Romancing The Stone (1984)

The adventures we dream about are never quite as tidy as the ones we write, but they can be far more thrilling. Robert Zemeckis' "Romancing the Stone," written by Diane Thomas, stars Kathleen Turner as Joan Wilder, a shy, lonely New York romance novelist who dreams of the dashing heroes in her books. When her sister is kidnapped in Colombia by a pair of antiquities smugglers, including a scheming little crook named Ralph (Danny DeVito), Joan learns they want a treasure map that her late brother-in-law mailed to her before he was killed. Heading south to deliver the ransom, she's tricked onto the wrong bus by the ruthless Colonel Zolo (Manuel Ojeda), the head of the country's secret police, who's also after the map. Stranded in the jungle after a crash, she hires Jack Colton (Michael Douglas), a scruffy American adventurer, to guide her to the city. Together they slide down muddy slopes, dodge gunfire and team up with a flamboyant drug smuggler (Alfonso Arau) who turns out to be Joan's biggest fan, as they race to find a priceless emerald before their enemies do. Along the way, the mismatched pair fall in love. Alan Silvestri supplies the lively score, and it spawned a sequel, "The Jewel of the Nile."