‘Spontaneity has its time and place...’
Following the recent tragic passing of Rob Reiner, cinema lovers everywhere have been evoking his magical run in the ’80s and ’90s that saw the release of This is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery and A Few Good Men in the space of just eight years. It’s a generational run that is rightly lauded, but there is often one film missing from the list. The Sure Thing, Reiner’s follow-up to Spinal Tap, might not be as essential as the other films in that run, but it’s still a lot of fun…
Following a romantic dry spell, charismatic college student Walter Gibson (John Cusack) is persuaded by his friend, Lance (Anthony Edwards), to travel across the country to meet a girl (Nicollette Sheridan – the ‘sure thing’ from the title). Due to divine providence (or mere coincidence), Walter is forced to share this fateful journey with his prissy classmate, Alison (Daphne Zuniga). Inevitably, the two opposites begin to attract.
Reiner’s sophomore effort was released in the era of Porky’s and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a time in which teen comedies were raunchy, their teen starlets were often naked, and masculinity ran wild. While The Sure Thing is hardly progressive, it is refreshingly sweet and good-natured – mainly because of the authentic chemistry shared between Cusack and Zuniga, both of whom are excellent despite their tender years. It’s thrilling to see Cusack’s cocky insouciance so early in his career, and his performance here serves as a reminder of how captivating he can be at his best.
While The Sure Thing is certainly inferior to Reiner’s best work, it’s still a thoroughly entertaining and captivating teen comedy. It’s also technically a Christmas film, so now is probably the ideal time to revisit it or watch it for the first time.
