Tags: Helen Hunt | Lari White | Leonid Citer | Paul Sanchez | Robert Zemeckis | Tom Hanks

Sometimes I wish Tom Hanks was my dad. He could pay off my student loans with one check, take me to baseball games and introduce me to Hollywood hookers.

And the guy is just likeable on-screen, which is why he gets the big money. Cast Away (check out the Widescreen Edition) bestows Hanks a wide canvas on which to shine, as much of the film stars only himself and island characters like trees, fruits and a sex doll volleyball.

Marooned in the South Pacific, Hanks struggles to maintain sanity and a healthy diet against the odds, at times cracking up and at times climbing up the heirarchy of needs toward some sort of primitive self-actualization.

The island portion of the story is truly gripping, although his return to corrupt society less so. If The Perfect Storm had been condensed into the first half of Castaway, that would have rocked pretty hard. But the film as it is still very entertaining. Oscarville.

Thinky rating: Will you please be my daddy, Mr. Coconut counting man?