Pop quiz time: What was the first movie to team up Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan?
“Sleepless in Seattle”? Wrong, try again.
“You’ve Got Mail”? Nope. That one came even later.
The first movie to pair Hanks and Ryan is the underrated 1990 gem “Joe Versus the Volcano.” If you knew the answer, congratulations, and if you haven’t seen it, you should.
Directed by John Patrick Shanley, who also wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for 1987’s “Moonstruck” (another romantic comedy you should put on your must-see list), “Joe Versus the Volcano” follows the adventures of a hypochondriac who sets out on a suicide mission to jump into a volcano, but finds love along the way.
Hanks plays Joe Banks, a depressed ex-firefighter stuck in a soulless job at a rectal probe factory. He’s always convinced he has some kind of malady, so when a doctor (Robert Stack) tells him that he’s suffering from a terminal “brain cloud,” Joe feels more vindicated than suspicious.
He’s doesn’t even blink when a mysterious multimillionaire named Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges) drops by his apartment the next day and offers an all-expenses paid trip to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, provided he jumps into a volcano when he arrives. According to Graynamore, Joe’s human sacrifice will save the island … as well as a critical business investment.
Since he’s already at death’s doorstep, the noble self-sacrifice sounds appealing, so Joe flies off to Los Angeles and boards a yacht for the ocean voyage. The yacht, however, is skippered by Graynamore’s daughter Patricia (Ryan), and as the destination draws near, Joe’s convictions waver.
The whole movie plays out like a fairy tale and works as a metaphor for the crooked and unexpected paths that lead us through life. In fact, if you pay attention, the visual of that crooked path pops up repeatedly throughout the film. There’s also an important message about taking leaps of faith that weaves into the comic narrative, which includes a great running gag about Joe’s luggage.
As mentioned, “Joe” was the first movie to put Hanks and Ryan together in starring roles. Hanks was coming off “Big,” and Ryan had just made her breakthrough in “When Harry Met Sally.” It would be a few years before they’d get together for “Sleepless in Seattle,” but their chemistry here is apparent, and in addition to Stack and Bridges, you should watch for fun turns from Abe Vigoda and Nathan Lane in supporting roles.
While Hanks plays the central character, “Joe” is a special showcase for Ryan, who actually plays three different roles in the film. Before we meet Patricia, Ryan first shows up as one of Joe’s co-workers at the probe factory, and then again as Patricia’s sister Angelica, who picks Joe up at LAX.
“Joe” didn’t do that well at the box office, and if you go in expecting something like “You’ve Got Mail,” you’ll be disappointed. (Even now the film only draws a 5.8/10 on IMDb, and rates 62% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.) Part of the trouble is that “Joe” is more of a quirky fable than a traditional romantic comedy, pretty heavy on style and depth, especially in the first act, where Shanley establishes a day-to-day existence so lousy that jumping into a volcano would constitute an improvement for his title character.
For those willing to give it a chance, though, “Joe Versus the Volcano” offers layers of meaning and value, plus a score from Georges Delerue and Peter Gordon that gives the movie a swooning romantic vibe. And even though Hanks is a male lead, his character is a universal figure, relatable to anyone trying to find their place in the world.
“There are certain doors you have to go through alone,” Joe says at one point in the film, offering just one piece of wisdom in a film full of them. “Joe Versus the Volcano” may have sailed under the radar the first time around, but if you’re looking for a unique romantic comedy with real heart, this one comes highly recommended.