An average Joe. An adventurous comedy.
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.
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) is a comedy, romance and adventure film directed by John Patrick Shanley, released on March 9, 1990 with a runtime of 1h 42m. It stars Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges and Dan Hedaya. Viewers rate it 5.8 out of 10 across 599 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Joe Versus the Volcano before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Joe Versus the Volcano.
Trailer
Clip
Behind the Scenes
Tom Hanks
as Joe Banks
Meg Ryan
as DeDe / Angelica / Patricia Graynamore
Lloyd Bridges
as Samuel Harvey Graynamore
Dan Hedaya
as Frank Waturi
Ossie Davis
as Marshall
Barry McGovern
as Luggage Salesman
Robert Stack
as Dr. Ellison
Amanda Plummer
as Dagmar
Lala Sloatman
as Waitress
Abe Vigoda
as Chief of the Waponis
Carol Kane
as Hairdresser
Branscombe Richmond
as Waponi
Directed by John Patrick Shanley, written by John Patrick Shanley, produced by Teri Schwartz.
Average viewer score of 5.8/10 from 599 ratings.
**_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…
Reviewed on June 26, 2022
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…
Reviewed on January 12, 2023
"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…
Reviewed on October 31, 2025
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Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) includes Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Dan Hedaya and Ossie Davis. The film was directed by John Patrick Shanley. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Joe Versus the Volcano was released on March 9, 1990 and runs for 1h 42m.
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) holds an average rating of 5.8 out of 10 from 599 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy, romance and adventure films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Joe Versus the Volcano trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
