"And 'Away' We Go!"
by Scott Mantz

"Cast Away"
Tom Hanks
Helen Hunt
Directed by Robert Zemeckis

"Now, where the heck was this thing when I needed it?" Tom Hanks ponders his fate after he is "Cast Away"

Have you ever thought about what you would want with you if you were stuck on a deserted island? As for me, I would want the entire Beatles catalog on CD, every episode of the original "Star Trek" on DVD, and, of course, the most beautiful woman you could possibly imagine (in this case, Denise Richards). Oh, and a solar-powered entertainment system would come in pretty handy, too!

In "Cast Away," two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks is afforded none of these luxuries. In fact, his situation makes Gilligan's Island seem like Beverly Hills by comparison. After he miraculously survives a harrowing plane crash, he finds himself stranded--alone--on a remote island. The film, which re-teams Hanks with his "Forrest Gump" director Robert Zemeckis, may fall short in some areas, but this tale of a modern-day Robinson Crusoe more than fits the bill as one of the most sublime, absorbing, and touching cinematic experiences of the year.

Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is a workaholic Federal Express troubleshooter who's more dedicated to his stressful job than he is to his way-too-understanding girlfriend (Helen Hunt). When a work emergency calls him away from their Christmas dinner, little do both of them realize that it will be four years before they see each other again. After the perfect storm downs Noland's plane in the south Pacific, he washes up on a tiny deserted island, grateful to be alive. Or is he? What might have seemed like the perfect getaway for some turns out to be a nightmare for Noland. Now stripped of his everyday amenities, he is forced to battle starvation, and even worse, isolation, if he is going to take the crown away from Richard Hatch and become the ultimate survivor (sorry, I couldn't resist!).

It goes without saying that Tom Hanks is one of the most accomplished and respected actors of the last 50 years. His unique and approachable everyman quality easily sets him apart from his most popular contemporaries (including Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, and Bruce Willis), and every time he releases a movie, it has the words "Oscar Buzz" written all over it.

"Cast Away" is no exception. Director Robert Zemeckis shut down production for over 8 months (during which time he filmed last summer's ode-to-Hitchcock "What Lies Beneath") so that Hanks could lose the weight (around 60 pounds) needed to show the effects of a man trapped in solitude.

The physical, mental, and emotional transformation that Hanks goes through during this virtual one-man show is nothing short of spectacular. His performance runs a gamut of emotions, including shock, fear, despair, insanity, and finally, desperation. His predicament is captured in the most realistic and painful way possible, and he effectively conveys the isolation and despondency that would consume anyone in this situation. Despite this, he still manages to develop a meaningful relationship with--of all things--a volleyball (named Wilson--get it?) and, not surprisingly, he pulls it off.

Helen Hunt fleshes out what is an otherwise brief role with such credibility that you feel like she was there the whole time (and in a way, she was. Hanks uses her picture to ease his crippling loneliness). When she is finally reunited with Hanks after 4 years apart, she handles the conflict in a heartfelt and heartbreaking way.

With "Cast Away," Robert Zemeckis once again proves that he can take chances and still deliver the commercial goods just like the best of them. The film contains what is easily the most terrifying plane crash ever committed to celluloid, and even though you're waiting for it to happen, Zemeckis still manages to catch you completely off guard. Also, after Hanks washes up on shore, there are long stretches of time without any music or dialogue to accompany the film (after all, who's he going to talk too?). It's a bold approach, and like with the recently-released "Unbreakable," you either go with it or you don't.

"Cast Away" is not a perfect film, and it misses the boat (if you'll pardon the expression) in two key places. Despite seeing Hanks master the skills he needs on order to survive, the film is missing that crucial scene where he loses hope and surrenders to his circumstances. Also, when he finally returns home, the ease with which he settles back into civilization is lacking the difficulty that would have invariably resulted after so much time alone (although there are some subtle touches).

These are minor squabbles, since the film is so convincing, moving, and thought-provoking. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our everyday lives, and too often we forget to stop and smell the roses. In "Cast Away," Hanks gets the time (and plenty of it) to re-evaluate his priorities, and he miraculously gets a second chance at life. "Cast Away" may not be the film that I would want with me if I was stuck on a deserted island (that honor would go to "The Empire Strikes Back"), but it still fits the bill as a cinematic paradise that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit.

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