Volunteers

Volunteers


Starring:Tom Hanks, John Candy, Rita Wilson, Tim Thomerson, Gedde Watanabe, George Plimpton, Ernest Harada, Allan Arbus, Xander Berkeley, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Guillermo Río, Jacqueline Evans, Pamela Gual, Philip Guilmant, Chick Hearn, Virginia Kiser, Clyde Kusatsu, Jude Mussetter, Carlos Romano (II), Duncan Ross
Director: Nicholas Meyer
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Before Tom Hanks was an Oscar-winning megacelebrity, before he became a serious and only sometimes comedic actor, before he won that second Oscar, he starred in both romantic comedies (Splash) and lowbrow comedies (Bachelor Party). More lowbrow than romantic (though he did end up marrying costar Rita Wilson), Volunteers is set in 1962, back when the Peace Corps was all the rage. Hanks, speaking with an unfortunate accent meant to represent aristocratic wealth, plays a compulsive gambler, recently graduated from Yale, whose father suddenly refuses to pay his debts. To escape some particularly shady characters, he joins the Peace Corps and boards a plane headed to Southeast Asia.

For a comedy made in the '80s, there is less of a reliance on (Asian) stereotypes for punch lines than one would predict, though the movie is far from being politically sensitive. And speaking of politics, the politics of the movie are all messed up, ending up as a huge indictment of the Peace Corps as a corrupt tool of the government, despite some kind words at the end. Perhaps the biggest drawback of the movie, though, is its 107-minute running time; there's just too much emphasis on plot. Whenever costar John Candy appears, everything picks up, making you wish he was the star and the movie was about his character, Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, Washington. Ultimately, Volunteers ends up a better legacy for Candy than Hanks. --Andy Spletzer
Volunteers
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • John Candy is always funny
  • Two thumbs up from a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
  • John Candy's remake of "The Manchurian Candidate."
  • 2 out of 10
  • Great Laughs
 Volunteers
Starring: Tom Hanks , John Candy , Rita Wilson , Tim Thomerson , and Gedde Watanabe
Director: Nicholas Meyer
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Arbus, AllanArbus, Allan | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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Candy, JohnCandy, John | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Cumbuka, Ji TuCumbuka, Ji Tu | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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Kusatsu, ClydeKusatsu, Clyde | ( K ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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Watanabe, GeddeWatanabe, Gedde | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000399WD
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Amazon.com

Before Tom Hanks was an Oscar-winning megacelebrity, before he became a serious and only sometimes comedic actor, before he won that second Oscar, he starred in both romantic comedies (Splash) and lowbrow comedies (Bachelor Party). More lowbrow than romantic (though he did end up marrying costar Rita Wilson), Volunteers is set in 1962, back when the Peace Corps was all the rage. Hanks, speaking with an unfortunate accent meant to represent aristocratic wealth, plays a compulsive gambler, recently graduated from Yale, whose father suddenly refuses to pay his debts. To escape some particularly shady characters, he joins the Peace Corps and boards a plane headed to Southeast Asia.

For a comedy made in the '80s, there is less of a reliance on (Asian) stereotypes for punch lines than one would predict, though the movie is far from being politically sensitive. And speaking of politics, the politics of the movie are all messed up, ending up as a huge indictment of the Peace Corps as a corrupt tool of the government, despite some kind words at the end. Perhaps the biggest drawback of the movie, though, is its 107-minute running time; there's just too much emphasis on plot. Whenever costar John Candy appears, everything picks up, making you wish he was the star and the movie was about his character, Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, Washington. Ultimately, Volunteers ends up a better legacy for Candy than Hanks. --Andy Spletzer

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars John Candy is always funny.......2006-01-13

"Volunteers" was a comedy that has some laughs but should have had more considering the talent involved. Tom Hanks, John Candy, Rita Wilson, and Tim Thomerson star and do their best with the material. Hanks plays a rich Yale graduate who is in trouble with gambling debts. When his father refuses to pay, he escapes by getting on a Peace Corp plane. Wilson and Candy play people who actually volunteered for the Peace Corp and Thomerson is the government representative in Thailand. The movie's biggest problem is too many plotlines and not enough time to work them all out properly. But John Candy is funny as he always is as "Tom Tuttle from Tacoma" and Thomerson turns out to be CIA and nuts (his knife is named Mike and he holds conversations with it). The volunteers build a bridge that it turns out is wanted by the US government, the communists and a local drug lord. John Candy gets brainwashed by the commies, Rita and Tom fall in love and eventually the bridge gets blown up.

