Overview
A timid novelist finds herself in a wild adventure filled with danger and unexpected romance.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- breezy
- irreverent
- lazy sunday
- road trip movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a high-spirited, colorful, and entertaining blend of adventure action and comedy, despite occasional plotting and chemistry concerns.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Joan's map drives the kidnappers' demands and the jungle chase while functioning mainly as the adventure's plot engine.
Romance novelist Joan is forced from Manhattan into Colombia's jungle, where survival and improvisation challenge her assumed identity.
Joan and Jack move from wary cooperation to romantic partnership amid pursuit, betrayal, and physical peril.
The Colombian jungle, river hazards, crocodile encounter, vehicle chases, and stunt-driven escapes provide the film's defining visual energy.
Films like Romancing the Stone, and why
Raiders of the Lost Ark
shared treasure hunt, comic action, exotic peril, and light romantic chemistry
The Jewel of the Nile
shared romantic adventure structure, irreverent humor, jungle danger, and charismatic leads
The Jewel of the Nile
shared screwball romance, fish out of water protagonist, and fast-moving criminal escapades
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
shared blend of adventure spectacle, comedy, treasure seeking, and developing romance
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Zemeckis
- Release Date
- 1984-03-30
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (2128)
Cast
- Michael Douglas
- Kathleen Turner
- Danny DeVito
- Zack Norman
- Alfonso Arau
- Manuel Ojeda
- Holland Taylor
- Mary Ellen Trainor
- Eve Smith
- Joe Nesnow
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, BBC America
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Romancing the Stone about?
- A romance novelist and a roguish adventurer race through the Colombian jungle to rescue her kidnapped sister and recover a legendary treasure.
- What is Romancing the Stone like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Romancing the Stone as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Romancing the Stone violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Romancing the Stone as mild.
- What did critics think of Romancing the Stone?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a high-spirited, colorful, and entertaining blend of adventure action and comedy, despite occasional plotting and chemistry concerns.
- Which films are like Romancing the Stone?
- Films with a similar feel include Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Jewel of the Nile, The Jewel of the Nile, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
- How long is Romancing the Stone?
- Romancing the Stone runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Romancing the Stone?
- In United States, Romancing the Stone streams on Philo, BBC America.
