Image Credit Twentieth Century Fox, Romancing the Stone, 1984
This week, I’m pleased to respond to a recent movie request from an avid Cinema Sips reader (side note- keep them coming! I love having to make one less decision in my life!). Romancing the Stone (DVD/Download) is a film I had always associated with lazy afternoons watching bad ’80s movies with my mom (Murphy’s Romance) was another gem in her collection. Now that I’ve watched it again as an adult, I must admit- it’s pretty fun! Really, any heroine who travels to the jungles of Colombia with tiny liquor bottles in her purse is a gal after my own heart.
Romancing the Stone tells the story of romance novelist Joan Wilder (played by Kathleen Turner), a buttoned-up cat lady who drinks alone and lives vicariously through the characters she creates. Joan gets into trouble after flying to Colombia to rescue her kidnapped sister, but luckily she meets Jack T. Colton (played by Michael Douglas), the charming rogue who saves her from some bad folks trying to steal her treasure map. Naturally, while running from the Colombian secret police, running from Danny DeVito, searching for treasure, AND trying to get to Cartagena to save the sister, they fall for one another. It’s a story right out of one of Joan Wilder’s romance novels- ludicrous, but wildly entertaining.
My drink this week was inspired by one that Kathleen Turner enjoys quite early in the movie as she meets with her publisher in Manhattan. She drinks a creamy green concoction that initially seems like an odd choice (what ever happened to the three-martini lunch???); however, after seeing the bright emerald “treasure” at the end of the map, I understand this green drink choice a little more. Foreshadowing with a cocktail! Brilliant! While watching Romancing the Stone, I recommend drinking a Grasshopper.
Grasshopper
1 oz green crème de menthe
1 oz white crème de cacao
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream for garnish
Blend all ingredients in a blender until thick and creamy, then pour into chilled glasses. Garnish with whipped cream.
I had to laugh while watching this movie because of the connection I feel to Joan Wilder. I too am an (aspiring) novelist, and while I don’t exactly sit at my keyboard wearing giant headphones and sobbing, I often get wrapped up in the storytelling. It’s incredibly fun to write characters who do wild things I would never actually do in real life, saying things I would never have the guts to say. I love that Joan finds the adventure that she had previously only imagined, and I also love that her success as a writer gets her out of a jam multiple times. Who knows- maybe my next book will be a hit in the jungles of Colombia too, saving me from death by firing squad. Hey, it could happen. Cheers!
Cinema Sips 