Joe Versus the Volcano

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Joe Versus the Volcano ★★ 1990 (PG)

Expressionistic goofball comedy about a dopey guy who, after finding out he has only months to live, contracts with a millionaire to leap into a volcano alive. Imaginative farce with great “Metropolis”-pastiche visuals that eventually fizzle out. Watch for Ryan in not one, but three roles, and mysterious symbolism throughout. Special effects courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic. 106m/C VHS, DVD . Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Amanda Plummer, Abe Vigoda, Dan Hedaya, Barry McGovern, Ossie Davis; D: John Patrick Shanley; W: John Patrick Shanley; C: Stephen Goldblatt; M: Georges Delerue.