Product Description

A young man escapes the bookies he owes $28,000 by fleeing to Thailand with a group of Peace Corps volunteers.
Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: R
Street Date: 02/03/04
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12569 in DVD
• Brand: EMI
• Released on: 2000-02-29
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.20 pounds
• Running time: 107 minutes

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

"Move This Log And I'll Sleep With Each One Of You".
Back in 1984, Tom Hanks was on a roll. After making it big on the small screen in the popular comedy, Bosom Buddies, and making an even bigger "Splash" in the 1983 film directed by Ron Howard, Hanks started gaining prominance as an actor. His next film, 1984s Bachelor Party, brought his persona to a much different audience which did not stop the film from becoming a success. 1985s Volunteers, however, would be a different story. Although this film is about Ivy Leager, Lawrence Bourne III (Hanks) who joins the Peace Corp to get out of a gambling dept, it is not for a huge audience. However, there are a couple of important reasons to own it.

1. This was the 2nd and final teaming of Hanks with fellow "Splash" costar, John Candy, who's performance in this film as the goodnatured Tom Tuttle can be hard not to laugh at (the brainwashing scene is a killer).

2. Volunteers is the movie where Hanks met his wife, Rita Wilson, who costars with him as Beth Wexler. It's just a lot of fun to watch the chemestry between these two and also quite touching since they are still together today. One of my favorite scenes is when Beth is unsuccessfully trying to get the natives to move a log, so Lawrence tells her to repeat something he says in their language, and after she does, the natives scurry the log away. "What did I just say?", she asks him. He replies, "Move this log and I'll sleep with each one of you". A silly but intimate exchange between the two of them.

This DVD is not bad as far as price is concerned and it's even shown in the Widescreen Format (1.85:1), but you may not know that since the back of the case is a bit unclear (the only indication is "Aspect 16:9", which some people may not understand). Even the original theatrical trailer is here in Widescreen. Plus you even get some nice Cast & Crew Bios.

So if you really enjoy Tom Hanks and/or John Candy, check this film out.

"It's not that I can't help these people, it's just that...I don't want to".-Tom Hanks as Lawrence Bourne III

Great Laughs
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.

A lot better movie than it gets credit for.
Glad to see only one bad review for this movie. I loved it. It really just depends what you like in a movie. I loved 1941 but hated American Pie. If your an Adam Sandler fan then I bet you hate it too. If your a Hanks or Candy fan then you must see it. Alan5973 has most of the high points covered. Great lines. The Tom Tuttle from Tacoma brainwash is classic. I also think it is cool seeing Hanks and Wilson together.