Tom Hanks' Bonkers 'Odyssey' Replacement Is Officially Streaming Free

Published Sep 30, 2026, 7:51 AM EDT

Lloyd 'Happy Trails' Farley: the man, the myth, the legend. What can be said about this amazing - and humble - man that hasn't been said before? Or, more accurately, what can be said in public? Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Lloyd is a master of puns and a humorist, who has authored one pun book to date - Pun and Grimeish Mint - and is working on a second. His time with Collider has allowed Lloyd's passion for writing to explode, with nearly 1,000 articles to his name that have been published on the site, with his favorite articles being the ones that allow for his sense of humor to shine. Lloyd also holds fast to the belief that all of life's problems can be answered by The Simpsons, Star Wars, and/or The Lion King. You can read more about Lloyd on his website, or follow his Facebook page and join the Llama Llegion. Happy trails!

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are such an iconic pairing that it’s almost impossible to believe they’ve only appeared in four films together, only two of which spring immediately to mind: Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. The fourth, 2015's Ithaca (which was also directed by Ryan) was a letdown, but it’s their first, 1990's Joe Versus the Volcano, that set the precedent for its more successful kin. A bonkers romcom that has elements of screwball comedy, satire, existentialism – and, yes, The Odyssey – wrapped up in a fairy tale, this underappreciated classic has a chance to come out from behind the shadows of its successors now that it's streaming for free on Tubi.

In 'Joe Versus the Volcano,' A Man Finds Life, and Love, En Route to Death

Joe Banks (Tom Hanks) is an ashen-faced, sickly and listless office worker in a dark and dreary factory, where his only escape is the colorful Polynesian lamp on his desk — at least until his unpleasant boss demands he put it away. It's a joyless existence, yet somehow it gets even worse when Dr. Ellison (Robert Stack) diagnoses him with a rare disease called a "brain cloud." It comes with no symptoms, and it will kill him within six months, tops, so he might as well live his last days making the most of them. Joe takes the advice to heart, and promptly tells his boss off, quits his job, and, finally, has the courage to ask his former coworker, DeDe (Meg Ryan), out on a date, which ends on a sour note after DeDe declares that she can't deal with his impending doom.

Disappointing, but with the new day comes an unexpected proposition from wealthy industrialist Samuel Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges). He needs "bubaru," a mineral required to produce superconductors, and the only place it's available is on Waponi Woo, a tiny island in the Pacific. The native Waponis need a volunteer to appease the fire god of the volcano on the island by jumping freely into the volcano. To Graynamore's thinking, since Joe is dying anyway, he could be the solution, and so he offers to pay for whatever Joe wants in his final days on one condition: he must jump into the volcano within 20 days. Joe agrees, and goes on a wild shopping spree, with help from his chauffeur and a fervent luggage salesman.

The next day, he flies to Los Angeles, where he's met by flighty socialite Angelica (Ryan), one of Graynamore's daughters, who takes him to her father's yacht, captained by her half-sister Patricia (Ryan). Patricia and Joe get off to a stormy start, but just as they grow closer, a storm begins — a typhoon that knocks them off the boat before lightning sinks it. Luckily, Joe's luxury steamer trunks make a handy raft, and they drift to their destination, where the Waponis treat them to a grand feast. Finally, the time comes for Joe to face his fate . . .

'Joe Versus the Volcano' Is Beautiful to Watch In More Ways Than One

Don't worry: Joe Versus the Volcano is indeed a fairy-tale, one where Joe and Patricia live happily ever after. And it's simply beautiful to watch, especially considering the chemistry between its two leads (and Ryan's stellar work as three different characters will literally have you fall in love with her all over again). Director John Patrick Shanley gives the movie an artful direction that isn't typical of the genre. The film begins in the dreary gray of the work world, where souls are sucked dry and individualism has fallen prey to an obedient collective. But after Joe gets his diagnosis, color starts to appear in his world, starting with the stark red of the building he walks out of, which frames a sweet moment where Joe is seen in the distance stopping a boy walking his dog, hugging the dog and then the boy.

And as he draws closer to his death, his world gets more and more colorful and wondrous, a visual representation of the irony of Joe finding life only when he's faced with death. Particularly striking is when Joe, afloat on the makeshift raft as Patricia still lies unconscious from the events of the typhoon, takes in the full moon in all its glory, rising on the horizon and filling the screen. By the time Joe and Patricia reach the island, bright colors are literally everywhere.

Joe Versus the Volcano is beautiful, yes, and its central theme of the meaning of life is upfront and simple. But the film is deceptively smart, too. When Joe quits, he takes along the three books that are on his desk: Robinson Crusoe, Romeo and Juliet, and The Odyssey. It's a clever allusion to how the film weaves all three works into its narrative. Of particular interest these days, of course, is the latter, with Christopher Nolan's epic having dominated the box office over the summer.

Like Odysseus, Joe's journey to self-awareness is long and filled with obstacles, with imagery of a crooked path peppered throughout the film. The world-wise chauffeur (Ossie Davis) is a mentor, directly comparable to Athena (Zendaya), while Ryan's three characters, too, loosely mirror elements from The Odyssey, like the Sirens and Calypso. Then there's the storm, the most overtly comparable. But that's for the scholarly: for those that want a romantic comedy that's different, a little bonkers, and most importantly free, you can't go wrong with Joe Versus the Volcano.