Romancing the Stone

Movie review by Randy White, Common Sense Media
Romancing the Stone Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 12+

Romantic adventure has thrills, racist stereotypes.

PG 1984 106 minutes
Rate movie

Parents say

age 12+

Based on 8 reviews

Kids say

age 11+

Based on 21 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate movie

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Romancing the Stone has violence, profanity, sexual situations, and racist depictions of Colombians in what is otherwise an action-packed adventure movie with a strong female lead. The baddest of the villains has his hand bitten off by a crocodile, which is then completely devoured (off-screen) by a pit full of crocodiles. There's also a fair bit of swearing, a couple of stabbings, and gun fights. Breasts are visible through a wet cotton top, and there's plenty of sexual innuendo. The two leads end up together in bed, though there's no nudity. Colombian men are depicted as violent, corrupt, and dangerous. Language includes expletives like "God," "bastards," and "son of a bitch," and "a--hole" is used once. Slurs like "spico" and "maricon" are glibly used by a kidnapper.

Community Reviews

ananda51
ananda51 Adult
January 5, 2009
age 11+

Enjoyable but with caveats

The movie is a fun action-romance with comic elements. The pacing might seem slow at times for 2008. My wife and I saw it again with our daughter (age 16), and I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first time (24 years ago). ISSUES For the violence, swearing, drinking, pot smoke inhaling, and nudity, I'd give this one a PG-13. First, there IS nudity, contrary to the main review--not frontal (or from the rear), but the leads lie in bed for quite a while, talking, man on top of woman and they are quite naked. Second, in one long scene, there is drinking (lots of whiskey) and smoking marijuana (after a fashion), as the leads stay warm by burning bricks of cannabis. They are clearly affected. Third, as others have noted, the chief bad guy's hand gets chomped off by the crocodile and you see the bloody stump for a while. He's clearly in pain. Later he falls into a pit full of crocodiles (his fate is implied). A snake gets decapitated (graphic) and a croc is turned into boots (you don't see the process). In terms of stereotypes, the chief bad guy (competent and cruel) is Latino, but other (more bumbling) bad guys are Anglo, and one very helpful and likable character is Latino. There is a fair amount of Third World local color that can be seen as demeaning (people fight in airports, carry pigs on buses, etc.) and other local color that is neutral or positive, including a colorful festival & dance, The most fleshed out characters are the Anglo leads, and they are attractive but humanized and flawed.
2 people found this helpful.
bemezmerised
bemezmerised Adult
January 25, 2021
age 16+

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In ROMANCING THE STONE, Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) is a famous romance novelist who's starved for adventure and love in her own life. When her sister is kidnapped, Joan heads to Colombia on a rescue mission and meets Jack Colton (Michael Douglas), a brash adventurer who helps her escape the corrupt police who want the treasure map sent to her by her dead brother-in-law. As they make their way through the jungle, Jack romances Joan, but his intentions are dubious: He wants the treasure for himself. Meanwhile, a smuggler named Ralph (Danny Devito) and police officials, led by Zolo (Manuel Ojeda), are hot on their trail.

Is It Any Good?

Robert Zemeckis' action-packed adventure movie is laced with a sharp sense of humor. Romancing the Stone features jungle-vine swinging and mudslides down mountainsides, its rough-and-tumble story recalling the spirit of the Indiana Jones movies -- including, unfortunately, much of the racism that also marred otherwise-thrilling tales like Raiders of the Lost Ark. On the upside, Turner and Douglas generate plenty of sparks, as screenwriter Diane Thomas infuses her script with a delicious tongue-in-cheek quality. And the film's saxophone-heavy score evokes a 1980s Miami Vice-type swagger that keeps the mood energetic and fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the stereotypes in Romancing the Stone. Why are Colombian men stereotyped as violent and dangerous in this movie? What effect do you think this stereotyping has on how you might perceive Colombian men in real life?

  • Is Joan a strong female lead? Does she fall into the trap of being a damsel in distress, or is she empowered to take care of herself and others? Or does she do both?

  • The vast majority of spoken Spanish in the film is left unsubtitled. How much of it did you understand? Why do you think filmmakers chose not to subtitle Colombians' conversations? And had their dialogue been subtitled, would it have changed your perception of the characters who were talking?

  • If you were in Joan's shoes, would you have felt betrayed by Jack's actions? Would it have been as easy for you to forgive him by the movie's end?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

Themes & Topics

Browse titles with similar subject matter.

  • Cartoon picture of luggage and a map
    Adventures
    See all

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate