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.

---

Plot Keywords:

good versus evil | evil man | hero | heroine | colombia | 

---

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.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Romance

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

30 March 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Auf der Jagd nach dem grünen Diamanten

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

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

During the scene in which the authorities are chasing the "Little Mule" Ford Bronco one of the military vehicles keeps switching from being a Jeep to being a Land Rover.

---

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: ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in NCIS: Agent Afloat (2008)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A romantic adventure you won't want to miss.

This was highly entertaining with humour, danger, romance & likeable leads. Danny De Vito put in a great performance as Ralph and deserved more screen time. The hero and heroine had the right chemistry and were good to watch. The jungle locations were breathtaking and I liked the soundtrack. Never a dull moment. 10/10