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Captain Ron

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Captain Ron
Theatrical release poster
Directed byThom Eberhardt
Screenplay byJohn Dwyer
Thom Eberhardt
Story byJohn Dwyer
Produced byDavid Permut
Starring
CinematographyDaryn Okada
Edited byTina Hirsch
Music byNicholas Pike
Production
companies
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • September 18, 1992 (1992-09-18)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$24 million
Box office$22,518,097

Captain Ron is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Thom Eberhardt, produced by David Permut, and co-written by John Dwyer and Thom Eberhardt for Touchstone Pictures.[1] It stars Kurt Russell as the eponymous sailor with a quirky personality and a checkered past, alongside Martin Short and Mary Kay Place who hire him to sail a yacht through the Caribbean. It earned negative reviews and was a box-office disappointment.

Plot

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Martin Harvey is a middle-aged office worker who lives in Chicago with his wife, Katherine, 16-year-old daughter, Caroline, and 11-year-old son, Ben. When he learns his recently deceased uncle has bequeathed him a 60-foot yacht once owned by Clark Gable, he decides to take his family to the island of St. Pomme de Terre ("Saint Potato") to retrieve it so he can sell it. Katherine resists the idea, but agrees after Caroline announces she has just become engaged.

When the Harveys arrive at the island, they discover that the yacht, the Wanderer, is in terrible condition. Upon hearing this, the yacht broker cancels his plan to send an experienced captain to help them sail it to Miami, and instead hires a local sailor named Captain Ron Rico, who is one-eyed, has a very laid back attitude, and is a Navy veteran who claims to have piloted the USS Saratoga. He launches immediately when he sees the car he arrived in roll off the dock and sink and its owner arrives and shoots at him.

Captain Ron takes Ben's money in a game of Monopoly, giving him beer to drink and charging him for it later, but shows loyalty to Martin, who he refers to as "Boss". Martin, who doesn't like him, calls him "Moron" in his diary, and believes that he doesn't know what he's doing.

The Harveys decide to stop off in the Caribbean, but learn that Captain Ron doesn't know how to navigate. While on a random island, Martin decides to go on a nature hike, but runs into guerrillas led by General Armando. Captain Ron bargains for Martin's freedom by giving them a lift to the next island, and receiving some firearms in return to fight off pirates. This angers Martin, as he declares there will be no firearms on his yacht and tosses them overboard, before realizing that without them, he is going to have to give the guerrillas a lift.

In the yacht's cabin, Katherine shows Martin the initials of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard marked on the bedpost. They are so excited that they share their feelings and have passionate sex.

When the Harveys arrive at their next destination, San Juan, Martin and Katherine are arrested for smuggling the guerrillas. Caroline and Ben party with the locals and Captain Ron, which ends with Caroline getting a tattoo, Ben breaking his glasses, and Captain Ron losing his glass eye. Martin and Katherine are released from jail, but forced to leave that night. Martin decides to leave Captain Ron behind and they encounter pirates who steal the yacht, and are stuck floating in a raft.

They land in Cuba and discover the yacht there. The pirates find them, but with help from Captain Ron, they are able to escape with the yacht. Captain Ron learns that they underrate Martin, and he decides to play hurt, forcing Martin to take control of the escape. Using the skills that Captain Ron taught them, they are able to get the sails up after the engine breaks from lack of oil to distance themselves from the pirates. The United States Coast Guard, responding to a distress call from Captain Ron, arrives and stops the pirates, creating a safe passage to Miami.

The Harveys arrive in Miami and part ways with Captain Ron. As they sail to their destination, they decide to turn the yacht around and keep it. In the final scene, Captain Ron appears to have cleaned up his appearance and has quickly taken on a new role as a captain for a young couple and their small motorboat. Notably he is no longer wearing an eye patch.

