Captain Ron

Between the sex-charged thriller UNLAWFUL ENTRY, and the Western classic, TOMBSTONE, Kurt Russell kicked back and had some fun, playing one-eyed reprobate Captain Ron Rico, in Thom Eberhardt's easy-going comedy, CAPTAIN RON. The tale of a Chicago family's sea-faring odyssey, moving an inherited sailboat (once owned by Clark Gable) from a tiny Caribbean port to Miami for sale, CAPTAIN RON never gets the big laughs you'd expect from a movie co-starring Martin Short, but is entertaining, with Russell again proving he is as adept at comedy as in action or dramatic roles.

Co-starring the wonderful Mary Kay Place as Short's practical but supportive wife, and Meadow Sisto and Benjamin Salisbury as their scheming children, the story would be a routine 'by-the-numbers' sea comedy, if not for Russell's larger-than-life presence. As the sailor hired to take the boat and family to Miami, Captain Ron is wild, occasionally inept, and the kind of seaman you wouldn't trust a rowboat to, much less a broken-down yacht! "If we get lost," he tells a nervous Short, "we'll just pull into an island and ask directions." Whether he's rescuing Short and Place from a flooding shower stall ("Your folks were playing 'Hide the Salami' in the shower", he calmly explains to their young son, who promptly falls out of his chair), or warning the family to keep an eye out for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ("So you've been to Disney World," Short quips...before pirates indeed attack the ship), Russell's 'Ron' is a comic gem, commanding the screen each time he appears.

While CAPTAIN RON will never make anyone's list of 'Best Comedies', it is a pleasant diversion, and if you're a Kurt Russell fan, you won't be disappointed!

This is one of my favorites. So much so I ran out and purchased it. I'm puzzled as to why this movie was not rated higher, it is at least on a parr with DAVE, NINE MONTHS, GROUNDHOG DAY and THE BIG LEBOWSKI. I liked all those movies and CAPTAIN RON is just as good. Kurt Russell's performance is hilarious and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what he will do next. I would never have seen this movie based on the score it was given, lucky for me I saw the movie first. Terrific, hilarious and enjoyable entertainment. Don't miss this one.

Splashy adventures in the Caribbean as a mild-mannered big city businessman suddenly inherits a yacht and talks his reluctant family into a spontaneous month-long sea voyage. Martin Short is the oft-frustrated family man, whipped and stifled by the corporate world, who almost instantly regrets hiring his polar opposite (a mostly shirtless, mulleted, eye-patched Kurt Russell) to teach his family how to control their new toy. Most of the fun lies in watching Russell do whatever he wants - flirting with the wife and daughter, teaching the son to drink and gamble, pushing the boat to the point of disintegration - which rankles the father who sees himself being replaced by a newer, hipper model.

There's nothing world-shattering here. It's a simple recipe that coasts on easy laughs and nice scenery, but at least it has a unique angle and a decent amount of heart. Short is vanilla and snobby as the leading man, prickly and unlikable, but that's how the character is written. Russell, on the other hand, pushes an overshadowing support role, one which could've easily been just as grating, into something more personable and endearing. We buy into Captain Ron's world philosophy because the actor also buys into it.

As formulaic, predictable family comedies go, one could do far worse. Bonus points to those who choose to lean into the winking urban legend that this is how Snake Plissken relaxes between escapes.

Kurt Russell is brilliant as Captain Ron, a rascal and part time sea captain adrift in the Caribbean. Many classic lines, and bits of dialogue throughout the film. This is one movie I enjoy watching repeatedly.

Captain Ron IS the all time favorite comedy in our family. I laugh just thinking about "Captain Ron". How movies like this just get lost in the shuffle is beyond me. Don't the right people know a good thing when they see it? Don't miss seeing it again, again, again******** A 10!