The work of highly individual artists often prompts extreme
reactions in moviegoers. Based on the evidence of "Moonstruck"
and the woefully underrated "Joe Versus the Volcano," writer/director John Patrick Shanley could have developed into a
vital film figure on the level of a Frank Capra or Woody Allen, a
creator whose personal voice would have given him a distinctive
identity - potentially his artistic and commercial strength (or
undoing).
"Joe Versus the Volcano" has its occasional shortcomings, but its
sheer conceptual audacity set it apart from the film fare of its day.
Now, nearly a decade and a half after its premiere, the quality of
the dialogue alone reminds us how far our THX-ed out, Dolbyed-out, effects-obsessed movie "culture" has fallen.
The plot combines fantasy and satire in equal proportions. Joe
(Tom Hanks), a seemingly passive man who's worked at a
dreadful, abusive, dead-end job for years is told he has an
incurable disease (authoritatively diagnosed by physician Robert
Stack as a "brain cloud.") Joe quits his job and receives an offer
the next morning to go on an all-expenses paid journey to a tiny
island...that will culminate with his leap into a volcano!
Meg Ryan portrays three separate characters, and her glee in
masking her "All-American Sweetheart" screen persona is
palpable, particularly in the first segment. Even the occasional
gambits that fall slightly flat (for instance, Abe Vigoda's turn as a
leader of island natives obsessed with orange soda) cannot
seriously mar the overall brilliance of Shanley's work.
As it turned out, the box-office failure of "Volcano" didn't deter
Hanks and Ryan from reteaming for the enormously popular but
comparatively colorless "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got
Mail." (It's probably no accident that these were far safer
commercial bets than "Joe," both owing large debts to earlier
movies.)
On the other hand, John Patrick Stanley has returned to crafting
plays for live theater, apparently for good; one hopes his finely
tuned ear and immense imagination will flourish in an environment that's largely removed from the demographic
panderings of Wal-Mart Nation. His gain is our loss.
Earlier, I mentioned Frank Capra as a semi-analogue to Shanley.
Perhaps this comparison may help: If you are one of the many who
can't abide Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," you probably should
stay away from "Joe Versus the Volcano" as though you had the
plague...or even a "brain cloud."
9/10
reactions in moviegoers. Based on the evidence of "Moonstruck"
and the woefully underrated "Joe Versus the Volcano," writer/director John Patrick Shanley could have developed into a
vital film figure on the level of a Frank Capra or Woody Allen, a
creator whose personal voice would have given him a distinctive
identity - potentially his artistic and commercial strength (or
undoing).
"Joe Versus the Volcano" has its occasional shortcomings, but its
sheer conceptual audacity set it apart from the film fare of its day.
Now, nearly a decade and a half after its premiere, the quality of
the dialogue alone reminds us how far our THX-ed out, Dolbyed-out, effects-obsessed movie "culture" has fallen.
The plot combines fantasy and satire in equal proportions. Joe
(Tom Hanks), a seemingly passive man who's worked at a
dreadful, abusive, dead-end job for years is told he has an
incurable disease (authoritatively diagnosed by physician Robert
Stack as a "brain cloud.") Joe quits his job and receives an offer
the next morning to go on an all-expenses paid journey to a tiny
island...that will culminate with his leap into a volcano!
Meg Ryan portrays three separate characters, and her glee in
masking her "All-American Sweetheart" screen persona is
palpable, particularly in the first segment. Even the occasional
gambits that fall slightly flat (for instance, Abe Vigoda's turn as a
leader of island natives obsessed with orange soda) cannot
seriously mar the overall brilliance of Shanley's work.
As it turned out, the box-office failure of "Volcano" didn't deter
Hanks and Ryan from reteaming for the enormously popular but
comparatively colorless "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got
Mail." (It's probably no accident that these were far safer
commercial bets than "Joe," both owing large debts to earlier
movies.)
On the other hand, John Patrick Stanley has returned to crafting
plays for live theater, apparently for good; one hopes his finely
tuned ear and immense imagination will flourish in an environment that's largely removed from the demographic
panderings of Wal-Mart Nation. His gain is our loss.
Earlier, I mentioned Frank Capra as a semi-analogue to Shanley.
Perhaps this comparison may help: If you are one of the many who
can't abide Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," you probably should
stay away from "Joe Versus the Volcano" as though you had the
plague...or even a "brain cloud."
9/10