Review of Club Paradise (1986) by Robert H — 06 Sep 2014

CLUB PARADISE, while having a promising premise, is a largely disappointing misfire. Even Robin Williams seems to be a bit bored, and is clearly not at his best here. Granted, there is a great ensemble cast, but none of them are given a whole lot to do and, save Robin Williams, are underdeveloped.

Still, I'll give credit where credit is due. The film does start off rather well, with Robin Williams' character Jack Moniker retiring from the Chicago Fire Department on a disability settlement and heading off to St.

Nicholas, a tropical island. There, he settles in and gets involved with a local businessman/musician named Ernest Reed (Jimmy Cliff, who gives some excellent musical performances) who runs a resort called Club Paradise.

These initial scenes were quite funny as it showed Jack getting used to his surroundings and later, dealing with the tourists who visit. Among those visitors are Eugene Levy and Rick Moranis, two losers who are trying to score with women and get high.

These two comedians have been good elsewhere, but here their talents were wasted on one-dimensional characters that really weren't that funny. Well-meaning, maybe, but not funny. To add some conflict, the prime minister of the island is trying to drive Ernest out so that foreign investors can develop the land.

In my opinion, the film really didn't need this as the cast was already large enough that they could have focused on something else besides island politics. Also in the mix is Peter O'Toole as the local British governor.

Even though his role wasn't too substantial, I did like him in the several scenes he was in. He and Robin Williams even get to play off each other a little bit. However, if there's one major flaw in the movie it's that it tries to do too much in its finale.

Instead of wrapping up the various subplots that were percolating over the run time, they opt instead for something more ridiculous, i.e., a "revolution." By doing that, they really gave short shrift to the great cast of characters they had been following previously.

The film's humor was also rather dated, but I can live with that. On the good side of things, the best element outside of Robin Williams and Peter O'Toole was the music, consisting almost exclusively of reggae.

Overall, while the film is a nice 80's time capsule it's quite forgettable and I wouldn't consider it essential viewing for Robin Williams fans.