Romancing the Stone (1984)

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writer:

Diane Thomas (written by)

Release Date:

30 March 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

She's a girl from the big city. He's a reckless soldier of fortune. For a fabulous treasure, they share an adventure no one could imagine... or survive.

Plot:

A romance writer sets off to Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure.

Plot Keywords:

Colombia | Map | Jungle | Soldiers Of Fortune | Novelist

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Jack T. Colton
Kathleen Turner	...	Joan Wilder
Danny DeVito	...	Ralph
Zack Norman	...	Ira
Alfonso Arau	...	Juan
Manuel Ojeda	...	Zolo
Holland Taylor	...	Gloria
Mary Ellen Trainor	...	Elaine
Eve Smith	...	Mrs. Irwin
Joe Nesnow	...	Super
José Chávez	...	Santos
Evita Muñoz 'Chachita'	...	Hefty Woman (as Chachita)
Camillo García	...	Bus Driver
Rodrigo Puebla	...	Bad Hombre
Paco Morayta	...	Hotel Clerk

Also Known As:

2 bribones tras la esmeralda perdida (Mexico)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Ireland:15 (uncut) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:12 | Brazil:Livre | South Korea:15 (2001) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Spain:7 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (re-rating) (2001) (uncut) | UK:PG (original rating) (cut) | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Robert Zemeckis] [citation]At the beginning of the movie, when Joan Wilder has finished the book, she prepares "dinner" for her cat. This scene resembles a well-known commercial for cat-food.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jack looks at the map and reads "Devil's Fork" for the first time, the map is entirely unfolded (the compass rose is visible in the upper right corner). In the next shot, the entire right side of the map (including the compass rose) is folded back at the crease.

Quotes:

Joan Wilder: Excuse me, mister. Can you tell where can I get to a telephone?
Jack Colton: No, lady. I don't any idea. I'm sorry.
Joan Wilder: But it's very important that I get to one.
Jack Colton: Well, we've all got our problems today. Don't we?
Joan Wilder: Can you tell me where the nearest town is?
Jack Colton: English speaking? How about Miami?
Joan Wilder: Will there be another bus?
Jack Colton: Another bus? This is it.
[looks around a deserted, dirt mountain road]
Jack Colton: You've got rush hour.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Jon Lovitz (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Main Title

Hilarious, entertaining, timeless, classic

I love this movie. I'm sure that it's in my top-ten somewhere, because ever since I was a kid, I've never gotten sick of watching it. The premise is one of those that's just so damn crazy it actually works. It starts with a successful romance novelist, Joan Wilder, who has just finished her last book, but lacks the sort of love-life that she writes about. When she learns that her sister has been kidnapped and is being held hostage, she takes off to South America to help her out. It seems that the kidnappers want a treasure map that is in Joan's possession. Joan is very much a city girl and doesn't fully realize the bind that she and her sis have gotten themselves into. Once in South America, she takes the wrong bus, which breaks down in the South American jungle. When she's held up by a corrupt Police Chief, a very rugged, unshaven, shot-gun toting, Michael Douglas (Jack Colton) shows up and kicks some ass. See, Jack is a bird-trapper who wants nothing more than enough cash to buy himself a yacht. Realizing that Joan is lost in the jungle and fully incapable of surviving on her own, Jack agrees to take her to the nearest town for $300 in travellers' checks, so off they go. By now, we've learned that besides the two goons who've kidnapped Joan's sister (one of which is Danny DeVito in one of his funniest roles EVER) the South American police are after the map as well. Everyone wants what's at the end of the map. What follows for the next hour and a half is one of the most exciting and funny action/adventure movies ever filmed. Michael Douglas is absolutely perfect in the role of Jack Colton and delivers some of the funniest one-liners I've ever heard. Kathleen Turner is equally great as the naive romantic and, as always, she looks great. A great script is brougth to life perfectly by Robert Zemeckis and his direction is air-tight. Please go watch this movie, even if you've seen it a hundred times already......"Oh YEAH!!!! Now that's a campfire!!!!