Club Paradis

Ramis has exceptional talent. The eclectic selection of humorous scenes is well woven.

O'Toole lends a great deal of sophistication to the film. His thought provoking words on government and island life stirred my imagination.

Williams seems to have been at his comical best early in his career.

Moranis proves himself to be a true oddball.

Certainly, this is a picture you should not miss seeing.

Before Robin Williams solidly established himself as a star in "Good Morning, Vietnam", he starred in several innocuously silly movies such as "Club Paradise". He plays Jack Moniker, a Chicago firefighter who retires and moves to the Caribbean island of St. Nicholas. There, he joins up with tour guide Ernest Reed (Jimmy Cliff) and the two of them open a wild business, with the help of Gov. Anthony Cloyden Hayes (Peter O'Toole). Once the rich American tourists start arriving, the high finks take off.

The movie is mostly an excuse for a bunch of goofy things to happen, especially when the characters played by Eugene Levy and Rick Moranis embarrass themselves. True, Williams did better with some of his later work, but "Club Paradise" is still pretty funny.

I love Club Paradise, great soundtrack by Jimmy Cliff and the only Robin Williams movie I can say I truly enjoy.

Its a cute silly film, mostly disliked but a great post SCTV carry over cast with Eugene Levy and Rick moranis up to no good in the jungle.

Williams delivers and Peter O' Toole is so superior as "The Govenor" truly wry British humor is used at all times.

A great $4.99 value found recently for sale at Walgreens, pick it up and have a larf.

Cherrio caps!

-Sean in LA

I don't know why this couldn't have just been Robin Williams running or fixing up a hotel. That's a great, simple premise. Alternatively, this also could've been Rick Moranis and Eugene Levy as two clueless buffoons trying to get laid at a beach resort.

Instead of either of those ideas, the movie decides to go with the most overly-complicated script I think I've ever seen for a comedy. There are so many characters and so many of them get their own scenes that go on for quite awhile. As a result, Robin Williams isn't even in the movie for significant stretches.

The filmmakers seemed to think this would be more of an ensemble with a lot of strong comedic actors and that was a mistake. Some of the others are okay, but not enough to sideline Williams for half the movie. They had a great lead actor and a script that could've written itself but decided to overcomplicate things.

The last 20 minutes of the movie take a crazy left turn into a civil war taking place on this Caribbean island. It's so bizarre and a little tasteless too with how comedic it's portrayed. It was the 80s I suppose. The ending took this down from a 5/10 though. It really hurts the movie, which could've just ended with comedic hijinx with Robin fooling the rich guys into not buying the property.

This review is becoming as convoluted as the script it talks about, so in the end I'll just say they whiffed and could've easily had a fun comedy with Robin Williams in a fun setting. They literally made their jobs harder and made a worse movie because of it.

I guess I'm an '80's boy because I have so much to remember, high school graduation, college, Navy service etc. etc. Yet it is the movies I remember the most and this is one of them.

It is cute and fun and with some great actors playing, so what if it didn't win any Oscars? Sure it wasn't gut bursting laughs by the minute, rather smiling all through the movie.

No. It is all about the beautiful warm feeling you get, like coming directly from the Caribbean sun itself. Laid back, cool music and a good time.

Pour yourself a drink (Bacardi perhaps?) watch it on a rainy winter evening with some company and you'll have a great time especially if you can remember yourself when you watched it for the first time.