Monday, June 10, 2013

Movie review - "The Sure Thing" (1985) ***

The standard of most 80s teen sex comedies was so dire it wasn't hard to stick above the pack. This one did - it's not a very original idea (mismatched couple travel across country) but is full of interesting touches and done with a great deal of charm, helped by some lovely performances from John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga.

Cusack's abilities are well known - they weren't at the time but this helped him stand out pretty quickly. I'd forgotten how terrific Zuniga was - pretty, believably smart but still likeable, game for adventure. Neither character is that memorable - it's not a patch on say Say Anything even though the archetypes are similar (I never got a fix on what Cusack's character was really about) - but they work well and there's this lovely sweetness to it all. Tim Robbins pops up and in one scene Cusack wears an Aussie rugby league jersey.

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