Auf der Jagd nach dem grünen Diamanten

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!!!!

"Romancing the Stone" came out just 3 years after "Raiders..." and in my mind is cemented as one of the great "watchable" movies, one of the very best "adventure/comedies" of all time. The on-screen chemistry between Michael Douglas (39 during filming) and Kathleen Turner (29 during filming) is wonderful, both playing their parts flawlessly. It is most likely the movie that made Douglas a big star. I can't tell you how many times, with my children, I watched this movie, and still when I watch it alone, almost like it was the first time.

Probably my favorite moment is when Joan and Jack are in the small village and surrounded by Columbian thugs with guns and he says, "OK Joan Wilder, write us out of this one." As soon as they recognize Joan Wilder as the author they love, for her romance novels, they are welcomed into the group.

The movie was directed by Bob Zemeckis who also did 'Forest Gump' and the 'BTTF' movies, among others, and he is just good at adventure types of entertaining movies.

Years ago I wanted to own the DVD and now I do.

Edit: 2019 - Now owning the DVD and I have continued to watch it every two or three years, something about it never gets old or tiresome.

Edit: 2024 - My wife and I just watched it again, part of what makes this such a good movie is each section is like a very short movie in itself and strung together to tell an exciting story. And the final scene is just so perfect considering everything that came before it.

One review is saying this is a film only for people nostalgic who lived in that time period. But I was born in the year 2000, and the movie fills me with the kinds of romance, adventure, and emotion, that is timeless. Part of the reason for this is the superb atmosphere. You really feel you are there in all of the locations. It is one of the most atmospheric movies you can watch. The other good thing about it: no pointless CGI. Everything made nowadays is just done on computers with CGI characters. It's never believable. Maybe we need to go back to how things were done in the past. Sets, matte paintings, and practical effects. CGI = no imagination.

Truth be told: I came a little late to the party when it comes to having seen "Romancing The Stone". I didn't see it for the first time until the Fall of 1993, but had seen it's sequel, "Jewel of the Nile" numerous times since its initial theatrical release in 1985. Normally when it comes to seeing sequels, I almost always prefer the original to the sequel--but for many years I absolutely loved "Jewel of the Nile" not knowing about "Romancing the Stone".

When I finally did see "Romancing the Stone" nine solid years after its theatrical release on some premium cable channel, I was blown away by it. All those years spent raving about "Jewel" should have been spent raving about "Romancing the Stone". The original is leaps and bounds superior to the sequel (even though "Jewel of the Nile" does have its own charms--to a degree upon reflection) and contains what is arguably Kathleen Turner's best on-screen performance. Have we ever seen her better in anything else? Maybe in "Peggy Sue Got Married" or in "Prizzi's Honor" perhaps even in "Body Heat", but, it's safe to say that without her enormously captivating, thoroughly fabulous performance as Joan Wilder opposite Michael Douglas' career best comic performance as Jack Coltin, the movie wouldn't be such the modern-day classic it is and always will be.

As far as I'm concerned, Turner was robbed of the Oscar for Best Actress in 1984 for this film. So often the Academy favors dramatic performances over comedic performances when everyone worth their Screen Actors Guild card knows comedy is infinitely trickier to pull off convincingly than drama. How many actresses could have been as perfect as Turner is as Wilder? Only Susan Sarandon comes to immediate mind--she would have been magnificent come to think of it.

Also, there hasn't been a successful romantic adventure film made since that even comes close to comparing with "Romancing the Stone" I believe. And, I've looked long and hard to find one even compatible to this and have failed. There may be many knock-offs but no real diamonds in the rough.

Danny DeVito as always was a hoot to watch and Holland Taylor as Joan's book editor, Gloria, is simply sensational in a brief but memorable turn at the beginning and tail-end of the movie. It's a mystery why she's never really been a bigger star before now, with her groundbreaking, Emmy Award-winning work on "The Practice" at least giving us a taste on what we've been denying ourselves by not making a big noise in support of her landing bigger, juicier starring roles.

So 16 years later, "Romancing the Stone" is still unequivocally the best of its genre and makes you wish the Turner would get the chance to work far more than she's been in recent times. The woman is a comic genius and we need to let the powers that be in Hollywood know that we want more of her and quickly.

One suggestion: If Turner, Douglas and DeVito ever do reteam--let it not be in a second sequel. "Romancing" is just too perfect to capitalize on any further. They couldn't do a sequel to "The War of the Roses" for obvious reasons (if you've seen the movie you already know why). Just imagine how great they would have been in "Primary Colors" as Jack and Susan Stantin. John Travolta (on target for sure) and especially Emma Thompson (in a surprisingly weak performance) take note. It's a shame the film's writer, Diane Thomas didn't live long enough to have written any other films of this magnitude. This one produced gem of hers has given millions of people the world over countless hours of fun-filled escapist delight. A true classic in every sense.

GRADE: A

I'm not a fan of romantic comedies, but this is one exception to that.

The whole premise is ridiculous, the plot twists improbable, but who cares? This is a movie meant to entertain and it does so successfully. Don't look for any political statements or tests of one's intellect--you won't find any. Just sit back, suspend your disbelief, and enjoy the show.