Volunteers

Name: Volunteers
Genre: Comedy
Released: August 16, 1985
Duration: 107 min
Rating: 55
Cast: Allan Arbus, Ernest Harada, Gedde Watanabe, George Plimpton, Ji-Tu Cumbuka

1985

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 5 Ratings

See All

5.6

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5.6	Your Score
5.6	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 5 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Volunteers

Now Playing: Volunteers

Movie Details & Credits

TriStar Pictures | Release Date: August 16, 1985 | R

Starring: Allan Arbus, Ernest Harada, Gedde Watanabe, George Plimpton, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, John Candy, Rita Wilson, Tim Thomerson, Tom Hanks, Xander Berkeley

Summary: Lawrence is a rich kid with a bad accent and a large debt. After his father refuses to help him out, Lawrence escapes his angry debtors by jumping on a Peace Corp flight to Southeast Asia, where is assigned to build a bridge for the local villagers with American-As-Apple-Pie WSU Grad Tom Tuttle and the beautiful and down-to earth BethLawrence is a rich kid with a bad accent and a large debt. After his father refuses to help him out, Lawrence escapes his angry debtors by jumping on a Peace Corp flight to Southeast Asia, where is assigned to build a bridge for the local villagers with American-As-Apple-Pie WSU Grad Tom Tuttle and the beautiful and down-to earth Beth Wexler. What they don't realize is that the bridge is coveted by the U.S. Army, a local Communist force, and a powerful drug lord. Together with the help of At Toon, the only English speaking native, they must fight off the three opposing forces and find out what is right for the villagers, as well as themselves.… Expand

Director: Nicholas Meyer

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 107 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Walter Goodman

Take a healthy helping of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a dollop of The Bridge on the River Kwai, a dash of any Tarzan movie, a soupcon of Casablanca, a whiff of The Wizard of Oz and a stunt or two from a favorite Saturday serial, stir frenetically, and if you're lucky enough to have snappy dialogue by Ken Levine and David Isaacs, you may end up with as funny a movie as Volunteers. Read full review

Rick Groen

A comedy boasting a gimmick worth a peek. For, into this remembrance of time past and youth altruistic, the script injects a heavy dose of up-to-the-minute pragmatism. [16 Aug 1985]

Bill Cosford

Volunteers is for the most part so good-natured and eager to please, or at least to solicit laughs, that it may be forgiven many sins. Many of the jokes simply don't work, but in the style forged by Airplane!, Volunteers keeps them coming. Wait long enough, you'll laugh; wait again, you'll laugh again. [16 Aug 1985, p.D1]

Staff (Not Credited)

A blasé Hanks redeems this string of sexist, racist, comic clichés with winning charm. It's funny. Read full review

Paul Attanasio

Volunteers is a collection of one-liners, mostly good, wrapped around an undeveloped story, generally dull. Despite its frequent glimmers of intelligence, it's an unsatisfactory comedy that yawns to a close. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Volunteers is a very broad and mostly flat comedy [from a story by Keith Critchlow] about hijinx in the Peace Corps, circa 1962. Toplined Tom Hanks gets in a few good zingers as an upperclass snob doing time in Thailand, but promising premise and opening shortly descend into unduly protracted tedium. Read full review

Gene Siskel

It's a shame that this often cute script couldn't have better served, and been better served by, its actors. Read full review

SEE ALL 8 REVIEWS

Write a Review

No reviews yet.