There’s no point in talking too much about the plot in this movie since all of you probably saw it more than 35 years ago. But I never did until now, so to sum up very briefly: Tom Cruise plays an ambitious young man who wants to make a million dollars in business but instead winds up a hotshot bartender in New York City. Romance and drama ensue.
A few things struck me about this one. Looking at Tom Cruise in 1988 and looking at him now, it’s obvious he ages at about one-third the rate of a normal human being. Elizabeth Shue sure was cute, even with that big Eighties hair. There’s not a cell phone in sight nor a mention of the Internet, and other than a little nudity and language, this movie could have been made in 1938 instead of 1988. All it would take is a little tweaking of Heywood Gould’s screenplay. And speaking of that screenplay, it has a great line spoken by Bryan Brown, who plays Cruise’s bartending mentor: “All things end badly, otherwise they wouldn’t end.” That’s a pretty noirish line.
Overall, I enjoyed COCKTAIL quite a bit. It’s old-fashioned, just a story meant to entertain and hold your interest without much, if any, message. And I was entertained.
Now I want to watch it again. Cheers! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe nightclub in Coctail is The Old Don Jail in Toronto. The diner is The Lakeview, opened in 1932, still going strong today
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI always thought this marked the end of Cruise's "serious actor" period, as he went for the money ever after. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. Personally, I thought it was crap.
ReplyDeleteJeff, your assessment seems to be the consensus of the reviews, then and now. It's certainly not a highly regarded film.
DeleteEighties nostalgia may have influenced my opinion of it.
DeleteJeff, have you seen COLLATERAL? That is a SERIOUS movie. Very well done.
ReplyDeleteRegarding COCKTAIL...Bryan Brown is an underrated actor.