Toujours prêts

before they started winning oscars, struggling actors such as tom hanks and robin williams used to be... SURPRISE!! funny! volunteers is a great example of a movie that refuses to take its leading actors seriously and is all the better for it. this is not a "star vehicle" but is rather an irreverant tongue-in-cheek romp. it takes its cues from saturday night live, sctv, monty python, and cheesy off-broadway one-act plays. in return, it is spoofed by one particular hollywood blockbuster to follow, austin powers goldmember. mike myers must have been as impressed with the "reading the subtitles" joke, as well as the "asian guy on the toilet/being chased by sumo wrestler" schtick. but rather than beat the jokes to death, volunteers assumes we are smart enough to catch them on the fly. i bought this in a $5.00 dvd bin, and was reminded why i liked the movie so much in the first place. it is never particularly mean to any of its subjects, including the primitive thai villagers, the communist revolutionaries, yalies, jews, liberals, conservatives, or any of the other fringe elements put into play. as a result, volunteers doesn't insult me as an intelligent movie viewer. by the way, i had forgotten how humorously effective was the "lawrence's bar" scene where the local musician plinks out an oddly romantic version of "as time goes by" on an asian sitar.

volunteers is the sort of movie actors must do just for fun. y'know... when they're not too busy trying to win oscars.

Volunteers (1985) is quite a comedy. It can't be taken too seriously, but it does have that deeper aspect as well - it's how do we know, when those who are developed don't want to be developed. Volunteers say we don't.

Tom Hanks isn't as convincing as he is in his later movies, but it's his teamwork with late John Candy that really gives a spark to this movie. What a comedian we lost when we lost John Candy! I would recommend Volunteers for those who enjoy clever but simply ridiculous comedy. It's the level of exaggeration that makes this movie as funny as it is. I must have watched it at least four times, and John Candy has really made me feel great every time.

It's been 15 years since I've seen this film, but still; Everytime I hear Tom Hanks name, it's the first thing to pop into my head.

For those who have enjoyed Tom's more recent movies, it's a must see. You can really see the development in his career.

For those who have never really been interested in any of Tom's more recent "chick flicks", this movie will show you the old Tom, before he realized that... well... Chick Flicks = Oscars and $$$.

I'm surprised I don't see it more often on T.V.

(but I guess Oscars=money, or is it time=money.... no... Opium=money and money=power.... or is it Opium=power and.... No.. Power=mon...)

-=-Inside joke for those who've seen the movie-=-

John Candy really shines in this classic. Don't believe the nay-sayers. This is a very funny movie. Besides, Tom Hanks met his wife while filming this picture (she co-stars). If you like Tom Hanks and John Candy, you are sure to enjoy this movie. Rent it or buy it. I watch it often.

It is "R" rated, but mostly for language I think, as there is just one very brief scene of partial nudity. It is not nearly as bad as many present-day movies rated "R", and I would not hesitate to have my grandchildren (11 and 13) watch it.

Bill

"Volunteers" successfully spoofs more classic films than any other - from Casablanca, through Bridge over the River Kwai, to Lawrence of Arabia, they're all there if you're watching carefully enough.

It also offers a glimpse of a much younger, fresher and more natural Tom Hanks than the over-processed multi-millionaire product we see so much of today.

Full of belly-laughs and quick fire one liners, and packed with so many more subtle references that you'll have to pay close attention and watch it many times to pick up even half of them, this hilarious film really does the job. The Austin Powers and Naked Gun series are almost the only others packing this much fast paced humour into a feature film. Highly recommended!