A vulcanologist arrives at a countryside town named Dante's Peak after a long dormant volcano, which has recently been named the second most desirable place to live in America, and discovers that Dante's Peak, may wake up at any moment.

Greg: It's coffee time! Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee! Cappuccino, java, YES!
Terry, USGS Crew: I have great taste in women! When have I ever steered you wrong?
Harry Dalton: What about Astrid?
Terry, USGS Crew: What about Astrid? I thought the two of you would have a lot in common. She said she was into rocks.
Harry Dalton: Crystals, Terry. Crystals. Not rocks. Crystals.
Terry, USGS Crew: Stan, how long's this light been blinking?
Stan: I dunno, a couple of days?
Terry, USGS Crew: [realizing that this means Harry is still alive] Thank you NASA!
[others look at him quizically]
Terry, USGS Crew: Thank you NASA! Thank You NASA! THANK YOU NASA!
Paul Dreyfus: Harry, listen... for what it's worth... you were right and I was wrong.
Harry Dalton: Her name was Marianne. We worked together. She loved volcanoes.
Harry Dalton: Get the hell out of there now, before it's too late!
Harry Dalton: My 9th grade science teacher always said that if you put a frog in boiling hot water, it would jump out. But put it in cold water, and heat it up gradually, it would slowly boil to death.
Nancy: What's that Harry? Your recipe for frog soup?
Harry Dalton: It's my recipe for a disaster.
Rachel: A man who looks at a rock must have a lot on his mind.
Nancy: Why look at the computer when you can look at the real thing?
Harry Dalton: Ever been deep sea fishing?
[the Children nod no]
Harry Dalton: Neither have I. Listen, when we get out of here, we'll go to Florida, and we'll get us a boat, and gather all of the yummy bait that we can possibly get our hands on, then we'll catch us a big, old fat fish.
Rachel: Do you have a family?
Harry Dalton: No.
Rachel: Why not?
Harry Dalton: Well, for one thing, I move around alot. Mexico, Alaska, South America, The Philippines, New Guinea, basically where there's a volcano with an attitude.
Terry, USGS Crew: The doctor said I can get out of the hospital as soon as they make sure that my head's OK.
Nancy: OK, see you in 10 years man!
Stan: Isn't this beautiful, nestled all nice and cozy right up against the mountain?
Nancy: Yeah, just like Pompeii.
[slight tremor]
Terry, USGS Crew: Did anybody feel that?
[large tremor throws them about]
Paul Dreyfus: I felt that.
Harry Dalton: I've always been better at feeling out volcanoes than people and politics.
Harry Dalton: I move around a lot: Colombia, Guatemala, the Philippines, Mexico, New Zealand, New Guinea... wherever there's a volcano with an attitude.
Paul Dreyfus: We're picking up some activity around Dante's Peak.
Harry Dalton: This is a joke right? Dante's Peak?
[in the river]
Rachel: Harry, you see that car coming at us?
Harry Dalton: I see it.
Graham Wando: Show us one more trick.
Lauren Wando: Maybe one more?
Rachel: Maybe Harry's tired.
Harry Dalton: [putting down his drink] One more.
[Dante's Peak explodes a massive dark grey cloud]
Graham Wando: [terrified] What is that?
Rachel: [scared] Mum?
Rachel: [looks at Harry] What is that?
Harry Dalton: *That* is a pyroclastic cloud.
Paul Dreyfus: [during the meeting] Ladies and Gentlemen, I can assure you that there is no immediate danger, I believe that this is not the time to put this town on alert. this type of thing happened with mammoth mountain in 1980. The good thing is, that the mountain didn't go up, but the damage was already done, tourists stopped going to the mountain, real estate values plummeted, and the town nearly went bankrupt. My team and I are going to stay as long as we can, and we are going to monitor every little hiccup that mountain makes, we're gonna bounce off laser beams, to find out of any change in the mountain's shape, and see if there is any increase in gas emissions, we're even gonna send a robot up there to take the darn thing's temperature. So, if the times comes to put this town on alert, "if" the times comes, it will be based on scientific evidence, and not based on somebody's opinion.
[looks back at Harry]
[last lines]
Graham Wando: [getting harnessed on board a helicopter] Did you really mean what you said about taking us fishing?
Harry Dalton: [cheerfully] Sure did.
Lauren Wando: [happy] That's great!
[Harry and Rachel clasp hands]
Helicopter Pilot: Are you ready to go?
Harry Dalton: Let's go!
[the side door slides shut, the Helicopter takes off and flies over the ruins of Dante's Peak]
Terry, USGS Crew: Nice woman, that Rachel. Best looking mayor I've ever seen.
Stan: She's got my vote.
Terry, USGS Crew: Mmm-hmm, twice!