Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

SnoopyStyle It's 1962. Lawrence Bourne III (Tom Hanks) is a spoiled rich playboy. He graduates from Yale with a $28k gambling debt. His father refuses to pay and the violent creditor is aiming to collect. He escapes switching places with his roommate Kent who is going to Thailand for Peace Corps. US official John Reynolds (Tim Thomerson) assigns him, Tom Tuttle from Tacoma (John Candy) and Beth Wexler (Rita Wilson) to build a bridge. Local At Toon (Gedde Watanabe) is the only English speaker. The bridge is important for the CIA, the Communists and a local drug lord.The comedy is broad. Tom Hanks is likable even as a scheming douche. That's a special skill. He has the best comedic chemistry with Watanabe. At least, he seems to have the most time with him. John Candy isn't nearly as lovable. He's either separated from the group or brainwashed. Brainwashed Candy is only an one-joke character. The jokes don't work enough. Rita Wilson rolls her eyes disapprovingly at Hanks a lot. There are some good moments like Candy vs the tiger. The movie never fully takes off as a comedy.

theowinthrop VOLUNTEERS was the second and last time Tom Hanks was teamed with one of the few television based comedians who could match him as a film actor: John Candy. They had been brothers in SPLASH, and VOLUNTEERS makes them fellow members of the Peace Corps. They proved to have good chemistry again here - but no follow-up film showed up for them after this. Pity, but maybe just as well as they each would make their own line of comic masterpieces.VOLUNTEERS is also one of the first times that Hanks plays a somewhat unlikeable (if charming) type. Lawrence Osborne IV is a patrician who has just gone through four years at Yale University. We never know what his major was, but he certainly has enjoyed extra-curriculum activities (such as dating the valedictorian of Smith College), and winning multi-thousand dollar poker matches with vicious opponents. But Lawrence owes a gambling hall owner (Alan Arbus) $14,000.00, and decides to bet it all double or nothing on the outcome of a basketball championship the next day (his graduation date from Yale). He is listening to the game on a radio (while missing the speech by guest speaker President John F. Kennedy) at the ceremony - and hears his bet going down the tubes. That night he asks his father (George Plimpton) for the $28,000. But the senior Osborne actually is very realistic - he feels that being beaten and injured for such a stupid bet is just what Lawrence needs, and he refuses to pay the bet. Chased by Arbus's bouncer/collector (Ji-Tu Cumbuku, as a no-nonsense collector who will go as far as possible to get Lawrence, whom he hates), Lawrence hies to New York's Idlewild Airport, and manages to get onto a plane as a member of the Peace Corps group going to Thailand.Lawrence meets Beth Wexler (Rita Wilson - now Mrs. Hanks in real life), a New York medical student, and Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, Washington (Candy) who is an intensive student of management psychiatry. Candy is also an engineer. When they are taken to a village for their service by helicopter operator John Reynolds (Tim Thompson) they find they are assigned to build a bridge connecting this village with the other shore. Soon it turns out that others are interested in that bridge: the local war lord and opium dealer (Chumg Mee - Ernest Harada) and the local Communists insurgents. While Lawrence tries to get back home (and finds his wise father has made it impossible for him to do so), he finds that he has annoyed Beth (who is more impressed by Reynolds), and he is dealing with the over-active and inept Tuttle. But soon Tuttle vanishes into the jungle (and into the hands of the Communists) while Lawrence finds he needs to rely on a smart local villager (Gedde Wantanabe) which is good because both men are threatened by the war lord to get that bridge built or else. What follows is a delight, as Lawrence does build the bridge, and then realizes (much as Col. Nicholson does at the end of THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI) that it was a dreadful mistake, and the poor villagers are in danger from two evil groups as a result.Hanks never loses his charm and insouciance, even as he grows into a responsible local leader. Candy is a wonder as an would-be world saver, an over-achiever who insults people as he tries to show he has a heart. Wilson is good explaining how she wants to help the villagers, speaking in Thai - but telling how she wants to kill them! Wantanabe is constantly finding his warnings and realistic view of the situation is ignored and he gets injured as a result (or even sexually threatened by a trio of sumo-wrestler guards of the War Lord). And Thompson has only one really close friend - his knife. He makes George Macready's relationship with his sword stick in GILDA look matter-of-fact in comparison. Finally there is a definite love affair with David Lean in this film. Besides the similarities with THE RIVER KWAI (including Candy whistling "Col. Bogie's March" and saying, "What have I done!") there is the concluding shot of Hanks (having brought prosperity to the village) being cheered by the people with cries of "Lawrence, Lawrence!". Wonderful comedy here.

tfrizzell Snotty Ivy League student Tom Hanks hops on a Peace Corps plane to 1960s Southeast Asia to elude gambling debts. He immediately meets love interest Rita Wilson and screw-ball John Candy as the trio gets immersed in an elaborate scheme to build a bridge ala "Bridge on the River Kwai" and fall in with brainwashed Communists and deviant drug pushers. Not near as interesting as it all sounds as Hanks does what he can early, but then the whole thing crumbles as our heroes begin to get put into dumb situation after dumb situation. Tom Hanks is some kind of Errol Flynn clone here as his antics obviously won the heart of co-star Wilson as the duo are married still today. Other than that tidbit though, "Volunteers" makes no lasting impression. 2 stars out of 5.

MovieLuvaMatt I don't see why this film has such a bad reputation, and is probably regarded as the worst in Tom Hanks' career. Sure, it's no "Forrest Gump," but as a broad comedy it works out well. Hanks is passionate about every role he plays, and this case was no different. He's very funny as his snooty rich character. Adding to the comic relief are Gedde Watanabe (of "Sixteen Candles") and the always-funny John Candy. The plot is predictable, but there are many amusing moments. Plus, it's refreshing to see a comedy that's Rated R!!! Sure, it's no hard R, but nowadays filmmakers are so afraid to release comedies with R-ratings that it's not even funny--no pun intended. My score: 7 (out of 10)