizarrely comical multi-ethnicity. Somehow it all pulls together.

Meg Ryan - whom I normally cannot tolerate - here is charming in three different roles.

The great Ossie Davis has a small role as a chauffeur, and, charmer that he is, nearly walks off with the entire movie.

A delightful sleeper that passed under most people's raider. Worth a second look."

I forgot how BIG...

Sammy Jo | Midwest | 08/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO is one of my all-time favorite movies. But if you've never seen JOE, I need to warn you that most people (and I mean *most*) don't like it. In fact, most of them hate it. Indeed, many of them will tell you it's the worst movie ever made. And that's even after I've given them my big pitch about how to watch JOE to catch its brilliance. I can't even tell you that the people who hate JOE are somehow lesser human beings - many people I really admire hate this movie.Still, I think you should see it. Think of it this way - it's like an easy personality test. Instead of answering twenty questions to find out whether you're a Type A personality or a Type B personality, you can just watch JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO. Right away, you'll know if you are a pro-Joe or an anti-Joe. I figure you can't lose either way.If you're an anti-Joe, you'll be in the clear majority. You and all the other anti-Joes can get together and roll your eyes about this ridiculous movie with its lame orange-soda jokes and stupid plastic sharks. At the worst, you'll be able to say you saw Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in the movie before they got the chemistry "right" in SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.On the other hand, the gods might smile upon you and you might find yourself among the small but happy band of pro-Joes. It's like being in a secret society! When you find one of those precious few pro-Joes, you can mutually bask in the glow of having enjoyed this amazing fable of spiritual awakening. You can argue with one another about whether the best part of the movie is the opening sequence of Joe's really lousy job; or his diagnosis with a brain cloud; or Lloyd Bridges' over-the-top performance as Mr. Graynamore (Gray No More, get it?) the man who hires Joe to jump into the volcano; or Ozzie Davis' memorable chauffeur; or the LUGGAGE SCENE; or (my personal vote) the scene where Joe falls to his knees before the giant rising moon and says "Dear God, whose name I do not know. Thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG!" You'll marvel at the richness of the screenplay in which it seems every line is laden with meaning. You'll find yourself watching the film over and over and over again, finding new details hidden within each scene. Just read the many five-star reviews below to get a feel for the richness that awaits you if you turn out to be a pro-Joe.If you are already a pro-Joe and you are wandering through this review wondering whether or not you should get the DVD, the answer is obvious. Since you're a pro-Joe, your videotape is going to wear out pretty soon anyway, right? Plus, you'll want to have the widescreen version. There are a few minor extras (a brief interview piece; a music video; a preview) - but those are just bonuses. The main thing is that you'll have a copy of JOE that will last you a lifetime!"