Thanks a lot Karl Marx, now I'll never watch Joe vs. the Volcano the same.

 

Okay, If you haven’t seen Joe Vs. The Volcano, you need to watch this iconic Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie, where Meg Ryan plays 3 different characters. It’s hokey, stupid and delightful. Thinking about the symbolism in movies from our class readings, this movie kept coming to the surface for me. At first glance, Joe vs. the Volcano seems like it’s a quirky romantic comedy with weird and surreal visuals, a fairy tale/adventure tone and a happy ending. But when viewing it through a Marxist lens, the film is less whimsical than first thought. 

It is a story about labor, alienation, depression, and the illusion of choice under capitalism, wrapped in bright colors and optimism.

Joe Banks begins the film as a factory worker trapped in a soul crushing job, in manufacturing, that is sucking the life out of him. The visuals and emotion are grey, toxic and unending. The beginning music is “The Company Store” which quite literally is a song about debt bondage and worker exploitation. Workers shuffle in silence, and Joe’s supervisor treats him like garbage. This opening scene functions as an emotional burden emphasizing to Joe and to the audience that Joe’s work has no meaning beyond survival, and his body is slowly being destroyed by the working conditions. The system itself is never questioned by those inside it. This reflects Marx’s claim that capitalism normalizes exploitation by making it feel inevitable.

Then as soon as Joe is told he has a “brain cloud” and is going to die, something interesting happens. Capitalism suddenly opens doors. A wealthy benefactor offers Joe money, travel, adventure and comfort in exchange for his willing human sacrifice to die a hero. This is where the film seems to become oppositional. Joe leaves his terrible job, rejects productivity and stability in the system, and pursues pleasure and adventure. However, this freedom is only possible because money is involved and capitalism intervenes. Joe does not escape the system through resistance or collective action, he escapes because a rich capitalist funds his exit.

The film celebrate,  and even emphasizes, personal liberation while ignoring structural inequality. Joe’s transformation suggests that meaning is found by choosing courage over fear, yet that choice isn’t available to everyone. Most workers do not receive a terminal diagnosis that conveniently releases them from economic obligation. Nor do they receive a suitcase of money to discover themselves. The film frames liberation as a mindset shift rather than a material condition.

So here is the question I want to leave readers with. Is Joe vs. the Volcano actually encouraging us to challenge exploitative systems, or is it teaching us to feel better inside the system by imagining freedom as more of an individual adventure rather than a collective struggle? I would argue it is the latter.

Thanks for reading. 

Also-Here's a link to watch the full length movie for free. I had to rewatch it, for old time's. ;) sake:

 Joe vs the Volcano Full Length