Cast Away

2000, VHS from the library

You should know

I’ve honestly never seen this movie before, but I am a big fan of Lost. In fact, between Lost and Girl Scouting, I kept yelling at Tom Hanks’s character for his survival tactics. Not that I think I’d do any better.

So?

I’m not sure I bought the romance between Chuck and Kelly, at least in the opening scenes. Tom Hanks had more chemistry with Wilson the Volleyball than with Helen Hunt. Every scene did its job, but the understated scenes were definitely the more powerful, such as when Chuck and Wilson discussed the suicide test run.

The lack of score wasn’t noticeable until it returned, and even though Tom Hanks does all the acting for most of the movie, the portion that takes place on the island speeds by. His return to civilization is jarring and awkward, which is obviously the point, but it’s not the right kind of awkward. It’s more the awkward of leads who don’t click and a supporting actor who seems to be made of cardboard.

Rating

See it once.
I’m glad I saw it. It’s a powerful movie, and well-done. Wilson, at the very least, is a cultural icon, and you’d have a hard time convincing me that Cast Away didn’t, on some level, inspire Lost. Still, I don’t regret missing its theatrical run, nor do I feel the urge to run out and buy the DVD. If you haven’t seen it and are at the rental place or the library, pick up a copy. Otherwise, no rush; it’ll be on TV soon enough.

The rest of the Internet

Decent reviews from Rotten Tomatoes.
Wikipedia talks themes.
Movie Mistakes lists a lot of continuity errors that, I admit, I didn't catch.

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