Captain Ron

May 11, 2017 Chopped Onion Comments 0 Comment

Back in 1992, my family and I would rent a couple VHS movies every Sunday, this was one of those movies. Yes I returned the copy I rented, I watched this again recently on DVD. I liked seeing movies like Captain Ron because it had the same family headcount as my own, (2 parents, 2 kids) so it was easy for me to imagine what it would be like to be in it. That always added an extra joke for me watching movies too, in this case my dad is not like Martin Short (but whose is?) My family’s vacations usually meant camping, cramming 4 across in the front seat of a pickup truck wearing a camper. We did not typically (ever) fly to the Caribbean but we did have my grandpa’s boat and I have an Uncle Ron. I recently saw Kurt Russell in The Fate of the Furious and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 so I got craving to watch more of his earlier work. Martin Short also hasn’t stopped working and appearing on late shows, cracking up the hosts so a fan of his I am as well.

Since first seeing this movie I have been in/on the water in Hawaii, I have been on a few day cruise with multiple get off the boat stops along the way (in Egypt), and I have worked at a mall with a pirate ship in it. Movies centered around water and boats always get a bit more attention from me, (The Hunt for Red October, Crimson Tide, and The Abyss to name a few), but I am not quite sure the draw yet. Perhaps a Greek ancestor of mine was in the navy, Poseidon perhaps? Aquaman? No he wasn’t Greek. I know how to swim but I have never been on a sail boat similar to the one in this movie. A movie like this probably helped inspire an appreciation for water safety and swimming lessons. Back when I was taking lessons they used colors for the different levels but we are a progressive society so they use animals now. I think I am somewhere between a duck and a sea turtle.

1992, 14A , 1h 30m

Distributor – Touchstone (Buena Vista)

Budget – $24 million

Cast & Crew

Director Thom Eberhardt had previously directed Without a Clue starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley, and has a few more horror credits on his resume than comedy. He also co-wrote the screenplay with John Dwyer. Kurt Russell was in Backdraft the year before, Overboard in 1987 with long time partner Goldie Hawn (not their only film together), Big Trouble in Little China, and my personal favorite of his, The Thing directed by John Carpenter. The year after Captain Ron had Kurt headline Tombstone, and later Stargate, Breakdown, Bone Tomahawk, The Hateful Eight, and Deepwater Horizon. He keeps working, delivering, and clearly loves what he does. Martin Short showed his comedic chops in shows Saturday Night Live and SCTV, and with Steven Martin in both Father of the Bride films and Three Amigos. After Captain Ron, he was in Mars Attacks!, numerous tv shows, and released a book in 2015, “I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend.”

My Thoughts

This movie can appear as a low budget, made for tv, actors go on a vacation and they film it type, but there is more here. The comedic timing of both actors and the editing makes the 90 minutes fly along. Movies like this are perfect in run time, any shorter and it would be jarring and any longer and you would be looking at the time. It teaches some good lessons, such as do a good job with what you are given (taking out the trash) and you will get a better one (running the engine). It has many jokes, and usually does not stop to make sure you see/hear them and have time to laugh. I like the balance of Martin’s procedural father and Kurt’s easy going captain. Martin did not have to be the one to tell rapid fire jokes, like he usually is, because he gets the laughs knowing how to react to Kurt. My favorite song played in the movie is “Jammin’” by Bob Marley & The Wailers. It is fun and laid back, perfect for a family adventure film.

Links

IMDB – 5.7

Box Office Mojo

Wikipedia

Spoilers

(please do not continue reading if you have not seen the movie and do not want to read a spoiler)

When an actor can use a line or character trait from one film and justify using it in another film, the movie nerd in me cheers connecting the dots. Notice the eye patch on Kurt Russell? In two action movies, Escape from New York in 1981 and Escape from L.A. in 1996, he starred as Snake Plissken where he also wore a patch. This movie, with it’s family bonding and slow down to enjoy life messages, could easily have been a Disney family film. The underage drinking, brief language, and nude (almost entirely comedic) shower scene probably had something to do with that not happening. Touchstone/Buena Vista are part of the Disney family. The use of languages is fun, like the island of Ste. Pomme de Terre (saint potato), calling Ron “Moron,” and gorillas vs guerrillas. The boating, dancing, parade, and fighting with the pirates of the Caribbean (“I haven’t been to Disneyworld, I’ve been to Dollywood”) gives the film lots to work with for comedic moments. Kurt Russell using his own clothes for the role makes for comedic moments alone, that and picturing my Uncle Ron in those purple pirate pants.

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