Gib Gibson {John Cusack}is on to a "sure thing," the treasure at the end of every horny male college student's rainbow, a guaranteed night of passion with a babe and no strings attached. But there are troubles in his way. Firstly, this "sure thing" {in the shapely form of Nicollette Sheridan} is on the other side of the country, thus he has to hitch his way to nirvana. Secondly, circumstance sees him hitching with his prim and proper class mate, Alison {Daphne Zuniga}, a problem since they really have different ideals and approaches in life.
The 80s, a time of "interesting" fashions and lots of hairspray. Also the time of John Hughes and a raft of teen comedies/coming of age semi-serious fluff-a-like dramas. Perhaps, given its make up, the biggest surprise is that The Sure Thing isn't a John Hughes picture. Written by Steven Bloom & Jonathan Roberts, it's directed by Rob Reiner {This Is Spinal Tap/Stand by Me}, with Reiner gleefully remaking Capra's immensely superior It Happened One Night, only for the 1980s colourful tweeners.
Naturally it's all too predictable, with some stuff coming off as unimaginative copy-cat scripting, and unlike the Capra movie, The Sure Thing as telling entertainment does not, as some nostalgic 80s lovers proclaim, hold up well today on a revisit. What is evident tho is that Reiner's direction, given the time it was made, is accessible and unhindered by the sign posted nature of the beast. No overwrought angst here, Reiner chooses to focus on the two principals and steers clear of plot twisters and shockers. That has to be applauded, as does the performance of John Cusack, who here in his first full lead portrayal, serves notice of the shtick that would shape the rest of his popular career. That can't be said of Zuniga tho, whose subsequent post "Sure Thing" film career says far more about her ability than I personally wish to write.
The only "Sure Thing" here is that I'm sure to annoy the 80s nostalgists who love this film. Yet I'm one of that nostalgic number too, my thick-skin is honed from affection for the likes of Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Cameron Crowe's excellent Say Anything {Cusack again superb}. But no! The Sure Thing deserves to stay back in 1985 where it belongs, matted down by lashings of hairspray. One really should seek out It Happened One Night instead of suffering the unadventurous writing that, here, is hidden by the affable charm of its leading man. 4.5/10
The 80s, a time of "interesting" fashions and lots of hairspray. Also the time of John Hughes and a raft of teen comedies/coming of age semi-serious fluff-a-like dramas. Perhaps, given its make up, the biggest surprise is that The Sure Thing isn't a John Hughes picture. Written by Steven Bloom & Jonathan Roberts, it's directed by Rob Reiner {This Is Spinal Tap/Stand by Me}, with Reiner gleefully remaking Capra's immensely superior It Happened One Night, only for the 1980s colourful tweeners.
Naturally it's all too predictable, with some stuff coming off as unimaginative copy-cat scripting, and unlike the Capra movie, The Sure Thing as telling entertainment does not, as some nostalgic 80s lovers proclaim, hold up well today on a revisit. What is evident tho is that Reiner's direction, given the time it was made, is accessible and unhindered by the sign posted nature of the beast. No overwrought angst here, Reiner chooses to focus on the two principals and steers clear of plot twisters and shockers. That has to be applauded, as does the performance of John Cusack, who here in his first full lead portrayal, serves notice of the shtick that would shape the rest of his popular career. That can't be said of Zuniga tho, whose subsequent post "Sure Thing" film career says far more about her ability than I personally wish to write.
The only "Sure Thing" here is that I'm sure to annoy the 80s nostalgists who love this film. Yet I'm one of that nostalgic number too, my thick-skin is honed from affection for the likes of Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Cameron Crowe's excellent Say Anything {Cusack again superb}. But no! The Sure Thing deserves to stay back in 1985 where it belongs, matted down by lashings of hairspray. One really should seek out It Happened One Night instead of suffering the unadventurous writing that, here, is hidden by the affable charm of its leading man. 4.5/10