The Sure Thing

The Sure Thing (1985)

“It’s funny how young lovers start as friends” – Elton John’s song “Seasons”

Incoming college freshman Walter “Gib” Gibson (John Cusak) is clueless about girls…and I mean CLUELESS. At an end of summer party he asks a girl if she’d like to have a sexual experience so intense, it could conceivably change her political points of view. While his best friend, the ever confident Lance (Anthony Edwards) heads west for “waves and babes”, Gib heads to a New England college where everything…stays the same.

Finally convincing a girl in his writing class, Alison (Daphne Zuniga), to help him as he’s flunking, you know he’s going to blow it before whatever “it” is starts because, while dressing, he’s wondering if his opening line: Did you know Neitche died of syphilis is too obscure or if he changed it Shakespeare if she’d know it wasn’t true. I wanted to scream into the screen, “Hello? It’s not the person, it’s the line.”…and so, of course, he does.

Being invited to California by Lance for Christmas break to meet “a sure thing”, he immediately finds someone on the ride board to split gas with and is on his way, except…the couple who’s driving, well…he introduces himself as “Gary Cooper, but not the one who’s dead” and they sing show tunes, constantly, and…Alison’s copped the same ride to visit her steady boyfriend going to school out there.

Quickly tiring of Gib and Alison’s constant bickering that leads him first to utter, to his horror, the word ‘dang’ and then to a run-in with police, he throws them out of the car in the middle of nowhere. So, now, it’s the road movie of opposites: He, the unstructured, irresponsible mess who eats pork-rinds and shotguns beer for breakfast and she, the WAY-too-structured, we too tight, spontaneity-has-its-time-and-its-place.

Do they fight and argue and deny and come to rub off on each other and realize they’re in love over their adventure to California? It’s a romantic-comedy, so yes. BUT, the makers of the film do what most romantic comedies (especially now) don’t or can’t do. They show them fall in ‘like’. They show them become friends…which is what is needed, in life, sure, but especially in these movies for, at least me as an audience member to care about them. Now, they show them meet and then suddenly they’re in love, and I don’t remember them even liking each other.

As far as what happens when they reach California with “the sure thing” and Alison’s boyfriend? Well, I’m going to leave that to you to find out when you rent this.

INDISPENSABLE: Tim Robbins in his hilarious turn as Gary Cooper, but not the one who’s dead, Nicholette Sheridan (in her first role) as “The Sure Thing”, who, in a seemingly thankless task, manages to create a real person behind the brain-dead California girl…and mostly, the writing teacher. She is simply exceptional. Just listen to her read Gib’s paper at the end. Amazing. Felt like I was there for it…and I wasn’t. No one is. They don’t show this part so her reading is crucial.

Lastly…the great Ray Charles singing the ending-over-credits-song. Magical.

I dare you to not enjoy yourself watching this.