THE SURE THING. Directed by Rob Reiner; written by Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Roberts; produced by Roger Birnbaum for Embassy. Starring Cusack and Daphne Zuniga. Rated PG-13 (subject matter).
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The only sure thing about movies these days is that several times a month a new release about teenagers looking for themselves, for sex and/or adventure will hit the theaters. The Sure Thing isn't a lot better than most of these, but it's not nearly as bad as some, either.
Viewers expecting a comedy like director Reiner's inspired 1984 satire This Is Spinal Tap will be disappointed. But although its plot is predictable, The Sure Thing 's dialogue is quite witty. And its unpretentious and sweetly romantic tone will appeal to some moviegoers.
In a slight variation on the usual theme, Gib (Cusack) isn't looking for his first sexual encounter as he starts college in the Ivy League. He's quite experienced, we understand, but he is currently in a slump. It doesn't help that his best friend Lance (Anthony Edwards) writes glowing reports of the party scene in California, where he elected to go to college.
Gib's attracted to Alison (Zuniga) in his English class. But his "let's party" attitude and disorganized lifestyle don't appeal to her at all. And she has a "perfect" boyfriend who is studying to be a lawyer. In California, of course.
Christmas break finds Gib and Alison sharing a ride to L.A. Gib is to visit Lance, who has found a "sure thing" to bust him out of his slump (so to speak). And Alison plans to visit her attorney-to-be. Before long, though, they find themselves marooned, having to walk and hitchhike their way on to the coast, naturally becoming attracted to each other in the process.
Gib is a very likable character, full of snappy one-liners and quite the party animal. But he's basically a nice guy, and he gets around to showing his true colors eventually. Cusack is better in the funny bits, but performs adequately when the going get serious. (Or, as serious asThe Sure Thing gets, which isn't very.)
Alison's character is harder to appreciate. She isn't very likeable at first. And although her growing affection for Gib is understandable, it's not dramatized very clearly. We see Gib's fantasies about his sure thing, but we don't know what Alison's thinking.
Still, she's attractive and makes a good straight man, which is really all the plot requires of her. Someday it would be interesting to see one of these teenpix told more from a female's point of view.
The first half of the The Sure Thing is quite funny. Cusack has his one-liners and a nice tension develops between him and Alison. As they become more attracted to each other, however, the snap gets a little soggy. Fans of truly romantic movies won't mind this, in fact will even revel in it. But more hard-boiled moviegoers might lose their lunches.
PG-13 is an appropriate rating for The Sure Thing. There's a smattering of raunchy language, some adolescent vulgarity and double entendres, but nothing really gets out of hand. The most erotic scene is under the credits, when the Sure Thing herself (model Nicolette Sheridan) applies suntan oil around a very skimpy bikini.
[1985]