Alternative Film Guide

Cast Away (2000)

Director: Robert Zemeckis. Screenplay: William Broyles, Jr. Cast: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt

MY FAVORITE FIANCÉ

Many will see Cast Away as a celebration of the triumph of the human spirit. Others will prefer the more mundane explanation that the film merely depicts a man following his animal survival instincts, which propel him to remain alive almost against his will. Whichever way one chooses to view the survival of Federal Express engineer Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) after being stranded for years on a desert island (mostly shot in Monuriki, Fiji), Cast Away is little more than an elaborate star vehicle disguised as an existential adventure film.

Indeed, this Robert Zemeckis production offers little depth in its discussion of the meaning of life and the nature of love. The story of a workaholic who must learn to live without work, without clocks, and without people — Chuck’s only companion on the island is a volleyball named Wilson — Cast Away also leaves much to be desired in terms of character development — unless, of course, one considers Wilson’s radical transformation from clean-cut volleyball into something resembling a drug-addicted pineapple. For instead of dealing with Chuck’s inner metamorphosis from Man of the Clock to Man of the Now, screenwriter William Broyles, Jr., opted to focus instead on Chuck’s failed attempts at leaving the island and on his determination to learn how to break a coconut shell.

Still, even though the overlong Cast Away pretends to be considerably loftier than it actually is — much like Zemeckis’s previous collaboration with Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump — the film does boast top-line production values and outstanding special effects, which are used to create what may well be the most harrowing plane crash ever filmed.

Additionally, the capable Tom Hanks has the chance to run the gamut, at least on the surface, from semi-neurotic workaholic to semi-apeman to semi-Zen-Master. Even though Broyles’ screenplay prevents us from ever getting to learn the depths of Hanks’ inner changes, the two-time Oscar-winning star handles himself quite well, sometimes even surpassing the limitations of the script. If some of the island humor feels pretty silly (the scene in which Chuck sings "Come On Baby Light My Fire" should have been left stranded on the cutting-room floor), Hanks wins points for his more dramatic moments. Really, how many actors could weep for the loss of his hairy volleyball without making us laugh at the ridiculousness of it all?

Cast Away is also immensely helped by Alan Silvestri’s inspirational score, which we first hear about two hours into the film, when Chuck finally escapes his tropical prison. Through Chuck’s point of view, we see the island fade behind the ocean mists, while Silvestri’s music increases in intensity to create one of those rare moments of movie magic. Not even Silvestri, however, can save the corny (momentary) reunion between Chuck and his former fiancée, Kelly (Helen Hunt) — an encounter that belies the film’s pretentious (two-word) title, since Kelly professes her undying love for Chuck Noland (No-land, get it?).

But the composer’s touch returns later on to help rescue Cast Away’s tacked-on, whimsical finale, a "fateful" contrivance that feels more like a poor imitation of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Rouge / Red than the intended moment of epiphany in the spiritual journey of our hero. Yet, contrived or not, that last scene moves us in spite of ourselves, partly because of Silvestri’s haunting melody and partly because of Tom Hanks’s touching, minimalist look of renewed hope.

Synopsis:

Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is a Federal Express systems engineer who lives by the clock. Totally devoted to his job, Chuck often relegates his girlfriend, Kelly (Helen Hunt), to the sidelines. But on Christmas Eve, he proposes to Kelly right before boarding a FedEx airplane on its way to Malaysia. Chuck, however, never reaches his destination. A serious glitch in the aircraft control system leads to a deviation from the route; strong turbulence then causes the plane to crash in the ocean.

Chuck manages to survive the disaster, and is carried by the ocean current all the way to a remote island. He looks for help, but there is none to be found. He is completely alone on the tiny island. Having been thoroughly obsessed with the value of efficacy and expediency, Chuck must now cope with a life of idleness. A nasty toothache doesn’t help matters any, though Chuck finds comfort in the company of a volleyball, one of several objects from the plane wreckage that were brought to shore by the tide. The ball, named Wilson, becomes Chuck’s buddy, a companion with which he can both chat and fight.

Years pass, until one day a large plastic container washes ashore. Chuck, now much slimmer and fully bearded, sees the object as an ideal sail. He immediately starts building a raft with which he finally manages to escape the island. After being rescued by a cargo ship, Chuck is flown back to the United States—only to discover that Kelly has married someone else and now has a small daughter. Not knowing what to do, Chuck sets out to deliver a special package he had left unopened while on the island. Once more, the course of his life will be radically changed.

EL ABUELO / THE GRANDFATHER: Film Review

LES CHORISTES / THE CHORUS: Film Review

MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004): Film Review

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

MONSTER’S BALL: Film Review

BIG EDEN: Film Review

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

THE FAMILY STONE: Film Review

SIDEWAYS

Ramon Novarro’s Lloyd Wright House

Trackback URI | Comments RSS