Romancing the Stone (1984)

A mousy romance novelist sets off for Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure hunting for treasure with a mercenary rogue.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writer:

Diane Thomas

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Jack 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

Storyline

Joan Wilder, a mousy romance novelist, receives a treasure map in the mail from her recently murdered brother-in-law. Meanwhile, her sister Elaine is kidnapped in Colombia and the two criminals responsible demand that she travel to Colombia to exchange the map for her sister. Joan does, and quickly becomes lost in the jungle after being waylayed by Zolo, a vicious and corrupt Colombian cop who will stop at nothing to obtain the map. There, she meets an irreverent soldier-of-fortune named Jack Colton who agrees to bring her back to civilization. Together, they embark upon an adventure that could be straight out of Joan's novels.

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Plot Keywords:

colombia | treasure map | romance novelist | rescue mission | latin america | 

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Taglines:

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.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

30 March 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Romancing the Stone

Filming Locations:

Huasca de Ocampo, Hidalgo, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,105,741, 1 April 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$76,572,238

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$115,078,260

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, El Corazon Producciones S.A., Nina Saxon Film Design

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, Christopher Reeve turned down the role of Jack T. Colton, before Michael Douglas accepted the part.

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Goofs

Car falls over the waterfall twice, once before Jack and Joan exit, once after.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Grogan: What's it gonna be, Angelina?
Joan Wilder: [voiceover narration] It was Grogan: the filthiest, dirtiest, *dumbest* excuse for a man west of the Missouri River.
Grogan: So, you can die two ways, angel: quick like the tongue of a snake, or slower than the molasses in January.
Joan Wilder: [voiceover narration] But it was October.
Grogan: I'll kill you, goddammit, if it's the Fourth of July! Where is it? Uhh. Get over there!
Joan Wilder: [voiceover narration] I told him to get out, now that he had what he came for.
Grogan: Not quite, angel.
[spits]
Grogan: ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

To get a 'PG' rating in the UK, a scene near the end where the villain gets his hand bitten off by a crocodile was removed. The film was later passed '12' uncut in the UK in 2001.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Repo Men/The Bounty Hunter/The Runaways (2010)

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Soundtracks

Main Title
(uncredited)
from How the West Was Won (1962)
Music by Alfred Newman
Used in the prologue

User Reviews

Fun and laughs in the jungle

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner are "Romancing the Stone" in this 1984 adventure film, well-directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Turner plays romance author Joan Wilder, who in order to ransom her sister Elaine, flies to Colombia to deliver a map sent to her by her late brother-in-law. Joan soon gets involved in a bizarre situation better than anything she's ever written. She gets on the wrong bus and soon meets Jack (Michael Douglas), an adventurer who lives by his wits. He agrees to get her out of the jungle for $375 in travelers checks, as long as they're American Express. Because Joan has the map, several factions are after her, including Ralph (Danny DeVito) and lots more scary people. Jack talks Joan into going after the treasure themselves to give her more of a bargaining chip.

This is a very fun film, with lively performances by Douglas, Turner, DeVito and the rest of the cast. Many funny and suspenseful moments, including Joan being recognized and feted by a Colombian drug dealer, a Tarzan-like swing across a river, and problems with alligators. Not to mention a little romance along the way for Joan and Jack.

Highly enjoyable, very satisfying film with the two stars working very well together.