Film
Club Paradise
- Buddy comedy
- Light-hearted
A scrappy 1986 comedy where Robin Williams' retiring firefighter helps renovate a Caribbean resort, fending off corrupt developers with charm and chaos. It's loose, silly, and uneven—a film that swings wildly between inspired moments and dead air. Best for viewers who like their comedies shaggy and willing to fail.
If you liked this
Trading Places1983
Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd spark brilliantly off each other in this sharp, witty romp about class and capitalism. Every scene crackles with energy and comedy invention that lands.
But It's fundamentally a crowd-pleaser from the 1980s, so some satirical edges have dulled over time. If you need your comedy lean and modernist, this is broad.

The Blues Brothers1980
Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi blast through a ramshackle plot with genuine affection, tremendous music, and spectacular stunt driving. Anarchic without losing its heart.
But It's nearly two hours and the plot is deliberately thin—long stretches are just the band driving between gigs. Patience required.

Stripes1981
Bill Murray at his most charming, leading a ragged band of misfits through boot camp hijinks. Warm, funny, and it genuinely likes its characters. Ivan Reitman's sweet spot.
But The military-comedy formula feels dated now. Earnest patriotism undercuts some of the irreverence.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Club Paradise
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying1967
Both films hinge on an optimistic con—outsiders leveraging charm and improvisation against systems designed to exclude them, with the plot almost incidental to the personality.
Robert Morse as a schemer climbing the corporate ladder through charm and shenanigans in this musical-comedy that shares Club Paradise's faith that likeable con artists can talk their way through anything. Energetic, bright, and genuinely funny.
But It's a 1967 musical. The production is high-gloss and theatrical; if you need your comedy grounded in realism, it won't work for you.

More like this (8)
Coming to America1988
Eddie Murphy's warmth and John Landis's visual inventiveness turn a simple premise into a genuinely joyful romp. Generous-spirited and surprisingly romantic for a comedy.
But The supporting-character voices and some sight gags depend on racial stereotypes that haven't aged well.

National Lampoon's Vacation1983
Chevy Chase as an everyman whose road trip disintegrates is perfectly pitched—funny without being mean, and the film trusts the awkwardness more than the punchlines.
But It's a collection of set pieces rather than a plot. If you need narrative momentum, you'll feel the joins.

The Cannonball Run1981
Burt Reynolds, an ensemble of famous people, and a coast-to-coast car race designed as an excuse for cameos and chaos. Pure, unashamed excess.
But There's no real story, just a series of loosely connected sketches. Some jokes evaporate instantly. It's amiable rather than sharp.

Splash1984
Ron Howard's control keeps this fantastical premise grounded. Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah have genuine chemistry, and the film earns its sentiment without losing its humour.
But The mermaid mythology gets fuzzy and convenient. If you're looking for logic over feeling, it won't deliver.

Weekend at Bernie's1989
A genuinely inspired high-concept joke—two guys pretending their dead boss is alive at a beach house. The setup is perfect and the film mines it thoroughly.
But One joke stretched to 97 minutes. If the premise doesn't grab you instantly, nothing else will.

Meatballs1979
Bill Murray as a camp counselor with a heart as big as his mouth, shepherding lovable misfits. Sweet, chaotic, genuinely rooting for its characters.
But It's ramshackle and sometimes loses the thread. Some gags don't work and the film keeps going anyway.

Club Med1986
Exactly the same setting and premise, but approached with a documentary eye—what happens when you actually try to run a Caribbean resort, rather than just using it as a backdrop for a Robin Williams vehicle.
A forgotten French comedy about a vacation resort where the staff are more important than the guests. It captures the specific chaos of running a tropical getaway—the bureaucratic absurdity, the clashing personalities, the way good intentions collide with reality.
But It's obscure, subtitled, and comedically gentler and more observational than broad. It's more interested in character than punchlines.

Local Hero1983
Both films grapple with the same fundamental conflict—development and progress versus community and place—but Local Hero trusts the material completely and never undercuts its own sincerity.
Bill Forsyth's masterpiece about an American oil executive trying to buy a Scottish village. The plot about outsiders and development is identical to Club Paradise, but it's shot through with genuine tenderness and operates at the register of a fable. Funny without ever winking.
But It's quiet, patient, and melancholic underneath. If you need broad comedy and forward momentum, this will feel slow.

People
Cast
Robin WilliamsJack Moniker
Peter O'TooleAnthony Cloyden Hayes
Rick MoranisBarry Nye
Jimmy CliffErnest Reed
TwiggyPhillipa Lloyd
Adolph CaesarSolomon Grundy
Eugene LevyBarry Steinberg
Joanna CassidyTerry Hamlin
Andrea MartinLinda White
Brian Doyle-MurrayVoit Zerbe
Joe FlahertyPilot
Steven KampmannRandy White
Directing
- Harold RamisDirector
- Sally JonesScript Supervisor
- Callum McDougallSecond Assistant Director
Writing
- Brian Doyle-MurrayScreenplay
- Harold RamisScreenplay
- Chris MillerStory
- David StandishStory
- Harry ShearerStory
- Tom LeopoldStory
Production
- Trevor AlbertAssociate Producer
- Wallis NicitaCasting
- Alan GreismanExecutive Producer
- Michael ShambergProducer