History Film / CastAway

** The movie starts off with the song "Return to Sender". At the end of the film, a package is returned there.

* TheNoodleIncident: Chuck, at one point in his career, "[[InsistentTerminology borrowed]]" a bicycle from a boy to complete his deliveries when his truck broke down. [[GossipEvolution Later on it turns out the child was crippled as well]].

* StoodUp: Chuck gives his fiancée a ring right before his flight, and promises her that "I'll be right back". Naturally, he doesn't make it back so quickly, and she ends up marrying another man.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Chuck escapes the island and becomes a celebrity with an upcoming autobiography, but finds his fiancée Kelly is now married to someone else. They reluctantly agree to be BetterAsFriends, however time will tell if either of them are happier about it and Chuck still feels alone. At the very least Chuck is now free to go wherever he pleases, and that he still has a full life waiting for him. Which is hinted by him being at a crossroads and able to go in any direction he wants.]]

* {{Bookends}}: The movie begins and ends at [[spoiler:the same rural crossroads in Texas, near the ranch that the "winged package" came from. What's more, [[Music/ElvisPresley "All Shook Up"]] is playing in the beginning, when the "winged package" is picked up by [=FedEx=], and "Return To Sender" is playing at the end, when Chuck returns it.]]

* AccidentalAdultery: Confusingly, Chuck's long-term partner Kelly says that she "always knew" he was alive, but [[AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder marries a dentist after everyone pressures her to move on]]. [[spoiler:She offers to divorce her new husband to get back together with Chuck, but just changes her mind about a minute later.]]

* ApologisesALot: [[spoiler:Chuck, upon returning to civilization, does this to Stan, his friend and co-worker, apologizing for not being there for Stan as his wife was dying of cancer. Despite, you know, ''being marooned on a deserted island'' at the time. He even apologizes to Kelly]].

** Upon his return, Chuck sees the seafood and understandibly doesn't want any of it.

* ApologisesALot: [[spoiler:Chuck, upon returning to civilization, does this to Stan, his friend and co-worker, apologizing for not being there for Stan as his wife was dying of cancer. Despite, you know, ''being marooned on a deserted island'' at the time.]]

** This film features a [=FedEx=] cargo plane crashing in the Pacific ocean. Notably, the [=FedEx=] execs were freaked out at possible damage to the brand name, but the film's success ensured increased brand awareness in Europe and Asia.

* BeardOfBarbarism: Chuck has plenty of time to grow some pretty wild facial hair during his time on the island.

** Upon his return, Chuck sees the seafood and finds it utterly disgusting.

* GallowsHumor: With a rotten tooth Chuck mentions to Wilson, a volleyball, that his dentist back home was named Dr. James ''Spaulding''. The joke gets an IronicEcho later, but when we hear the name again after [[spoiler:the man who married Kelly identifies himself as an acquaintance of Spaulding]], suffice to say, [[HarsherInHindsight the joke is a lot less funny]].

* NotTheUltimateQuestion: Near the end of the movie, it seems Chuck is about to ask Kelly why she married someone else. He isn't. Not right away, at least.
-->'''Chuck''': So, let me get one thing straight here... We have a football team, but they play in Nashville?

* GallowsHumor: With a rotten tooth Chuck mentions to Wilson, a volleyball, that his dentist back home was named Dr. James ''Spaulding''. The joke gets an IronicEcho later, but when we hear the name again after [[spoiler:the man who married Kelly identifies himself as an acquaintance of Spaulding]], suffice to say, [[FunnyAneurysmMoment the joke is a lot less funny]].

** At the start of the movie the female welder sends a [=FedEx=] package to her husband in Moscow, who we see is cheating with a young Russian girl. At the end of the movie his name has been cut away from the sign above the entrance to her house.

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: By this time, Wilson is Chuck's BFF and has his own "hair", while Chuck's has gone almost completely blond from bleaching in the sun.

* FlyingDutchman: Chuck is left without a place in the modern world after finally escaping from the island after five years of solitude.

* ForWantOfANail: Chuck keeps his Swiss Army Knife clipped on his keyring. He leaves his keys with his fiance because she forgot the house keys.
* GallowsHumor: With a rotten tooth Chuck mentions to Wilson, a volleyball, that his dentist back home was named Dr. Spalding. The joke gets an IronicEcho later, but when we hear the name again after [[spoiler:the man who married Kelly identifies himself as an acquaintance of Spaulding]], suffice to say, [[FunnyAneurysmMoment the joke is a lot less funny.]]

* ImpaledPalm: Chuck Noland does this to himself, which leads to the creation of [[CompanionCube Wilson]] after he grabs the ball with his bloody hand and throws it in a fit of rage and pain.

** Plenty of this when Chuck returns to the abundant world of civilization. His 'welcome back' dinner consists mostly of seafood. His Swiss Army knife is attached to the keys he left with Helen. And light and fire is now available at the click of a switch.

** Although it's averted to show the passage of time; after four years on the island Chuck is shown to exist like an animal, with no unnecessary speech or movement to waste energy. After a long period with no dialogue, he's eventually shown arguing with his CompanionCube.

* MrExposition: A different take on this trope; Wilson serves as a means by which Tom Hanks' character can explain things to the audience.

* {{Irony}}: Plenty of this when Chuck returns to the abundant world of civilization. His 'welcome back' dinner consists mostly of seafood. His Swiss Army knife is attached to the keys he left with Helen. And light and fire is now available at the click of a switch.

** Chuck gleefully hams it up the first time he gets a fire working, doing a victory dance and shouting, "[[ItsBeenDone Look what I have created!]] '''I!''' Have made '''FIRE!!'''"

*** "What was that? What did you say to them?"

*** "I tell them what they expect."

* {{Bookends}}: The movie begins and ends at [[spoiler:the same rural crossroads in Texas, near the ranch that the "winged package" came from.]]

* TropicalIslandAdventure: The movie is set on an uninhabited tropical island in the South Pacific.

ForWantOfANail: Chuck keeps his Swiss Army Knife clipped on his keyring. He leaves his keys with his fiance because she forgot the house keys.

* DeusExMachina: ZigZaged: [[spoiler: Chuck is just short of dying at sea when a container ship passes close to his position. However, his plan was never more complicated than: "make it to the shipping lanes" so it can seem like the ship that rescued him is chance.]]

ForWantOfANail: Chuck keeps his Swiss Army Knife clipped on his keyring. He leaves his keys qith his fiance because she forgot the house keys.

* DeusExMachina: While Chuck survives on the island--and ultimately gets off of it--by his own wits and creative scavenging skills, he's just short of dying at sea [[spoiler:when a container ship passes close to his position.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Chuck escapes the island and becomes a celebrity with an upcoming autobiography, but finds his fiancée Kelly is now married to someone else. They reluctantly agree to be BetterAsFriends, however time will tell if either of them are happier about it and Chuck still feels alone.]]

** Kelly tells Chuck that it was never determined what brought down the plane, same from some speculations.

* CompanionCube: Wilson the volleyball, whom Chuck talks to in order to keep from going insane due to loneliness.