Tom Hanks Movie: ***^ Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

 Joe (Tom Hanks) is down and miserable.  He is in a rut job, he has no relationships, ha has a boss from hell and he is hypochondriac.  All his money goes to paying doctor bills.  Finally the doctor tells him he has six months to live due to brain fog.  

This sets him free.  He quits his job, and asks his coworker, DeDe (Meg Ryan) on a date.  They have a good time, but when he mentions he has terminal illness the date ends.  She can't go with him as she needs her job.

Then he meets Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges) who offers him a job to jump into a volcano.  For this his last six months will be great and no lack of money.  He accepts.  

He meets Angelica (Meg Ryan) who is Graynamore's daughter.  She is nice.  She gets him from the plane to the boat that will take him to the island.  On the boat he meets another daughter, Patricia (Meg Ryan).  The are off on a sail boat to the island with the volcano.  He has four larghe trunks.  The sail into a typhoon, and the ship is lost.  However Joe saves Patricia, and his luggage.  They float on top of the luggage.  They finally spark a romance and kiss.  Joe tells Patricia what he is doing, going to jump into a volcano.  They are finally rescued by the island natives.  Joe is still determined to jump into the volcano.  However they confess their love and the island ruler marries them.  Patricia decides to jump in with him, and the volcano spits them out.  Somehow the luggage is also spit out and they have a make shift boat in which to sail into the sunset.  They also discover the doctor that told hm of his dying was actually Graynamore's doctor and that Joe was being played.  

This is a movie with a ridiculous plot that somehow works.  Meg Ryan playing three roles also seems to work.  

Movie Review: ****The Thanksgiving Promise

This is a made for TV (for Wonderful World of Disney) which was first shown 23 Nov. 1986.  It is based on the novel "Chester, I Love You" written by Mormon authors Blaine and Brenton Yorganson.  The movie was made by the Bridges family, and many of the family star in the movie with Lloyd Bridges as the neighbor, Beau Bridges as director and father, and his son Jordan Bridges as Travis Tilby.  Travis is the younger brother who doesn't quite add up to his older two brothers.  His neighbor find a wounded gosling, and hires Travis to raise it so as they can have it for Thanksgiving dinner.  Travis bonds with the goose.  He does get into trouble, but he also warns the family of a fire, and they are able to save their neighbor who has had a poor relationship with Chester as he likes to eat her flowers.
There is also a side story with some bullies in the community, who pick on Travis and injure Chester.  However Chester ends up being OK and headed for the chopping block.
Travis tries to teach Chester to fly, as a way to save his life, hoping he will fly South.  He does fly, but comes back.  Travis takes the hatchet to the chopping block to say goodbye after expressing his love.
This is a good uplifting movie.  I have also read the book, which I liked a bit better as it gave us Travis' thoughts, which were lacking.  It made his fight against the rope climb more meaningful.