Volunteers isn't a great movie, but it has some laughs and is better the second time you watch it.

5 out of 5 stars Two thumbs up from a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.......2005-12-22

Being a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer myself I find this film hysterical. The first time I saw it, in fact, was while in Peace Corps at a training session with fellow volunteers. We couldn't stop laughing the entire time! It's just ridiculously overdone - and wonderful because of it :)

Sure, it's campy and the jokes are predictable, but it was never meant to be a high-brow film. The jokes are often over the top and half the plot is totally unrealistic, but it's funny nonetheless - perhaps moreso if only because of these things.

I highly recommend this movie - John Candy and Tom Hanks always shine as a comedic pair and this movie is no exception. Hanks' cluelessly priveleged character coupled with Candy's overzealous patriotic naivety is a perfect comedic match-up.

4 out of 5 stars John Candy's remake of "The Manchurian Candidate.".......2005-09-19

Lawrence Bourne III (Tom Hanks) is escaping a domestic debt. In the process he takes someone else's place in the Peace Corps. Finding the people around him a little too obsessed with their mission; He attempts of add a little civilization to it.

This movie shows glimpses into the way governments are run and the people that make it happen. How the Peace Corps makes a difference in the lives of the natives and the people in the Corps. Bridging the gap among factions (why build a bridge and its eventual use). Some are manipulators and some are sincere. The best are gung-ho (John Candy).

Worth seeing. It gets better with each viewing.

1 out of 5 stars 2 out of 10.......2004-08-18

Volunteers is a film I wished that I never saw. It is so bad that I was miserable after finishing it. Was it supposed to be a comedy or an adventure? Throw in bad jokes. Add psychotic John Candy. Steal the idea of The Bridge On the River Kwai. What do you have? I don't know. The greatest disappointment in this film was John Candy. That wasn't the definitive John Candy that I know. Before viewing Volunteers, I was expecting tons of crack jokes. After viewing Volunteers, what a let down! The anticipation of boredom was the last thing on my mind. I am gravely disappointed in this film. Worst part also is the supposed romance between Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. Really, what romance? I don't see the chemistry.

4 out of 5 stars Great Laughs.......2004-02-24

This comedy really struck me as great. Some have bashed Tom Hanks in this movie as unfunny and John Candy as the highlight, but I think Tom Hanks is just plain hilarious, but then again I've always loved dead-pan humor. Candy on the other hand is the fallguy to Hanks straightman.
The basic plot is Hanks is a rich prick in serious debt and joins the peace corps to get away from it all. While in Thailand, Tom Hanks has to learn to become a better person. Simple premise, but, like I said earlier, you'll love it.
Also, this film features and early score by James Horner, which is a nice bonus for soundtrack fans.
Truthfully the only reason this film did not get 5 stars was the lack of DVD features, but the flick itself is great. Worth your cash.
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    Starring: Fields of Glory
    Manufacturer: Computer Group Inc.
    ProductGroup: DVD
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    Fields of Glory, an INHD original series narrated by college sports broadcasting legend Brent Musburger, captures the pageantry, grand history and time-honored traditions of college football's greatest stadiums. This series gives viewers a never-before-seen view of these "cathedrals" on the most important day of the week- game day. University of Tennessee: Neyland Stadium- On one side, there's the Tennessee River, where fans arrive by boat and tailgate hours before kickoff. On the other, there is the historic center of UT's Old Campus. Rising above it all are the Smoky Mountains, a perfect scenic backdrop for a fall Saturday afternoon. Join Fields of Glory as we take in some of the best views in college football at Neyland Stadium.
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      2000 NCAA(R) Division I Women's Basketball Championship
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                  ASIN: B000NO2FOW
                  Release Date: 2007-02-23

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                    Release Date: 2007-02-23

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