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Romancing the Stone

Romancing the Stone

Romance · Comedy · Action · 1984

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.

Movie details

Romancing the Stone

“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.”

1984 Romance · Comedy · Action 1h 46m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Romancing the Stone?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Zemeckis

Written by

Diane Thomas

Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas

Jack T. Colton

Kathleen Turner

Kathleen Turner

Joan Wilder

Danny DeVito

Danny DeVito

Ralph

Zack Norman

Zack Norman

Ira

Alfonso Arau

Alfonso Arau

Juan

Manuel Ojeda

Manuel Ojeda

Zolo

Holland Taylor

Holland Taylor

Gloria

Court is in session

Put Romancing the Stone on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.