Rainy Saturdays were meant for movies. And for my money the best rainy afternoon features are “The Graduate” and “The Sure Thing.” Hard to describe. Harder to defend. They just feel right on dreary afternoons. Everyone knows about “The Graduate,” but I bet a few folks still haven’t caught up with one of the best comedies of the ’80s.
Rob Reiner’s “The Sure Thing” bears the title of a teen comedy, the plot of a sex comedy and the heart of a romantic comedy.
Walter “Gib” Gibson (John Cusack) is stuck at a Northeastern college where snow reigns supreme and the coeds all dress like librarians.He gets a call from a pal named Lance (Anthony Edwards, pre-”ER,” pre-follicle retreat) who invites him to visit sunny California school. Lance even sweetens the deal with a promise no young man can resist.
He’s got a girl for Gib to meet, a “sure thing” (Nicolette Sheridan) who’s always ready for a good time.So Gib hitches a ride with a west-bound carpool driven by a show tunes fanatic (Tim Robbins). Turns out their fellow passenger is Alison (Daphne Zuniga, an early crush o’ mine) who Gib unsuccessfully tried to pick up earlier in the film.Along the way Gib and Alison manage to lose their wheels, their money and their enmity for one another.
But is it love? How could it be when Gib has the girl of his dreams waiting for him? This is Reiner at his best, and I’ll say the same about Cusack. He’s quirky, funny and lovable - the same qualities that served him well in both “Better Off Dead” and “Say Anything.”
(Photo: Nicolette Sheridan embodies “The Sure Thing” in Rob Reiner’s brilliant love story.)
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