Romancing the Stone
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Movie Reviews of Romancing the Stone
Movie Review: Great movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
Joan Wilder, romance novelist, is on her way to Columbia after obligating herself to free her hostage sister at the price of a Columbian treasure map. After arriving in Columbia and taking the wrong bus, which then crashes and whose passengers leave without her, Joan finds herself lost and at the mercy of a man who wants her dead. Rescused by Jack Colton, a rough and jaded man working for his lifelong dream, Joan offers all she has in exchange for his help. After many rip-roaring adventures through Columbian countryside and city -- chasing after expensive stones, dodging private armies, and searching for Joan's sister -- Joan finds herself falling in love with Jack, only to find that in the end his "charm" might have been all a romantic trick of Jack's scheming in order to get the treasure for himself...
Pros:
- The main characters are really believable. Their personalities are realistic and they develop throughout the film. Joan is a girl who has only ventured to dangerous missions via her novels and is forced to learn how to adapt to new changes. Luckily, she invokes a wit she once reserved only for her writing and pulls through very nicely. Jack is a fairly greedy, raw, and jaded man without much respect for anyone. Somewhat caustic but somehow charming, Jack learns how to share his dream with Joan, a somewhat kindred spirit.
- Joan is a great female lead. She has her share of the action, she's intelligent, and she's brave despite her lack of experience.
- The humor is well-done -- the movie is more action / adventure-based than humor, but there are some hilarious scenes woven in that have me laughing everytime I watch the movie.
Cons:
- The romance happens a little too quickly. I understand that it has to happen or else -- wow, no movie -- but it was a little patchy / iffy and the development was way too fast. I would have rather had a longer movie or the same movie divided into two longer halves.
- Some of the scenes are a little predictable, but even then I'd say they're pretty good.
Overall Review: The movie starts off in a sequence of one of Joan's books, instantly giving the watcher a view on Joan's character without boring explanations or drawn-out cuts. From that the movie switches into several more scenes during which one gets to know Joan, her life, and her work before seamlessly fading into the action. Once Joan introduces herself to Columbia and her ineptness at meshing into the culture there -- even for the excuse of finding her sister -- Joan continues to be her headstrong self and convinces Jack to help her, despite the sacrifice she makes. Bound and determined, Joan makes her way across Columbia all the while executing fun -- somewhat predictable -- action and learning how to trust Jack despite her fear of being abandoned.
The action isn't quite as riveting and epic as, say, Indiana Jones, but then again the characters are well done and one of my favorite points of this movie is that the hero is a fairly average and very clever female rather than the typical witty, godlike male hero. The characters are easy to connect with, the plot -- albeit fairly simple -- is fun and easy to grasp. I laughed more than once, "awwed" more than once, and watched more than once. This movie is definitely worth buying.
Re-watchable?: Yes!
Movie Review: Rousing Romance, Action and Comedy
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is a modern swashbuckler that presents an unusual twist in that one of the two main characters is a big city romance novel writer who proves that she can more than hold her own in a nominally male setting. The goal of the movie is to find a treasure to save romance book author Joan Wilder's sister, who has been kidnapped by apparently ruthless villains. However, the initial goal of the movie was for Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) to return the treasure map to the kidnappers in Colombia, South America. During her trip to return the map, Joan ends up on the wrong bus, where she soon runs into Jack Colton (Michael Douglas).Jack offers to take Joan to a phone, for a substantial guide fee. During their initial brief walk in the jungle, Jack quickly become disenchanted with Joan's lack of knowledge regarding the jungle and outdoors in general. As quickly as Jack's disenchant begins, he in turn begins to admire her adaptability, occasional fearlessness, and intelligence. As one example, soon after walking into the jungle, crooked cop Zolo has Jack and Joan trapped against an impassable river canyon, with only a decaying bridge crossing it. Jack prepares to make a last stand; Joan begins walking the bridge, and accidentally survives a Tarzan-like swing to the other side of the river gorge.
In scene after scene Joan proves that while she is a big city girl, she is resourceful and intelligent, and more than a little daring. Her initial reactions are often that of a stereotypical movie female, and then she perseveres and overcomes, often when Jack has either given up or is about to give up. In the end, it is Jack who is the stereotype of the bumbling male, and Joan becomes the brains and leader of her sister's rescue.
As in all good swashbucklers, there is a good amount of humor. While Joan is generally the straight man, she still provides ironic humor in several places. Jack is often the fall guy, and his nearly slapstick antics provide quite a few funny moments. But the actor that steals the show for humor is Danny DeVito as bumbling kidnapper Ralph. Throughout much of the movie Ralph is nearly forgotten as a "dangerous" kidnapper because Zolo and Jack can be truly deadly in comparison to Ralph. Furthermore, Ralph seems to get himself into one slapstick situation after another.
The other element this movie shares with other swashbucklers is the romance that develops between Joan and Jack. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas have a great screen chemistry that is very natural and appealing. By the time the movie ends the romance between Joan and Jack has become the central theme of the movie, with the search for the treasure as a vehicle to develop that romance.
This movie has all the features of a wonderful action/adventure/romance movie, with just the right touch of humor. The action moves in a very natural way from one predicament to the next, with just the right amount of incredible coincidence to keep the feel in the tradition of classic swashbuckler movies. This movie compares well with the Indiana Jones movie series, with more humor and romance. I highly recommend this movie.
