Robert Zemeckis Films Ranked: #14 – ‘Romancing the Stone’ (1984)

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#14 in my ranking of Robert Zemeckis’ films.

The film that revitalized Robert Zemeckis’ career was the one he directed. His initial movies, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “Used Cars,” were enjoyable but didn’t meet the financial expectations of studios from their new promising director who they wanted to emulate Steven Spielberg. It seemed like Zemeckis’ directorial journey might have ended until Michael Douglas chose him for his upcoming production and starring role. This was a unique screenplay about a romance novelist, played by Kathleen Turner, finding herself in the very adventures she wrote about despite living a secluded life within her small New York apartment. This film felt less like a Zemeckis production compared to most of his earlier works because he was essentially hired as a director at that time. The studio wasn’t very satisfied with his previous work before its premiere, even dismissing him as the director of “Cocoon” before this movie was released. However, it turned out to be successful and gave him the opportunity to create a small film about a teenager traveling back in time to the 50s. Prior to that, though, Turner’s character went to Columbia University in search of her sister.

In a nutshell, Joan, a romance novelist who typically leads a secluded existence, finds herself in an unexpected predicament. Her late brother-in-law had sent a map to her before his untimely demise, which is now in the hands of her sister’s abductors in Colombia. As a loving sibling, Joan steps out of her comfort zone to assist her family by retrieving the map. However, she finds herself pursued by Zolo, a high-ranking Colombian official with ties to their secret police, who seeks the map for his own purposes.

Zolo tracks Joan from Cartagena to a remote location where he attempts to eliminate her. Just as Zolo prepares to execute his plan, Jack T. Colton, an American residing in Colombia while saving money by selling exotic birds, stumbles upon the scene. The accident that left Joan stranded also destroyed Jack’s bird collection. With a newfound ally, Jack helps Joan escape Zolo and offers to guide her back to Cartagena for $375.

The story starts with Joan embarking on an unexpected romantic journey, where she encounters a character resembling her literary ideal man (named Jesse in her books), but with some surprising differences – Jack is more rugged and less polished than she had imagined. At first, their relationship isn’t one of love, but as this tale unfolds within the genre of romantic adventure films popular at the time, they eventually fall for each other. This film, filled with predictable yet charming elements, was produced to showcase Michael Douglas in the style of the blockbuster hit Raiders of the Lost Ark imitations.

In contrast to many of Robert Zemeckis’ films during that era, “Romancing the Stone” stands out as it was not part of his scriptwriting process, with Bob Gale also not involved. This results in a more conventional storyline, following a clear three-act structure and characters who develop in expected ways. Essentially, this movie serves as a demonstration for Zemeckis to prove that he can direct films beyond fast-paced, action-packed adventures. However, it retains some of those elements, but primarily, “Romancing the Stone” is Zemeckis showing off his ability to handle traditional Hollywood adventure movies.

The essence he contributes to the journey is a palpable sense of excitement. Filming of action scenes is vibrant, as demonstrated by the scene where they traverse a quaint village in a four-by-four belonging to the local drug lord, who graciously guides them around while Zolo chases after them. This part is quite charming. The climactic sequence set in a Cartegena fort, where Joan and Jack confront American kidnappers along with Zolo, offers both humor and thrill. Throughout this adventure, Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas shine as the main duo. Their dialogue is witty, their connection is profound, and their comedic timing, particularly from Turner, who remains constantly apprehensive of the unfamiliar environments she encounters, never fails to amuse.

Romancing the Stone isn’t difficult to watch, but it’s quintessentially a product of its era and serves as an enjoyable little action-adventure film beyond that. It’s fortunate that audiences found it appealing in significant numbers, since if they hadn’t, the course of Zemeckis’ career could have been vastly different.

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2025-01-12 00:15