Cast

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  • Kurt Russell as Captain Ron Rico
  • Martin Short as Martin Harvey
  • Mary Kay Place as Katherine Harvey
  • Meadow Sisto as Caroline Harvey
  • Benjamin Salisbury as Ben Harvey
  • Sunshine Logroño as General Armando (as Emannuel Logrono)
  • Jorge Luis Ramos as General Armando's Translator
  • J.A. Preston as Magistrate
  • Tanya Soler as Angeline
  • Raúl Estela as Roscoe
  • Jainardo Batista as Mamba
  • Dan Butler as Bill Zachery
  • Tom McGowan as Bill
  • Roselyn Sanchez as Clarisse
  • Paul Anka as Donaldson, Yacht Broker
  • Shanti Kahn as Patti, Donaldson's Secretary
  • Katherine Calzada as Barbara
  • John Scott Clough as Garth
  • Marty Eli Schwartz as Supervisor
  • Craig Rondell as Caroline's Fiance
  • C.M. Talkington (credited as Clement Talkington) as the Bicycle Messenger

Production

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The film was originally conceived as an ad-man-seeking-status story but was rewritten as a family-inherits-sailboat-and-seeks-adventure-in-the-Caribbean story upon Walt Disney Studios getting involved. Initially, Kurt Russell and Martin Short were cast in each other's roles before choosing to swap. Additionally, Chevy Chase was considered for the titular role before Short was cast.[2]

The film was retitled twice before release. First it was titled Don't Rock the Boat, and then it was retitled On the Wanderer, before it was released as Captain Ron.[3][4]

Reception

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Box office

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The film grossed $22.5 million, against its budget of $24 million.[5]

Critical response

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The film premiered on September 18, 1992 to negative reviews from critics. It was panned for putting Russell in the comedic role and Short in the serious one,[6][7] while others felt that Russell's fun performance as the irresponsible and sometimes unsympathetic yacht captain carried it through its flaws.[8][9] It has a score of 26% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews with an average rating of 4.3 out of 10.[10] It has since found a niche among sailors,[11] and given the dearth of nautical comedies, the film saw a resurgence of interest in the mid-2010s.[12] In 2016, Tammy Kennon of USA Today referred to the film as a "sailing cult classic" and suggested that the film might contain "the most widely celebrated ketch in pop culture".[13]

Salisbury and Sisto were each nominated for a Young Artist Award.

Noah Segan has cited the character of Captain Ron as an inspiration for his performance as Derol in the film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ Canby, Vincent (September 18, 1992). "Review/Film; The Skipper Runs More Than a Boat". The New York Times.
  2. ^ The Original ‘Captain Ron’ Piloted a Power Cruiser
  3. ^ Walsh, Michael (September 18, 1992). "Husbands and Wives 'bad TV': Purloined picture painful: [1* Edition]". The Province. pp. C4.
  4. ^ Wilner, Norman (September 18, 1992). "Short rides leaky boat onto sandbar: [AM Edition]". Toronto Star. pp. C11.
  5. ^ "Captain Ron (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  6. ^ Maltin, Leonard (1992). Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide. Signet. ISBN 9780451170682.
  7. ^ Kempley, Rita (September 21, 1992). "Captain Ron". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  8. ^ Rugaard, Jason (July 26, 1992). "Captain Ron (1992) – Review". Movie Mavericks. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  9. ^ Andresen, Joshua (September 22, 1992). "Weather Report's Joe Zawinul forms diverse new band". The Tech. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  10. ^ "Captain Ron (1992)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  11. ^ Swanson, Peter (September 29, 2015). "Captain Ron Revisited". Sail. Cruz Bay Publishing. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  12. ^ Rabin, Nathan (November 22, 2016). "Does Captain Ron Deserve Cult Status?". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  13. ^ Kennon, Tammy. "Dream Boats: Fetching ketches for sale". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  14. ^ Guerrasio, Jason. "'Glass Onion' star Noah Segan shares Easter eggs, a deleted scene, and the yacht-rock song that inspired his scene-stealing stoner Derol". Insider. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  15. ^ Segan, Noah (January 5, 2023). "@kidblue". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
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