In the South Pacific island of Makatea, career-driven magazine editor Robin Monroe is on a week-long vacation getaway with her boyfriend, Frank Martin. An emergency work assignment in neighboring Tahiti requires Robin to hire the cantankerous pilot Quinn Harris who had flown them to Makatea on a small transport plane. While flying, a powerful storm forces Quinn to make an emergency landing on a nearby deserted island. The dissimilar pair avoid each other at first, until they're forced to team up to escape from the island -- and some pirates who want their heads.
_**Harrison Ford and Anne Heche as castaways on a paradisal island**_
A small-plane pilot (Harrison Ford) is stranded on a remote Pacific island with a New York magazine editor (Anne Heche). Not only do they have to survive and find a way back to civilization, but they encounter other mortal dangers. David Schwimmer plays the woman's fiancé while Jacqueline Obradors is on hand as the dalliance of the pilot.
"Six Days Seven Nights" (1998) is a lost-on-a-deserted-island adventure/romance sometimes compared to "The African Queen" (1951) for obvious reasons, but "Six Days" seems more farcical. There's also a little "Flight of the Phoenix" (1965) added to the mix.
Harrison is charismatic as the stalwart, but slightly alcoholic loner/pilot while Heche is intelligent and likable. Unfortunately, some of their bickering comes across forced in an eye-rolling way, but the movie makes up for it with a surprisingly potent dramatic scene near the end. Beyond that, the movie is quick-paced comic book fluff that never gets boring, but also never goes deep or realistic enough for my tastes. Nevertheless, I'm a sucker for stranded-on-deserted-island flicks.
The contrast between Heche and Obradors' characters is interesting: Robin (Heche) is attractive in an intelligent plain-Jane kind of way while Angelica (Obradors) is alluring in a bodacious cutie manner. The fact that the latter is air-headed and morally dubious removes her from the realm of possibilities, as far as a lifelong soulmate goes. She's babelicious, though, and the movie tastefully shows it.
The film is short and sweet at 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot at Kaua'i, Hawaii. The locations are spectacular.
GRADE: B
Six Days, Seven Nights is an easygoing adventure rom-com that benefits from its tropical setting, solid production, and the natural charm of Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. Their chemistry keeps things entertaining, and the film has a breezy, energetic feel that makes it watchable. The cinematography captures the island beautifully, and the music complements the lighthearted tone. It is the kind of movie that is easy to sit through, with enough fun moments to keep it from feeling dull.
The biggest drawback is the predictability of the story. The plot follows a formula so closely that there is little room for surprises or creativity. Comedy and serious moments don’t always blend well, making some scenes feel unintentionally awkward. It never fully commits to being an adventure, romance, or comedy, which leaves it feeling a bit weightless. That said, if you go in just looking for a simple, visually appealing adventure with likable leads, it does the job well enough.
