And the Academy Award for Blandest Performance goes to..... (Castaway (DVD))

Member Name: discoboy

Product:	Castaway (DVD)
Date:	26/01/01 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The cinema seats were comfortable

Disadvantages: The film

Why is it that whatever happens to the characters he plays, Tom Hanks always seems to be the same person film after film? Whether he's being really 'serious' in Philadelphia, exploitatively mimicking those with learning difficulties in Forrest Gump or simply playing someone very boring getting marooned on an island, he always manages to portray the same, insipid guy, i.e: Tom Hanks.

In this film, he fares no better. He's just an everyday guy working for FedEx and then his plane crashes into the sea. All well and good. Then we are served standard 'alone on a desert island' stuff. How to make a shelter, how to find drinking water, how to find food and go fishing and make fire. How to make an escape raft... etc, etc, etc. In the case of Cast Away, however, we are treated to the sight of Tom talking to a football with a face on it. Rather an unimaginative way of dealing with discursive narrative problems: "Will the audience understand why he's done that?"
"I know- he can explain it to the football!!" Oh, very clever. How much more interesting and unusual would the film have been if instead the bulk of the material- ie, all the stuff on the island- was played completely without any words at all. That could have been interesting. Instead, we have this.

Truth is, Tom Hanks is a dull, middle of the road guy who plays dull, middle of the road roles, in increasingly dull, middle of the road films.

I wouldn't advise seeing this film. It was a thoroughly wasted 2+ hours.

And yes, he'll probably win another Oscar.

Summary: