Despite any reports to the contrary, Cast Away continues to melt the hearts of movie fans everywhere. In its 12th week, its earnings are at an all time high of $225,901,006. That's an incredible $111 million over the estimated $115 million it cost to make the movie. Tom Hanks gives a dramatically superb performance as a Federal Express Executive put into extreme circumstances. You go through an emotional roller coaster that take you from everyday life, to solitude and hopelessness, and back again to a new life.
What strikes me most about Cast Away is the way the beginning and the end tie in together. In an ironic twist, the introduction shows us barren farmland in the middle of nowhere. She has a package picked up, and we follow that package all the way to its destination in Russia. In comes Tom Hanks character as Chuck Noland, the executive trying to turn things around to a more efficient time schedule. Time seems to be one of the central themes throughout the story.
In the beginning, we see a man that has time on his hands. He intends to make the most of his time. If it cannot fit into his schedule, then it will not happen. In fact, he never even got around to making his life with longtime girlfriend Kelly Frears (played by Helen Hunt) an official arrangement.
His carefully planned life changes when life gives him an unexpected turn. On route to another job, his plane goes down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The approach to the crash is impressive. The event happened so fast that you could not be sure what was really going on. It happened just as I would have imagined it. The scene was so shocking scene because there was no warning.
Noland washes up on the shore of deserted island. He has nothing but the clothes on his back, and the pocket watch Kelly gave him for Christmas before he left for his trip. He makes quite a statement however when he begins to sort the packages that wash ashore. It is a ridiculous thing to do however he does it out of habit. His life is all about using your time efficiently, specifically in regards to his work. I suppose he does this as a way of staying positive in the hopes that a rescue team will come for him.
It really is not long before Noland accepts his situation as a possibly permanent arrangement. He finally opens all but one of the packages that he had been sorting. One of the packages contained a Wilson volleyball. He uses that ball to make himself a friend. It is such a silly thing to do in real life. Keep in mind that he is stranded alone in the middle of nowhere with no one to talk to. He has some emotions that must come out in some way in order for him to keep sane. It is for this reason that the volleyball becomes an important aspect of his life. He invests quite a bit of his emotions into his little friend. Actually, it is his friend that helps him to become objective.
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