Joe Versus the Volcano poster

1990·102 min·Released

Joe Versus the Volcano

“An average Joe. An adventurous comedy.”

Comedy
Romance
Adventure

Hypochondriac Joe Banks finds out he has six months to live, quits his dead end job, musters the courage to ask his co-worker out on a date, and is then hired to jump into a volcano by a mysterious visitor.

5.8(585 votes)

Popularity3

Videos

Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks

Joe Banks

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan

DeDe / Angelica / Patricia Graynamore

Lloyd Bridges

Lloyd Bridges

Samuel Harvey Graynamore

Dan Hedaya

Dan Hedaya

Frank Waturi

Ossie Davis

Ossie Davis

Marshall

Barry McGovern

Barry McGovern

Luggage Salesman

Robert Stack

Robert Stack

Dr. Ellison

Amanda Plummer

Amanda Plummer

Dagmar

Lala Sloatman

Lala Sloatman

Waitress

Abe Vigoda

Abe Vigoda

Chief of the Waponis

Carol Kane

Carol Kane

Hairdresser

Branscombe Richmond

Branscombe Richmond

Waponi

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Wuchak

Written on 6/26/2022

**_Good message, decent movie, albeit really odd_** That pretty much sums up this 1990 film starring Tom Hanks as a miserable man stuck in an uninspiring job. After learning he's going to die in six months, he accepts an offer to live it up for a couple of weeks and sacrifice himself in a volcano on some nondescript Pacific island. Right off the bat, the movie tips off that it's more fantasy than reality. There's a great message about not selling your life -- your dreams -- for whatever pathetic wage they're offering at the local factory or whatever the case. But the final act fizzles out in Giligan's Island cartooniness. Meg Ryan co-stars in a three-pronged role. GRADE: C+

GenerationofSwine

Written on 1/12/2023

Bare with me here, because things are hazy. I distinctly remember renting this at our old small town independent pre-Block Buster video rental establishment. Back when it stopped selling porn (for a few years) and devoted the back room to Betamax and Laser Disc before they moved on to a bigger building. I remember riding my bike there with my father when I was ten. I remember seeing the poster in one of the two small windows. I remember the other new releases on the shelf, and I remember renting this on VHS with a Beta Danger Mouse. And then I remember thinking it was a drama because of the start of the film, cracking up about the luggage, cracking up about the actual volcano climax, and that is about it. But I guess the point is that I remember laughing, and that is what matters.

kevin2019

Written on 10/31/2025

"Joe Versus the Volcano" is a most off-beat and unusual film, but the central message it advocates is a common one. Life is worth living and this is never more relevant and meaningful than when life is slowly ebbing away and coming to an end and perhaps the circumstances leading up to that final terminal breath allows for a period of reflection. How awful would it be if all you were to see is a succession of missed opportunities and the "what ifs...." stemming from the possiblities afforded by these lost opportunities. A life of poor choices and complete failures is hardly ideal, but when compared to a life wasted? A life of no accomplishments at all? A life lived on these terms of taking no risks is indeed a boring existence and hopefully none of us need to jump into a volcano to realise this.

Media

Joe has Brain Fog With 5 Months To Live

Joe has Brain Fog With 5 Months To Live

Theatrical Trailer

Theatrical Trailer

Behind-the-Scenes

Behind-the-Scenes