This is a hard film to write about. It was a huge flop upon its release and is disliked by very many people still, but I rather like its eccentricities and effectiveness in conveying a message. 'Joe Versus The Volcano' is nominally a romantic comedy, one which paired Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan for the first time, and one which has things to share if you're only listening. Perhaps that last part is the problem; People are so habitually expecting narrative experiences that they really have no use for other types of film. There is no intention of saying that 'Joe' has no narrative, but it is in equal part a metaphorical narrative and one with a very bizarre ending. One can only wonder at the ending, but there will be time for that later.
Joe is a veteran who went on to become a firefighter, but he risked his life once too many times and became scared and weary, and then sold out to a terrible job. His weariness and soul sickness manifest themselves as hypochondria, and one day a doctor tells him the terrible truth: He has a brain cloud and will die in six months despite otherwise perfect health. While that may not sound like the basis for a comedy the film is not really about the brain cloud and death but instead about living. Joe, subjected to the catalysis of his diagnosis goes forth, accepts an unusual job with incredibly ludicrous benefits, and emerges from his cocoon for one more adventure.
Staged in three distinct phases Joe goes from his drab and grey initial experience, to a transitional phase in the electricity of Los Angeles, and finally to liberation during a long sea voyage to an island populated by savages where his job is to jump into a volcano as a hired sacrifice. Each of those phases features Meg Ryan in a different role, where her characters reflect Joe's state and journey, and each of which begins her own journey thanks to touching Joe's life. Ryan does very well in this film, in fact she's far more accomplished than Tom Hanks as Joe. She manages to pull off three distinct characters, all of whom are confused with life and looking for direction, and conveys that things have changed for each one by knowing Joe as he goes on his way. Of course he marries the last version, Patricia, but that's another story.
It would be easy to jump deep into analysis of 'Joe Versus The Volcano' but that's available elsewhere. It's a famous film for analysis. The important thing is the journey. Of course Joe turns out to probably not be dying at the end, and unfortunately of course he survives the volcano with his incredibly new bride, and of course the islanders are a bizarre racial mix who are obsessed with orange soda, but the journey is worth it.
If you can detach from the supposed story, which is in essence a myth or archetype, there is a beauty to 'Joe Versus The Volcano'. A lyrical quality underlines most of the movie, only replaced by a crudeness in the initial segment at Joe's old job, and a bizarreness in the ending on the island. The beginning and the ending are the parts which will really derail people looking for a smooth narrative, and indeed the start does sometimes push even me out of the film a little. The islanders are similarly problematic in that they are so bizarre as to be offputting, but the volcano does add enough scale to make the natives inconsequential in the end. The ultimate end is... a cheat. It would be so much a better movie if they did jump in the volcano and the film ended, but as it is it is a cheat. I shall say no more.
This is turning into quite a ramble, isn't it? Doubtlessly it shall be revised a few times. The lyrical/surreal quality of the film is backed up magnificently by the score and songs, partly composed by the director John Patrick Shanley, and is exactly what's needed. Shanley didn't really do much in film after this movie bombed but he didn't deserve blame. 'Joe' has become a cult classic over time and one day will be rehabilitated completely, when people realise it's a parable or a fable or an allegory or whatever instead of a simple narrative. Someday it will happen. This is the movie that introduced the word 'soulsick' to me, and it's one I shall relish forever more. It's just a shame about the orange soda and being spat out of the volcano.
Yes, revisions will be necessary. 'Joe Versus The Volcano' is a nice movie, one which is ultimately flawed but entertaining and illuminating anyway. I love it. Meg Ryan is wonderful, Tom Hanks is solid, Lloyd Bridges steals the show and Ossie Davis is as great as ever. It really should be watched, because it is special. Yes, you might hate it but you could just as well love it. Oh, and you have to watch it to get the message.
O.
PS Took another shot at this review, which can be found far far in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment