Cast Away
At some point in time all of us have heard the phrase "If you were stranded on an islandÉ" It's usually followed by some inane question such as "Who would you want to be with?" or "What would you take with you?" However, if actually confronted with such a survival situation most of us would not have the slightest idea of what to do. The film Cast Away explores how an ordinary man overcomes this challenge and how the experience changes him.
Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is a FedEx efficiency expert ruled by time. The movie begins with Noland chewing out the employees of a FedEx warehouse in Moscow. He is telling them that we "live and die by the clock" while the ruskies look like they are hoping for a return to communism so that they don't have to deal with this bullshit.
Upon his return to the States we learn that Noland is engaged to girlfriend Kelly Freers (Helen Hunt) before he is whisked away on another efficiency crisis. During the flight the plane crashes into the ocean leaving Noland the sole survivor on a desolate tropical island that would break the heartiest "Survivor" contestant. He learns to use the limited resources (including the FedEx packages that wash ashore) to survive both physically and mentally.
The film works best during the time that Noland is stranded on the island. Through Tom Hanks' terrific performance you understand his frustration when he fails and his celebration when he overcomes obstacles. The scene in which he finally creates fire is especially poignant. Another great scene occurs when he is overcome with a toothache and decides to knock the tooth out using an ice skate from one of the packages and a rock. The whole scene looks and feels like the most painful thing ever.
Without any other characters the island scenes rely heavily on Tom Hanks' strong acting ability. He almost convinces you that Wilson is an actual person as he carries on conversations with the volleyball (named after its brand). Cast Away allows Tom Hanks to showcase his acting ability in the same way that Good Morning Vietnam allowed Robin Williams to showcase his comedic talent.
Unfortunately, the film falls flat in the scenes after Noland is rescued. The whole relationship between Noland and Kelly lacks chemistry and seems a little contrived. The film also runs about 20 minutes too long as Director Robert Zemeckis (What Lies Beneath) hammers into us the meaning of the unopened package and having Noland stand at a crossroads intersection (oohhh that represents the crossroads in his life -- wow, that's deep). The one important thing that Zemeckis does accomplish is to show us that Noland is clearly not the same person he was before this experience.
One obvious question after watching this film is "How much cash did FedEx pay to be in this film"? That freaking logo is everywhere. Besides the crass commercialism, I kind of resented how this film portrayed FedEx as one big happy family. Maybe it's the cynic in me, but what kind of a company pages someone during Christmas dinner? Even Ebeneezer Scrooge gave his employees Christmas day off.
Overall, Cast Away is a good film worth watching once. It's a little bit heavy on the symbolism but makes an excellent point about how we are ruled by the clock and take simple things, such as shelter and food, for granted. Tom Hanks' performance makes it well worth the cost of the rental.
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Although the movie's tone is serious, a great drinking game might be to have a drink every time the FedEx logo is shown. You won't last twenty minutes.
By the end of the movie most women will be hoping for a rekindling of the Tom Hanks-Helen Hunt romance, while most guys will have wished the movie ended 20 minutes ago.
Buy this movie from Amazon.com
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