Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)

Stuck in a dead end job he hates, a stressed out guy (Tom Hanks) is diagnosed with a terminal disease and given 3 to 4 months to live. An eccentric millionaire (Lloyd Bridges) makes him an offer he can't refuse: a fleeting taste of the good life after which he must journey to an obscure Pacific island and jump into a volcano! Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley (MOONSTRUCK). Flat as a pancake though inexplicably, there are some diehard fans of the movie (I've met some of them). An attempt at making a contemporary screwball comedy, Shanley's surreal screenplay lifts the movie out of any recognizable reality. It lacks the magic that made Shanley's MOONSTRUCK such a delight and without that enchantment, its absurdity flounders. The talented cast tries including Meg Ryan playing three different parts. The film's failure pretty much put a stop to Shanley's directing career for the next 18 years until the excellent DOUBT (2008). The best thing about the movie are Stephen Goldblatt's (THE HELP) cinematography and the art direction by Tom Duffield (ED WOOD) and production design by Bo Welch (THE BIRDCAGE). With Robert Stack, Ossie Davis, Amanda Plummer, Nathan Lane, Carol Kane and Dan Hedaya.