In this Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman recommend five films that succeed where Six Days, Seven Nights sputters. These picks feature genuine chemistry, genre clarity, or at least some sense of adventure—whether it’s bickering on a boat, dodging bullets in a jungle, or modeling on a vomit-filled yacht. From golden age classics to contemporary satire, these are the movies that remembered how to have fun.

Films Discussed:

Romancing the Stone (1984)

The Lost City (2022)

The African Queen (1951)

It Happened One Night (1934)

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

Topics Covered:

Why Six Days, Seven Nights doesn’t land as a rom-com or an adventure

Romancing the Stone as a template for chemistry and swashbuckling

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum pulling off what Anne Heche and Harrison Ford couldn’t

The surprisingly durable dynamic of reluctant travel companions (African Queen, It Happened One Night)

Triangle of Sadness as an anti-rom-com that turns yacht fantasy into capitalist nightmare fuel

Key Takeaways:

Romance works better when there’s clarity on tone and intention

Chemistry isn’t just about bickering—it’s about belief

Adventure needs more than jungle hijinks—it needs emotional stakes

If you’re going to strand two people on an island, make sure the audience wants them to stay there

Listener Prompt:

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