Customer Reviews

Romancing the Stone (Widescreen)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 1984 film was the first that brought together the incredible on-screen chemistry of Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. The film, a romantic and comic version of the Indiana Jones films, involves a romance novelist (Kathleen T) and how she gets wrapped up in a hunt for a rare and valuable diamond. As her love interest and her partner in the search is Michael Douglas. At first, the two don't get along very well. Their fighting and bickering as well as game-playing (they each plan to dump the other and take the diamond for themselves) is only an overture to the subsequent romance and passion that overwhelms them. At the end of the movie, they are on a boat on top of a car in New York City headed for a romantic world travel adventure.

This movie also stars Danny Devito (this team- Turner, Douglas and Da Vito would later make War Of The Roses which was a darker comedy about a nightmare divorce). Danny DeVito is hilarious as he is a shlemiel. The location was shot in South America, specifically Columbia, and the lush scenes of photographic landscapes - jungles, rivers, waterfalls, rapids and villages, make this a very engaging adventure story. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas are really great together and it is the real salvation of the movie. For Turner's character, her life becomes an adventure and a romance as any of the novels she has written. Highly enjoyable, very comedic and never aging, this movie is a welcome fill for any space in your DVD collection. On DVD, it's even better. Greater color and sound, picture quality and bonus feature such as insight on the film, the actors and commentary.

This is the story of a romance writer, who needs a romance. It's a silly story but fun none the less. It's a chick flick I guess but it's fun.

Who knew that Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas would turn out to be such a super casting duo? And then add Danny DeVito to the mix as the inept, addled wannabe villain, and you've got an instant winner. The story line revolves around a romance novelist (Turner) accidentally gone astray in Colombia. Douglas is her opportunistic rescuer/ally, and the pratfalls and plot twists keep coming fast enough to keep an audience on the edge of their seats.

A silly, unbelievable romp, but still fun. Michael Douglas does a great job of being unimpressed and annoyed with kathleen Turner's character. I love it when he chops off the heels of her shoes and she bemoans their designer and price. He says, "Now they're practical." the sad thing after this movie they ran the Michael-Kathleen partnership into the ground.

This review refers to the DVD edition(Twentieth Cent Fox) of "Romancing The Stone"....

I could not even think of going less than 5 stars on this film. It is one that is as enjoyable the 50th time you watch as it was the first. If it was playing on TV, I could not pass it, without stopping to watch it. So when I saw it at such a great price, I could not pass it up. Here's my only problem with it...I'm having a heck of a time trying to decide what genre to put it with. It has something for everybody. Action-Adventure, Comedy, and Romance. It's a Caper and a Cliffhanger.

Here's the story for those that may have missed this gem....

Joan Wilder(Kathleen Turner)is a romance novelist who's hopes and dreams are to be swept off her feet by a man like Jessie, the hero of her adventurous stories. She's about to have her own adventure though, one that includes a man, well... not quite like Jessie,but a hero in his own way, Jack T. Colton(Michael Douglas). He has dreams too. And he's into "short-cuts" to make them come true.

After coming into possession of a mysterious treasure map, Joan finds herself in the jungles of Columbia. She must use the map to bargain for her kidnapped sister's life. Things are not going smoothly though. All kinds of villains are after the map. Enter Jack to the rescue, but are his intentions to help her or is he also after the treasure at the end of the map?? Find out as things go downhill(literally), they are swinging from vines, fighting off crocodiles, and are all the time being chased by bad cops and bumbling thieves, including the likes of Danny DeVito!

Good job by Twentieth Century Fox.I was pretty pleased with the DVD. The picture is one of the better non-anamorphic transfers I have seen. It is presented in widescreen(Aspect Ratio 2.35:1), is clear and bright in all scenes, with great color. The sound(DD Surround), including the always wonderful scoring by Alan Silvestri is very good.All the action is sharp and crisp. The only minor thing about it is the dialouge seemed low at times. I would have to turn it up and then during action sequences, turn it back down a bit. This was only on occassion and not a big problem. No special features, but there is a theatrical trailer and it may be viewed in French(also Dolby Surround) and has subtitles in English and Spanish.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it is a wild and romantic ride. Take it.. and then watch the sequel..."Jewel Of The Nile".

Go for it....and thanks....Laurie.....p.s. It's in my comedy section ...for now!

It's a DVD keeper. I'm glad that I purchased this movie.There's not to many movies you can watch over and over,but this one holds a spot in my DVD collection.Romancing the Stone & Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom make a great double feature!

