Joe Versus the Volcano

(1990) dir John Patrick Shanley w/Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Abe Vigoda, Dan Hedaya, Amanda Plummer, Ossie Davis [102 min; 35mm]
Surely one of Hanks’ weirdest and most absurd films, JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO has Hanks as Joe, a depressed working stiff who is diagnosed with “brain cloud” – a fatal but psychosomatic disease. In an attempt to rally, Joe quits his job and sets off on a crackpot adventure to an isolated island where he will voluntarily sacrifice himself to a volcano god.