Movie Review: Treasure Hunt...
Summary: 5 Stars
This review refers to the DVD edition(Twentieth Cent Fox) of "Romancing The Stone"....
I could not even think of going less than 5 stars on this film. It is one that is as enjoyable the 50th time you watch as it was the first. If it was playing on TV, I could not pass it, without stopping to watch it. So when I saw it at such a great price, I could not pass it up. Here's my only problem with it...I'm having a heck of a time trying to decide what genre to put it with. It has something for everybody. Action-Adventure, Comedy, and Romance. It's a Caper and a Cliffhanger.
Here's the story for those that may have missed this gem....
Joan Wilder(Kathleen Turner)is a romance novelist who's hopes and dreams are to be swept off her feet by a man like Jessie, the hero of her adventurous stories. She's about to have her own adventure though, one that includes a man, well... not quite like Jessie,but a hero in his own way, Jack T. Colton(Michael Douglas). He has dreams too. And he's into "short-cuts" to make them come true.
After coming into possession of a mysterious treasure map, Joan finds herself in the jungles of Columbia. She must use the map to bargain for her kidnapped sister's life. Things are not going smoothly though. All kinds of villains are after the map. Enter Jack to the rescue, but are his intentions to help her or is he also after the treasure at the end of the map?? Find out as things go downhill(literally), they are swinging from vines, fighting off crocodiles, and are all the time being chased by bad cops and bumbling thieves, including the likes of Danny DeVito!
Good job by Twentieth Century Fox.I was pretty pleased with the DVD. The picture is one of the better non-anamorphic transfers I have seen. It is presented in widescreen(Aspect Ratio 2.35:1), is clear and bright in all scenes, with great color. The sound(DD Surround), including the always wonderful scoring by Alan Silvestri is very good.All the action is sharp and crisp. The only minor thing about it is the dialouge seemed low at times. I would have to turn it up and then during action sequences, turn it back down a bit. This was only on occassion and not a big problem. No special features, but there is a theatrical trailer and it may be viewed in French(also Dolby Surround) and has subtitles in English and Spanish.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it is a wild and romantic ride. Take it.. and then watch the sequel..."Jewel Of The Nile".
Go for it....and thanks....Laurie.....p.s. It's in my comedy section ...for now!
update: new and improved editions of both films in great 2 pack:Romancing the Stone / Jewel of the Nile
Movie Review: Wild, Exciting Adventure
Summary: 5 Stars
"Romancing the Stone" is a hilarious, romantic and action-packed adventure. This is a classic and timeless 1980s movie, which has stood the test of time, a tribute to the director, Robert Zemeckis and his team. I first saw the film about 20 years ago as a young man but I still thoroughly enjoy it every time I watch it to this day.
Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner play their roles perfectly. Kathleen Turner stars as Joan Wilder, a romance writer from New York who goes to the jungles of Colombia, armed with a mysterious map, to rescue her sister who had been taken hostage by some apparently ruthless villains. Michael Douglas stars as Jack Colton, a rough and jaded soldier of fortune, who comes to the rescue of Joan Wilder when she is lost and stranded in the Colombian jungle. From this, a brilliant and intricate plot is woven into an exciting romantic and adventurous movie which has made "Romancing the Stone" one of the best adventure movies of the late 20th century.
There is also some good humour particularly from Danny DeVito who plays the much abused bumbling kidnapper, Ralph. Romance develops naturally between Joan and Jack while the search for the treasure is being pursued.
This is a well made film with action moving naturally from one predicament to the next with the right amount of humour for a romance and adventure film. The music is excellent and the scenery and setting are exciting.
This hilarious action-packed movie is recommended for anyone interested in adventure, romance, comedy and fun. However, it may not be suitable for children below the age of ten.
Movie Review: Romantic Comedy Adventure: Turner And Douglas
Summary: 5 Stars
This 1984 film was the first that brought together the incredible on-screen chemistry of Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. The film, a romantic and comic version of the Indiana Jones films, involves a romance novelist (Kathleen T) and how she gets wrapped up in a hunt for a rare and valuable diamond. As her love interest and her partner in the search is Michael Douglas. At first, the two don't get along very well. Their fighting and bickering as well as game-playing (they each plan to dump the other and take the diamond for themselves) is only an overture to the subsequent romance and passion that overwhelms them. At the end of the movie, they are on a boat on top of a car in New York City headed for a romantic world travel adventure.This movie also stars Danny Devito (this team- Turner, Douglas and Da Vito would later make War Of The Roses which was a darker comedy about a nightmare divorce). Danny DeVito is hilarious as he is a shlemiel. The location was shot in South America, specifically Columbia, and the lush scenes of photographic landscapes - jungles, rivers, waterfalls, rapids and villages, make this a very engaging adventure story. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas are really great together and it is the real salvation of the movie. For Turner's character, her life becomes an adventure and a romance as any of the novels she has written. Highly enjoyable, very comedic and never aging, this movie is a welcome fill for any space in your DVD collection. On DVD, it's even better. Greater color and sound, picture quality and bonus feature such as insight on the film, the actors and commentary.