Danny DeVito

Why did they do it? Maybe because their Catholic mother (Kathleen Turner, magnificently clenched) locked them all up when near-youngest daughter Lux (the exquisite Kirsten Dunst) stayed out all night after the prom. Maybe it was due to a kind of pubertal feminine hysteria, set off by the first suicide of the youngest daughter Cecilia. Maybe they were infected by a more general malaise (the film fairly teams with images of dying elm trees, infested lakes and fetid nastiness). Or maybe they will just never know what it's like, in the words of Cecilia, to be a 13-year-old girl.

Coppola has a canny eye for 1970s kitsch and the tawdry, touching magic totems of girlhood (tampons, bright bikinis, half-used make-up) and coaxes terrific deadpan performances both from the younger cast and the veterans. (James Woods as the nerdy Lisbon patriarch is as delightfully cast against type as Turner.) For all the languid gloom, there is great wit in the observation of 1970s decor and playful touches abound: airbrushed flashbacks like vintage Timotei commercials; inserts to reveal Lux has the name of her date magic markered on her knickers; teeth and eyes that sparkle unnaturally with post-production tricks. The soundtrack hits just the right wistful ironic note with a mix of period tunes by Todd Rungren, Gilbert O'Sullivan and the like, complemented by the electronica of French pop band Air (whose standalone efforts for the film are also available on a separate CD. A film as unforgettable as first love. --Leslie Felperin
A collectors ''must have''-haunting and great., 2010-02-05
With this all star cast,Kathleen turner is very ''serial mom'' but in a more sinister way,with James woods as her hen pecked,senile husband.He is also the teacher at the girls school.
At times this film will make you CRINGE (like when they ALLOW the girls to have a party which they BOTH host and attend) and at times make you laugh,in a grim way-when you realise-as we all do that kids will rebel no matter what!.
The plot is EXTREMELY clever-and will REALLY appeal to ANYONE who is interested in human behaviour,or phsychology,as this mum literally disciplines the life OUT of her beautiful daughters.
Gripping,captivating,very haunting,excellently cast AND played by ALL the actors- it IS a film you'll never forget,and probably recognise at least SOME of the behaviour from both the girls-AND the parents-either in your OWN childhood-OR someone you know!!!!!
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED-a thinking persons dream film!!! A++++++

The Jewel of the Nile is a moderately entertaining sequel that pales by comparison to its predecessor. Romance novelist Kathleen Turner and retired soldier-of-fortune Michael Douglas return as a now-complacent couple. Bored with life on a yacht, they find excitement thrust upon them when she accepts a speaking engagement in the Middle East. Once there, she is abducted and finds herself involved with the "jewel" everyone is chasing. Douglas teams up once more with Danny DeVito to rescue his love. Less charming and more predictable than the original, this suffers for one simple reason: the characters have nowhere to go. In the original story we watched Turner blossom from timid storyteller to lusty adventuress. In this flick she is too much like all the other action adventure babes we've seen before. The same trio of stars reunited to better effect in DeVito's dark comedy The War of the Roses. --Rochelle O'Gorman, Amazon.com
Action, comedy, romance in both films, 2004-02-16
Now you wouldn't believe me if I said this, but I think Jewel of the nile is the better of the two. Why? You are asking. Romancing the stone is great, but lacked the action then it did with the romance. Yes, Romancing the stone was too romantic for me, still enjoyed it though. Jewel of the nile however is quite different, there is a bit of romance, but it has more comedy and action.

So, do see both films, but don't expect to much from Romancing the stone if you're an action type.

Kim Basinger richly deserved her Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a conflicted femme fatale; unfortunately, her male costars are so uniformly fine that they may have canceled each other out with the Academy voters: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and James Cromwell play LAPD officers of varying stripes. Pearce's character is a particularly intriguing study in Hollywood amorality and ambition, a strait-laced "hero" (and son of a departmental legend) whose career goals outweigh all other moral, ethical and legal considerations. If he's a good guy, it's only because he sees it as the quickest route to a promotion. --Jim Emerson
US Film, 2009-08-26
Strong performances all round as Guy Pearce's charachter goes through hell. It's a recommended watch, I learn something new every time I watch it.