Review of Romancing the Stone (1984) by Chrissy S — 10 Jul 2011

I remember when Romancing the Stone hit theaters in 1984 as it was released around the same time as Raiders of the Lost Ark and reviews were less than kind, comparing the two and declaring the latter much superior to the former. So I delayed seeing Romancing the Stone and when finally watched it on my trusty VCR could not fathom why anyone would give it a negative review - it's crazy talk.

Like Raiders, it is an adventure romp that will leave you breathless and wanting more but that's where the similarities end. Romancing the Stone focuses on Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner), a romance novelist who is scared of her own shadow. She doesn't go out, she doesn't date, she drinks only wussy cocktails, and her best friend is a cat. Joan's sister, Elaine (Mary Ellen Trainor), is the exact opposite, lives in Columbia, and is the glamorous type. Elaine gets herself kidnapped and Joan has to bring the ransom to Columbia in the form of a treasure map that had been mailed to her by Elaine's recently murdered husband. Joan is in no way capable of travel to Columbia and upon arrival gets on the wrong bus and ends up in the middle of the jungle where she encounters Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) who is an exact duplicate of the unobtainable and immensely likable main character in Joan's books. In what becomes a race for the treasure, Jack and Joan survive landslides, drug dealers, car chases, waterfalls and bad guys to free Elaine and keep the treasure for themselves.

Shot on location in Mexico and the Phillipines, director Robert Zemeckis makes excellent use of the jungle environment so there is no mistaking real action on location for a sound stage. The film moves along at a good pace, not once is there a lull, and rather than confuse the plot with too many twists it's been kept simple so you can enjoy the movie without thinking too hard. The chemistry between Jack and Joan sizzles, the supporting cast of Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, and Holland Taylor is superb.

Romancing the Stone is pure entertainment that succeeds in all areas. Considering it is almost 30 years old, it isn't dated and holds up against the best action adventure films out today. FUN is the first word that comes to mind which is exactly what a movie should be.