A breezy, sexy, old-school adventure-romance with sharp chemistry, practical action, and a playful pulp spirit. It’s not especially deep, and some of its exoticism feels dated, but the cast and momentum make it an easy recommendation for viewers who want a fun 80s crowd-pleaser.
43% ★★☆☆☆ (188,212)
Romancing the Stone
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Romance · Comedy · PG
1984 · 1h 46m · ★ 43% (188.2K)
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.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
Overview
Though she can spin wild tales of passionate romance, novelist Joan Wilder has no life of her own. Then one day adventure comes her way in the form of a mysterious package. It turns out that the parcel is the ransom she'll need to free her abducted sister, so Joan flies to South America to hand it over. But she gets on the wrong bus and winds up hopelessly stranded in the jungle.
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Production
SLM Production Group, Nina Saxon Film Design, El Corazon Producciones S.A., 20th Century Fox
Cast
Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, Holland Taylor, Mary Ellen Trainor, Eve Smith, Joe Nesnow, José Chávez, Evita Muñoz 'Chachita', Camillo García, Rodrigo Puebla, Paco Morayta, Jorge Zamora, Kymberly Herrin, William H. Burton Jr., Ted White, Manuel E. Santiago
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, sexy, old-school adventure-romance with sharp chemistry, practical action, and a playful pulp spirit. It’s not especially deep, and some of its exoticism feels dated, but the cast and momentum make it an easy recommendation for viewers who want a fun 80s crowd-pleaser.
Best for
fans of romantic adventure comedies
viewers who like witty star chemistry
people seeking glossy 1980s studio entertainment
audiences who enjoy jungle escapades and chase-driven plotting
Skip if
you want modern action choreography
you’re sensitive to dated racial or colonial framing
you prefer romance with emotional realism over banter and spectacle
you dislike broad 80s tonal swings between danger and comedy
Overview
Romancing the Stone works because it understands the appeal of pure movie-star chemistry. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas make the central relationship feel charged, funny, and a little dangerous, which gives the whole thing a spark that carries it through every jungle detour and comic setback. Danny DeVito adds just enough chaos to keep the adventure loose and entertaining.
Worth noting
Robert Zemeckis stages the action with a bright, propulsive energy, leaning hard into practical stunts, chases, and a glossy adventure-movie rhythm. It has the feel of a studio picture that wants to be both a romance and a thrill ride, and for the most part it lands that balance. The score and sound design are very much of their era, but that only adds to the film’s scrappy charm.
Bottom line
What hasn’t aged as well is the movie’s “exotic” backdrop, which reflects a familiar 80s adventure-movie gaze. Still, if you can accept that baggage, the film remains an easy watch: funny, fast, and built around performers who know exactly how to sell a fantasy of danger and desire.
Top Letterboxd reviews
jeffborislow (3★) · 1552 likes
“Let’s make actor Michael Douglas look cool” - Producer Michael Douglas
demi adejuyigbe · 456 likes
This is so fun! The sound is so weird, both the sound effects and the score (the first of many Silvestri/Zemeckis collabs! Apparently he hired Silvestri to do a temp score but really liked it. Okay, Rob!) but it's all just a blast. Has that weird sense of sexuality so many 80s movies did, where they just make characters horny in the hopes that we root for it but it just seems imposing and not suggestive. Beautiful lighting in those
lizzzzzzz (3★) · 430 likes
is Danny DeVito hot? i think he might be hot
DirkH (4.5★) · 380 likes
Damnit, I miss the eighties... First off, Indy ruined the adventure genre. Every film that has a roguish adventurer in it that travels to exotic locations is bound to be called an Indy rip-off at some point. This, however, has about as much to do with Indiana Jones as the fourth film of that installment. Absolutely nothing. What it does have is a trio of characters, portrayed by three artists that are obviously enjoying the hell out of what they… more
Bryan Espitia (3.5★) · 328 likes
I love a good adventure film where people are violently ripped apart by crocodiles