In one of the loneliest films in all of history, I watched the 2000 Robert Zemeckis film:

Cast Away is a film about a man named Chuck Noland, an executive head of distribution for FedEx that is the lone survivor on a cargo plane crash; washing him ashore on a deserted island.

Here, Chuck must fight to survive against the wilderness (or lack thereof) and his own mind.

This film was shot in two sections: One when Tom Hanks was at his heaviest, and then they took a ten month break (and used the exact same crew to film What Lies Beneath) and then resumed the second part after so that Tom could lose a drastic amount of weight and grow a beard.

The film’s pace is that of a turtle, which can certainly turn some off. It’s not meant to be thrilling or life-affirming (except for a few scenes), but it does something well: it makes you understand Chuck’s struggle.

Where/ when did I first see it?

I saw it at Plourde Century Theatre in Fort Kent when it was released (or at the latest a month later due to the delay).

How does it hold up?

So at first glance back in 2000, I liked the movie, but thought it was sort of boring. As the years progressed I watched it a few more times, liking it more and more as time progressed.

But when an ex-girlfriend dumped me in 2009, I decided the next night to watch this movie.

This viewing engrossed me, as I too felt alone “lost on an island.” And the end speech he gave his friend touched me so much, that I decided to write it down, word for word. By the time I was done this viewing it was nearly 2:30 AM and I was exhausted.

Now, in retrospect, I think my reaction at that moment was silly, but back then it was reasonable.

What did I like about it and why?

I liked a lot of things in this film. I think Tom Hanks delivered an awesome performance. He seemed to react realistically to his surroundings and find clever ways of solving his problems… That was until John, August, and I (of the Not Quite Hollywood) podcast watched it for our communal movie, and they ruined a lot of it for me.

Upon further reflection, there are a few issues with the script of the film; namely how Chuck goes about his tasks.

I still enjoyed it this last viewing, but I’m worried it won’t hold up as well as it had once before.

Lessons Learned?

1. Don’t let people influence your enjoyment of things.
2. (At the beginning of the film): Tom Hanks needs to lose weight.
3. (Near the end of the film): Tom Hanks could stand to eat a cheeseburger.

Where can you see it?

Check out Cast Away on CanIStream.It?

-Jamie (@GuyOnAWire)

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