A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

The Evaluation System Reviews by Title Reviews by Date

Reviews from Video Reviews of the Classics Personal Background

Title: Cast Away

Date Viewed: 12/26/00

Details:

Tom Hanks

Helen Hunt

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Score: 1/2

The Review: FedEx "fix-it man" and temporary Moscow bureau chief Hanks is away from home for the holidays, and ends up going down with the plane in mid-Pacific. And survives. And is not rescued. And performs autologous oral surgery. And survives some more. And slowly goes insane. And recovers a little. And is still not rescued. Et cetera, ad infinitum.

This was a tour de force performance by Hanks; he is simply excellent. But the production was much longer than it had to be. If I never see another palm-decorated soccer-ball head fetish, it will be too soon.

The final 20 to 30 minutes is, in many ways, the most interesting part of the film -- it embodies many of the jolting cliches of cultural mismatch: the metaphor of the stranger in a strange land. And does it very well. This section is one with which I can be sympathetic, and is worth waiting for.

Back to the chronological list of reviews