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Simply A Masterpiece

Perfect cast and a good story

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

By now we are familiar with this story. It's the classic opposites attract, love/hate relationship; the loud, obnoxious Walter stuck with the preppy, uptight Alison on a lengthy road-trip. This is best remembered from the Frank Capra classic It Happened One Night, where the class divide was the prominent divider, not simply romance. At the start of the journey Claudette Colbert is convinced that Clark Gable is only in it for the story and money (and in a way he is), and by the end they have fallen deeply in love, although they refuse to believe it themselves even as we see it clearly. So Cusack and Zuniga are from the outset fighting an uphill battle, because there is no doubt that the two will end up together by the end of the movie. And yet it has charm. Cusack taps into the persona that first made him famous in the numerous teen movies of his early career; the brash, overconfident, self-absorbed type from Better Off Dead. The Sure Thing is not necessarily a teen movie, since the characters are in college, but that has never stopped Cusack: he played a similar role in High Fidelity as the adult that had not grown up. Here he is also a teen in spirit. When he saves Alison from a sure rape on the road, he cannot help being high and mighty about it, rubbing it in her face, and then only then does he comfort and make sure she is okay. But Cusack has always played this character with a undertone of insecurity behind the overt cockiness. He's good looking, but not that good looking that he is already with someone as attractive as the Sure Thing, so we feel he is overcompensating for his insecurities. Too proud to admit these, he instead goes for the very loud and showy path but ends up saying very little.His chemistry with Zuniga is evident. Just like Colbert and Cable delightfully improvise the sketch of a warring married couple, so too do they, feigning pregnancy and arguing about baby names, feeding each other from each end of the table, going through the whole routine when Walter stumbles into the room after a night of drinking. They take turns looking after each other, and we can feel their walls breaking down, their inhibitions swept away by the circumstances. They say goodnight on edge, nervously vying for space on the double bed, and end up spooning on the one side. Before the pan even reveals this we know it. But there is heart within the predictability; Alison wakes up in the strange new position, and instead of throwing a fuss, smiles and savours it. Cusack plays the awkwardness perfectly - anxiously denying any wrongdoing, clumsily trying to gain a foothold and stumbling, and the tables flip, with her sweetly easing his worries. The film can also be quite funny, which is whenever Rob Reiner is allowed to tap into his natural sensibility for humour. The adolescent mind of Walter allows for some liberties; the Sure Thing's dream sequences are exaggerated in a way that only a sex-starved teen could do, she praising his sexual prowess like some sort of literary professor (no doubt reality mixing with his fantasies). The side characters are given life, a rarity for this genre. Tim Robbins is hilarious as one half the showtune- loving middle-aged couple, indignantly refusing to sing along because of his guest's icy silence. And there is the obstacle of the dignified boyfriend Jason, who indulges only in tiny delights like a tedious card game and intimacies like side hugs. "Disneyland is for children," he chastises, doing an impeccable impersonation of her father. In a lesser film he would be some meathead, or be found between the sheets with a similar blonde bombshell like the Sure Thing, pushing the lead pair together. But Reiner doesn't succumb to such contrivances. He draws their actions appropriate to their ages; they're hesitant, tentative, and despite how they want to appear, a little apprehensive at just jumping into bed with the hottest thing around. He eventually realises that he does not even know the Sure Thing's name, and that perhaps what he has been travelling across the country for was really right there by his side all along.

What differs "The Sure Thing" from the other romantic comedies from the mid 1980's is that this one succeeds in holding up rather superbly. Sure the story is not very original as it follows up in the annals of the most common genre in the Hollywood industry, the classic road movie. As what you'd expect the character/s travel across the country and as they tour one landmark to another, they usually embark on a quest of self-discovery and awareness of who they are whether good or bad. Lucky for our protagonists played by John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga their cross country trip sparks positive outlooks for the both of them. The young couple as we get to know them and understand them grow progressively as the film rolls on as they overcome their own perspectives of what they expect in love and also try to expunge all the negative feelings each one had for each other when we first meet them. It's a misnomer into thinking this is a traditional Brat Pack teenage sex comedy. An abundance of these films have a reputation of over-doing it with their lustful scenes. Sure "The Sure Thing" features some lust, mostly from Nicolette Sheridan, but the lust pretty much spoofs itself. And the love fantasies are just mere illusions of Cusack's definition of love."The Sure Thing" introduced us to both John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga. But what irks me was where it took them after that. Sure after playing youth-oriented roles during the 1980's, the 1990's is where Cusack's career really took off as went on to a successful career in the movie industry. It was a shame that Daphne didn't have that boost like John did. She was very effective in this pivotal role for her, and it seems she had a natural flair for comedy. The chemistry between these two couple was absolutely sublime as they played each other off very well. Zuniga was flawless as the brainy, but uptight Alison and Cusack was incredible as the laid-back loner type who does have magnetic good looks that attracts women. Sure he's intelligent and witty and can be approachable, he just doesn't have the ability to make an impact towards women.Even though some things are dated like the clothes and hairstyles and whatnot, but it still a charming film that still can be quite appealing even to this day. Sure the music is still put in the 1980's vacuum that hasn't escaped to the modern day spectrum, but it does everything it can to make it feel like it's being viewed to our time. Also look out for Oscar nominee Tim Robbins and Anthony Edwards in low-key but effective performances.

