Thoughts on The Sure Thing

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*Gib (John Cusack) gets in the same bed as Alison (Daphne Zuniga). It's the end of their first day en route to California and their behavior is riding the nerves of driver Gary Cooper (Tim Robbins) and girlfriend Mary Ann (Lisa Jane Persky)*

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to bed."

"Not with me, you're not."

"I'm not going to bed with you, I'm going to bed in a bed that you happen to be in also."

*They start bickering about whether or not Gib will sleep on the floor. Alison's worked out a schedule for use of the beds. Mary Ann turns to Gary.*

"What does she see in him?"

"It's a twisted relationship."

The Sure Thing has only one strike against it. I kinda wish the titular woman (Nicollette Sheridan) had a name. Not to make a big deal out of this, but Suzanne Somers and Christie Brinkley at least had their autos in addition to their allure.

Gib and Alison are traveling cross country for the people they think they want to be with. He's got Miss Thing. She's got Jason (Boyd Gaines), a boyfriend whose idea of excitement is spotting her 50 points in gin. No points for guessing how the movie ends. What director Rob Reiner and screenwriters Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Roberts lack in originality, they make up for in heart.

The Sure Thing is a funny film that's also incredibly sweet. You don't have to like road movies, namely It Happened One Night, to love this one. Yes, Cusack gets all the jokes, but he and Zuniga have equal opportunities to act. Gib and Alison begin the movie as personalities and end it as people. 

"What's he like, Jason?"

"... Jason is very directed. He's a real achiever."

"Right, I know, but what is he like? I mean, what kind of beer does he drink? Is he fun? Does he make you laugh?"

"... Jason is everything a girl looks for in a guy."

"He sounds perfect."

"We both want the same things out of life, you know. We're both gonna be lawyers. Damn good ones. We might even open up a practice together. Up in Vermont. Somewhere in the country."

"I get it. Jason is the real outdoorsy type, huh? Clear, freshwater streams, fragrant meadows, biodegradable toilet paper."

"No. It's just that we both like old farmhouses. We thought it'd be nice to find one and restore it ourselves. Jason thinks it would make a good investment. I just want it to be nice and warm, and cozy, kinda like this."

*Alison and Gib are silent for a moment.*

"... And we're both crazy about basset hounds."

*Another silence*

"Guess that sounds kind of tame to you."

"No. Sounds kind of nice. Goodnight, Alison."

*He turns over and goes to bed*

"Goodnight, Gib."

Seriously, I'm having to invent things to complain about. Okay, so there's not much of an ensemble. But really, how much more do Robbins, Persky, Sheridan, Gaines, Anthony Edwards (as Gib's best friend) and Viveca Lindfors (as an easygoing English professor) have to do? In their own way, each helps advance the story from Point A (they aren't in love) to Point B (they are in love). In its purest form, that's how an ensemble works.

Make no mistake, The Sure Thing works. It's so charming, so appealing, so engaging, it's ... well ...

"You didn't sleep with her?"

"Still seeing Jason?"

"Broke up."

"It's too bad."

"You didn't sleep with her."

"She wasn't my type."

Recommended.

Thoughts:

-- Box Office: Grossing $18.1 million on a $4.5 million budget, this opened at No. 5 and came in at No. 49 for 1985.

-- Another very minor complaint: Professor Taub might be more believable not as an English teacher, but the instructor of a module for freshmen students.
-- Between this and Teen Wolf, audiences in 1985 were not ending the year without knowing how to shotgun a beer.

-- Critic's Corner: "At last, there's a movie about teenagers that's fun even if you're way past 21," wrote Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times. Decades later, Scott Tobias called it "resolutely old-fashioned without seeming reactionary." It's striking to read the original reviews and realize how everyone was surprised, impressed and touched. Gene Siskel: "In the past few years, we've seen or heard every teenage joke at least twice. What we haven't seen much of is a little teenage tenderness, the kind that we find (here)." David Denby had no doubts about Gib and Alison's future: "... they can play together. In the history of romantic movie comedies, that's the ultimate consummation."

-- Denby's comment makes me feel better about Gary and Mary Ann. A lesser movie would go for the cheap laugh and have Gib or Alison catch them screaming at each other, either in California or back on campus. Maybe the show tunes saved the relationship.

-- Musical Moments: The score is 6-6, a tie between music written for movies and music used for movies. The Sure Thing has two memorable non-original songs. "Infatuation" plays during the opening credits, as Nicollette puts on her tanning oil. "Just Because" plays during the end credits.

-- Hey, It's ...!: Carmen Filpi, Fran Ryan and Larry Hankin.

-- Hey, It's 1985!: The day before this was released, Reiner appeared on Late Night with David Letterman. Cusack and Zuniga were in the audience. If you have time, watch the full video.

-- "How would you like to have a sexual encounter so intense it could conceivably change your political views?"

-- Next: Dance with a Stranger. On deck: Mask.