Kevin

Not much of a fan of either Douglas or Turner, but the "suits" could not have made better choices in their stars. As usual, Danny DeVito takes his part, makes the most of it, and pretty much owns whateve scene he is in.

Much better than the sequel, it's worth seeing and owning.

A ROMANCE NOVELIST(KATHLEEN TURNER) ABRUPTLY TRAVELS TO COLUMBIA AFTER HER SISTER IS KIDNAPPED. WHEN SHE ARRIVES IN COLUMBIA SHE TEAMS UP WITH (MICHAEL DOUGLAS).THEY PARTNER NOT ONLY TO RESCUE HER SISTER BUT ALSO SEARCH FOR AN ELUSIVE PRICELESS EMERALD WHICH SHE HAS A MAP FOR.THERE IS LOTS OF ACTION AND (DANNY DE VITO) ADDS SOME NICE HUMOR ALONG THE WAY.

This movie is a modern swashbuckler that presents an unusual twist in that one of the two main characters is a big city romance novel writer who proves that she can more than hold her own in a nominally male setting. The goal of the movie is to find a treasure to save romance book author Joan Wilder's sister, who has been kidnapped by apparently ruthless villains. However, the initial goal of the movie was for Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) to return the treasure map to the kidnappers in Colombia, South America. During her trip to return the map, Joan ends up on the wrong bus, where she soon runs into Jack Colton (Michael Douglas).

Jack offers to take Joan to a phone, for a substantial guide fee. During their initial brief walk in the jungle, Jack quickly become disenchanted with Joan's lack of knowledge regarding the jungle and outdoors in general. As quickly as Jack's disenchant begins, he in turn begins to admire her adaptability, occasional fearlessness, and intelligence. As one example, soon after walking into the jungle, crooked cop Zolo has Jack and Joan trapped against an impassable river canyon, with only a decaying bridge crossing it. Jack prepares to make a last stand; Joan begins walking the bridge, and accidentally survives a Tarzan-like swing to the other side of the river gorge.

In scene after scene Joan proves that while she is a big city girl, she is resourceful and intelligent, and more than a little daring. Her initial reactions are often that of a stereotypical movie female, and then she perseveres and overcomes, often when Jack has either given up or is about to give up. In the end, it is Jack who is the stereotype of the bumbling male, and Joan becomes the brains and leader of her sister's rescue.

As in all good swashbucklers, there is a good amount of humor. While Joan is generally the straight man, she still provides ironic humor in several places. Jack is often the fall guy, and his nearly slapstick antics provide quite a few funny moments. But the actor that steals the show for humor is Danny DeVito as bumbling kidnapper Ralph. Throughout much of the movie Ralph is nearly forgotten as a "dangerous" kidnapper because Zolo and Jack can be truly deadly in comparison to Ralph. Furthermore, Ralph seems to get himself into one slapstick situation after another.

The other element this movie shares with other swashbucklers is the romance that develops between Joan and Jack. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas have a great screen chemistry that is very natural and appealing. By the time the movie ends the romance between Joan and Jack has become the central theme of the movie, with the search for the treasure as a vehicle to develop that romance.

This movie has all the features of a wonderful action/adventure/romance movie, with just the right touch of humor. The action moves in a very natural way from one predicament to the next, with just the right amount of incredible coincidence to keep the feel in the tradition of classic swashbuckler movies. This movie compares well with the Indiana Jones movie series, with more humor and romance. I highly recommend this movie.

ROMANCING THE STONE is a movie about a writer of romance novels who lives alone with her cat in New York City. She is summoned to Columbia to deliver a package which will save her sister from kidnappers. Soon after she arrives in South America she is rescued during a jungle shootout by a daring American expatriot.From that point on the excitement begins in earnest.Kathleen Turner plays the part of the writer and Michael Douglas has the role of her knight in shining armor. Danny Devito gives one of his best performances as a kidnapper. The cast also includes Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, Holland Taylor and Mary Ellen Trainor.

The director was Robert Zemeckis and the screenwriting was handled by Diane Thomas. Neither one repeated for the sequel, THE JEWEL OF THE NILE, which was not quite as good in my opinion.

ROMANCING THE STONE received only one Oscar nomination and that was for Best Editing. I was surprised because I thought it was one of the most entertaining movies I ever saw. The big winner of Oscars in 1984 was AMADEUS.

Diane Thomas received a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on ROMANCING THE STONE. Ten years later Robert Zemeckis finally won a Best Director Oscar for FORREST GUMP.