The Sure Thing is one of Rob Reiner's lesser known films from the 80s. It was his second feature after making his debut a year earlier with the superb This Is Spinal Tap. And although TST is just as good as anything else Reiner was producing during this period, its never gone on to cult status like his other films of the 80s. Certainly not when compared to Spinal Tap or The Princess Bride.And The Sure Thing proves that Spinal Tap was no fluke on Reiner's part. It was not beginner's luck. This is a wonderful movie. Very confident. Very funny. And in John Cusack's own words, "an absolute laugh-riot."Walter "Gib" Gibson (Cusack) is a college freshman unlucky in love. He's a young man who says much and means little. He has his eye on Alison Bradbury (Daphne Zuniga), a studious, prim and proper girl in his English class, but he's just not her type. On the rebound, Gib is invited to come down to California for Christmas by a friend, where he can get laid with no consequences, no guilt, and no strings attached. Its a Sure Thing!The only problem is that getting to UCLA is harder than he thought. Not only does he have to put up with bad weather, money troubles and sleazoid truck drivers, he's sharing his journey with Alison. On her way to LA to meet up with her milquetoast boyfriend Jason, these opposites find themselves attracting each other. Their nightmarish road trip has brought them together, but Jason and The Sure Thing are still waiting at the end of the line.The Sure Thing is the film Planes, Trains & Automobiles might have been if John Hughes had made it as one of his teen movies. And although Hughes was the undisputed king of the teens during the 80s, Rob Reiner shows quite a flair for it as well. I think its sad that The Breakfast Club and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are considered quintessential teen classics, while The Sure Thing is cruelly ignored.Reiner has clearly put a lot of thought into these two characters. Gib and Alison are not just sculpted from the textbook study of teen stereotypes. Much as he did with Spinal Tap, Reiner takes steps to make them real people. Gib and Alison start out as walking clichés and end up as human beings.The Sure Thing could seem very predictable. Right from the second Gib and Alison end up on the road together, we have a pretty good idea where this film is headed. But Reiner proves that excellent direction, expert casting and witty writing can overcome even the most familiar scenario. The film emerges as a considerable delight.One thing I especially enjoyed about TST is the way it knowingly plays into our expectations only to sidestep them wittily at the last minute. Reiner's direction is pretty deft during Gib's dream sequences. At one point we're led to believe he's scored with the girl of his dreams. But that's all it is...just a dream! Especially when The Sure Thing turns into Alison. There are lots of neat little gems like this throughout the movie. They make the film a real treat.And as always, Reiner's hand-picked an exceptional cast. In his first starring role, John Cusack rises to the occasion admirably as the glib Gib. Its a performance of sly ironies, something that Cusack would build out into a whole career. He plays Gib as someone who's just looking to get laid, when the real Sure Thing (Alison) is standing right in front of him. And he knows it, but he's trapped within teen insecurity to know what to do about it. John Cusack has always seemed an intelligent performer, and TST, along with High Fidelity and Being John Malkovich are the three finest films on his resume.Daphne Zuniga probably gets her best role here as the uptight Alison. She's not really an actress that I pay much attention to, but she does quite well here. Watching her prissily share the screen with the sex-mad Cusack is always fun, especially with Gib melting down Alison's icy exterior. There is genuine chemistry between them. They're discovery of each other is ably conveyed, even when they become confused by the emotions that come out in the process. And Alison's a girl of marvellous contradictions ("spontaneity has its time and place").My favourite character of the film (and one we don't see nearly enough of) is Gib and Alison's free-spirited English teacher Professor Taub. Played by the late Viveca Lindfors, she is absolutely delightful! Her English classes are so interesting. And she's such a charismatic and persuasive figure. She's a character that really deserves her own movie. You could easily imagine her in a female equivalent of Dead Poets Society. And the way she provides the bridge between Gib and Alison at the end is a charming touch.There are lots of good actors throughout the movie. Look out for a young Tim Robbins as Gary Cooper ("but not the one that's dead"), the car-pooler from Hell. Nicollette Sheridan as the aforementioned Sure Thing. Even Jason is allowed to develop some depth. Going from a bookish stiff to a freaked out young man when he learns Alison is in love with Gib.Despite falling within the trappings of the road trip genre, The Sure Thing, much like Planes, Trains & Automobiles, transcends its origins and becomes a sweet and appealing story. I knew Gib and Alison would wind up together. That was never in any doubt. But its the way Rob Reiner gets them together that makes this such a great movie. An underrated, addictive film that's aged flawlessly, and shows Reiner's chameleon ability to swap genres with total ease.

Director Rob Reiner showcases yet another facet of his talent with this most delightful romantic comedy about two terminally opposite college students who share a cross-country ride in order to meet up with their respective love interests.Predictable and old-fashioned in extremis, the film never appears goofy, mean-spirited, or pretentious, as was the case with many of its contemporary competitors. In fact, its few flaws are easily overlooked by its sure-footed direction, wonderful cast - and two of movie history's funniest oxymorons: 1) 'Sponatiety has its time and place' 2) 'I'm intellectual and stuff'