Martin (Martin Short) and Katherine Harvey (Mary Kay Place) live in the Chicago suburb with their kids Caroline and Ben. His deceased uncle leaves him a yacht once owned by Clark Gable worth $250k. The only catch is that the boat is on the island of Ste. Pomme de Terre and they need to get it to Miami. Martin wants to bring the whole family to sail it but Katherine balks until Caroline comes home announcing her engagement to a leather jacket dude. The boat looks worst than expected and the broker hires local slobbish Captain Ron Rico (Kurt Russell).The family annoyed me at the beginning. I don't like the kid. He's not only a brat but he gets on my nerves. The girl is almost as bad. The married couple can bicker as long as it's fun. The family doesn't have the fun chemistry. I like Captain Ron a bit more. The odd couple feel between Martin and Captain Ron has some fun moments but the movie is not nearly funny enough.

This movie is so amazing. It basically has it all, Kurt Russell, Martin short, comedy, drama, pirates, boats, guns, fire, boobs, and fire-breathers. It doesn't get much better. The performance Russell gives in showing the resolve, determination, attention to detail and focus shown by the Harvies in their pursuit of a free lifestyle, truly shows a level of unwavering mental toughness that is very impressive and without a doubt lies at the heart of the film's appeal. Ron, is tough, brave and stubborn as he fights through every obstacle, setback and trial throughout the journey. If this movie were to be re-leased today it would look something like this. Here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/user/lukejmu?feature=mhum#p/u/0/cOPl21EVhaU

This movie is worth watching. I think some negative reactions are from disappointed expectations rather than the movie not being actually good. One problem is that it's marketed as a comedy but I don't really see it that way. It's one of those movies that is more amusing than laugh out loud funny. I notice that, in spite of its apparent low rating here on IMDb, there are many enthusiastic reviews here and only 4 that trash it.Obviously, much of the fun is in watching Kurt Russell and Martin Short. Regarding Kurt Russell, the guy is a major star and goes waaaay back to the 60s as already a major star. If you are a fan of his (as 40+ years' worth of people are), you will enjoy watching him cut up in this whacky role. He's a lot of fun and since I've been a fan since 1967's Flubber, I really enjoyed his entire performance.I'm a big Martin Short fan but so often his roles in movies are restrained, e.g. The Three Amigos. I'm not really sure what he is shooting for in that persona, but if you like him he can come across as charming in whatever he says or does. In this case his character is again restrained, the straight guy, and on the annoying side, plus he's a little bit of a loser. None of that seems like a formula for success and I don't really think the character or performance works all that well but since I like him he comes across as charming for me.The movie is largely an adventure and it works on that level. A lot of things go wrong and I don't like that type of movie but it doesn't hit that close to home for me because I've never tried to quit my job and take a boat across the world. So the situations seems so outlandish that I can laugh them off without feeling Martin's pain.Anyway, as many others here have said, it's pretty good and especially if you're a fan of either or both of the stars, it's worth watching.

Best Movie Ever! Captain Ron is my hero. I love Captain Ron, he would be my best friend if i knew him. I first met him in my aunts trailer in Florida when i was 10 years old and I rented Captain Ron and Jumanji. He is just the greatest captain and if I was a captain I would be just like captain ron. Captain ron goes to the coolest places and i have the DVD of captain ron but when i first saw captain ron it was on a VHS because there were no dvds. When i went to an island on vacation i found a dedication to captain ron and i told the man whos shrine it was that i was looking for the captain ron soundtrack and the man was like oo there's a captain ron soundtrack? and i was like i don't know but i want there to be.