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Cast Away

Play trailer 1:58 Poster for Cast Away PG-13 Released Dec 22, 2000 2h 23m Drama Adventure Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 156 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Obsessively punctual FedEx executive Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is en route to an assignment in Malaysia when his plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean during a storm. The sole survivor of the flight, Chuck washes ashore on a deserted island. When his efforts to sail away and contact help fail, Chuck learns how to survive on the island, where he remains for years, accompanied by only his handmade volleyball friend, Wilson. Will Chuck ever return to civilization and reunite with his loved ones?
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Cast Away

Cast Away

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Critics Consensus

Flawed but fascinating, Cast Away offers an intelligent script, some of Robert Zemeckis' most mature directing, and a showcase performance from Tom Hanks.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media Tom Hanks' powerful, brutal and mature story. Rated: 3/5 Dec 22, 2010 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out Though Hanks comes across as blandly as ever, at least his solid performance shows he's up to carrying half a movie on his own, and Zemeckis' direction is at first as busily efficient as the protagonist. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Peter Rainer New York Magazine/Vulture Hanks's Everyman quality has never been more aptly utilized: He's the perfect stand-in for all of us who never made it to Eagle Scout. Sep 26, 2002 Full Review Robin Holabird Robin Holabird Hanks earned a well-deserved best actor Oscar nomination, carrying much of the action without talking to anyone but himself for a Wilson volleyball he finds in a washed-ashore Fed-X box. Aug 11, 2021 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Tom Hanks is the perfect actor for the role. Rated: 4/5 Dec 22, 2020 Full Review Michael Kleinschrodt Times-Picayune "Cast Away" is an exceptionally well-crafted exploration of the survival of the human spirit. It's a movie unafraid to consider the full complexity of life. May 30, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mate P ***SPOILERS*** Cast Away is an amazing film about a very interesting character. The characters are well-written. Chuck is very charismatic, but throughout the journey he goes through lot of changes. The story is very intriguing. I would've preferred the film to be darker, but I also love Zemeckis and William Broyles Jr.'s fairy tale, adventure-like approach. The direction is good, the tone is a mix of adventure and drama. There are horror-like sequences, but that wasn't explored too much, because of the happy ending. The cinematography is also fairy tale-like and beautiful. I don't know how much they shot on location, but the lighting did feel off at times. The editing is wonderful with great pacing and gorgeous transitions. There isn't much score as I had expected, but is beautiful. The visual effects are efficient, especially during the plane sequence. Tom Hanks is extremely charismatic in the role and he carries the movie all the way through. Cast Away shouldn't work this well, but it does thanks to Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis among lots of others. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/06/25 Full Review Miroku M One of my favorite movies of all time . A master piece for sure ! Every time i enjoy watch in it Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/11/25 Full Review Hughe J Cast Away is a Robert Zemekis film starring Tom Hanks who is alone on screen for the majority of the movie. Hanks plays a Fed Ex supervisor who travels the world helping Fed Ex offices in foreign countries. During one of these trips his plane crashes and he is marooned on a deserted island. The majority of the movie takes place on the island with Hanks struggling to stay alive while still hoping for rescue. To say Hanks carries this movie is an understatement so if you like classic Tom Hanks in a serious role then this movie is for you; he was nominated for an Academy Award for this movie in the best actor category. This movie is beautifully shot, the score is excellent, and clearly Robert Zemekis and Tom Hanks work well together so if you haven't seen it yet go watch it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/09/25 Full Review Garrett B Great survival drama starring Tom Hanks. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/18/25 Full Review Shaun R One the great films. A couple of scenes in this movie take it from being great to another level of brilliance. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/16/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 2 hours and 23 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Intense Action Sequences and Disturbing Images!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/14/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Cast Away

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Zemeckis

Director

Tom Hanks

Chuck Noland

Helen Hunt

Kelly Frears

Nick Searcy

Stan

Lari White

Bettina Peterson

Michael Forest

Pilot Jack

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Cast Away

Cast Away: Trailer 1 Cast Away: Trailer 1 1:58 View more videos
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Cast Away

Chuck (Tom Hanks) begins his true journey as he faces the emotional ordeal of isolation. Chuck exults in the fire he has learned to create. After he returns to civilization, Chuck (Tom Hanks) and Kelly (Helen Hunt) have an emotional reunion. Chuck (Tom Hanks) becomes isolated on a remote island after his plane crashes. Chuck's relationship with his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) is important to them both, despite their all-too-frequent periods spent apart. Chuck (Tom Hanks), a consummate problem solver, eventually finds a novel use for the contents of a FedEx box that has washed ashore. Stripped of the conveniences of everyday life, Chuck must first meet the basic needs for survival. Director Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks rehearse scenes in Moscow. Director Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks rehearse scenes in Fiji. Tom Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a FedEx systems engineer whose fast-paced career takes him to far-flung locales, like Moscow. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Obsessively punctual FedEx executive Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is en route to an assignment in Malaysia when his plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean during a storm. The sole survivor of the flight, Chuck washes ashore on a deserted island. When his efforts to sail away and contact help fail, Chuck learns how to survive on the island, where he remains for years, accompanied by only his handmade volleyball friend, Wilson. Will Chuck ever return to civilization and reunite with his loved ones?
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Producer
Steven Boyd, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks
Screenwriter
William Broyles Jr.
Distributor
DreamWorks SKG
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox, Playtone Productions, DreamWorks SKG, ImageMovers
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Action Sequences|Disturbing Images)
Genre
Drama, Adventure, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 22, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$233.6M
Runtime
2h 23m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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