Movie Review: Tom Hanks holds much of ‘Cast Away’ on his own

Rare is the performer who can hold a movie on his or her own for more than half of the film’s running time.

Well, OK ... in Tom Hanks’ case, on his own with some help from a volleyball.

Being shown by Freeform on Tuesday, May 14, the somewhat underrated 2000 drama “Cast Away” showcases one of the greatest challenges the two-time Oscar winner has had in his career. Playing a FedEx worker who ends up the lone survivor of a plane crash and must learn to survive on an otherwise deserted island, Hanks is thoroughly compelling to watch.

As it becomes increasingly clear that rescuers aren’t coming for Chuck Noland (Hanks), who regrets having left his fiancee Kelly (Helen Hunt) behind in Memphis, he learns by necessity how to hydrate — freshly acquired coconut milk is a help — and how to create a fire to cook, um, “delicacies” that he ordinarily might not eat if he had anything more conventional to choose from.

Oh, and about that volleyball, one of the most famous pieces of sports equipment in screen history: Chuck retrieves it from one of the FedEx packages that washed up on shore with him, and in honor of the ball’s brand, he names it Wilson. He also gives it a “face” of sorts, using his blood to paint those features, and it’s no small feat that Hanks gives it a personality just by talking to it. And because of that, the way their “relationship” ultimately plays out is heartbreaking.