The Sure Thing

''The Sure Thing'' is a 1985 American romantic comedy Christmas road film directed by Rob Reiner and starring John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Lindfors, and Nicollette Sheridan. The film chronicles the cross-country journey of college students Walter Gibson (Cusack) and Alison Bradbury (Zuniga) as they make their way from New England to Los Angeles over Christmas break, each in an effort to meet their ideal romantic match.

Released theatrically in the spring of 1985, ''The Sure Thing'' received mostly favorable reviews from film critics, who commended it for its traditional comedic structure, with some likening it to a modern version of Frank Capra's ''It Happened One Night'' (1934), though Reiner himself stated that the parallels between the two films were unintentional.

Plot

High school senior Walter "Gib" Gibson and his best friend Lance are celebrating the fact they are moving on to college, but all Gib can do is lament the fact that he has lost his touch with women. Lance heads to UCLA while Gib moves on to college in New England. The two keep in touch by writing letters, but Gib's luck has not changed. His attempt to woo the ambitious, pensive Alison Bradbury from his English class by tricking her into tutoring him only results in his angering and alienating her. Eventually, he receives a phone call from Lance telling him to come to California for Christmas break because he has set him up with a beautiful girl, assuring him she is a "sure thing".

Gib finds a ride from a ride-share board to make the trip. He meets Gary Cooper and Mary Ann Webster, the couple providing the ride. Things go from bad to worse when he realizes he will be sitting next to Alison as she heads to UCLA to visit her boyfriend, Jason. The tension and bickering between Gib and Alison become too much for Gary and Mary Ann, and they abandon them on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, infuriating Alison.

Alison hitches a ride from a middle-aged man who sexually harasses her, but Gib stops him. The two abandon him and decide to stick together, eventually making it to a train station. However, when Gib does not have enough money to cover his bus fare, the two instead check into a motel. Gib grows jealous when he overhears Alison talking to Jason on the phone, and ventures to a nearby bar where he spends his remaining money on alcohol and drunkenly sings Christmas carols with the locals.

The next morning, Gib rushes Alison out of the motel, and has her stuff her shirt with scarves so she appears pregnant, hoping it will increase their chances of getting a ride. The two manage to hitchhike to a restaurant, whereupon Alison realizes she left her appointment book and cash back at the motel. That night, the two are crestfallen when they find themselves caught outside in a rainstorm, until Alison realizes that she has her father's emergency credit card. The two use the credit card to stay at an upscale hotel, where they treat themselves to drinks and dinner. The next morning, Alison is pleased to find Gib embracing her, but he quickly pulls away upon waking up.

While hitchhiking with a truck driver through Arizona, Alison overhears Gib explaining that he made the trip to meet his "sure thing". Upon arriving at the UCLA campus, Alison angrily parts ways with Gib. That night, Gib attends a Christmas mixer where Lance has arranged for Gib to meet his "sure thing". Meanwhile, Alison finds herself bored at Jason's dormitory, and decides to drag him to the same party. Alison and Gib see each other, but their mutual jealousy leads to a confrontation between the two. Gib takes the "sure thing" to Lance's room, but cannot stop thinking about Alison.

Back on campus after Christmas break, Alison and Gib are obviously uncomfortable around each other. In their English class, Professor Taub reads an essay composed by Gib as a writing assignment, which is a description of his night with the "sure thing". The girl in the essay asks the protagonist if he loves her, but for the first time he realizes that those are not just words and he cannot sleep with her. Alison realizes what actually happened that night, she tells Gib that she and Jason broke up, and they kiss.

Cast

Production

Development

The origins of the film came from an experience writer Steven L. Bloom had while attending Brown University. During this time, his best friend was attending Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and was constantly recounting the good times he was having, which Bloom felt left out of. Out of pity over his situation his friend arranged for him to meet a sure thing over spring break, so Bloom found a ride through a ride board and drove to Atlanta with a number of other students.

Casting

When casting for the part of Walter "Gib" Gibson began, director Rob Reiner initially refused to meet with John Cusack because the actor was under-aged. Casting directors Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson convinced Reiner to audition Cusack, after which Reiner knew he had to have him for the part. At the time Anthony Edwards was seriously being considered for the lead, but after Cusack got the part, Edwards was offered the best friend role instead.

At the time of his casting, Cusack was still 16 and had not yet graduated from high school, so producer Roger Birnbaum had to go to court to have him emancipated. During the filming of the movie (March–April 1984), Birnbaum then became Cusack's legal guardian.

Robert Bauer played the same character, Moke, in two Rob Reiner movies, '' This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984) and this one.

Filming

Principal photography began in early March 1984 in Stockton and Los Angeles, California. Due to the fact that the winter of 1984 was uncharacteristically warm, the filmmakers struggled to locate snowy settings on the east coast for the sequences set there. Several days before shooting was scheduled to begin at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, a blizzard hit upstate New York, and a second unit was sent to Ithaca to capture the snowy locale. Meanwhile, the exteriors at the University of the Pacific—which was used as a stand-in for the east coast college campus—were sprayed with a fire-retardant foam to appear as though snow had fallen there. Additional photography took place at a beachside residence near Malibu.

Soundtrack

Many popular songs were used in the film but a soundtrack was never officially released. The following is a list of tracks featured in the film:

Release

Box office

''The Sure Thing'' was given advanced sneak previews in the United States and Canada on February 23, 1985 before its wide release on March 1, 1985. It earned over $18 million at the box office.. Retrieved July 29, 2014

Critical response

Reviews for ''The Sure Thing'' were mostly positive. Film critic Roger Ebert, who gave it three-and-a-half stars out of four, praised the film and called it a "small miracle" for its handling of teenage material in an era when movies like '' Porky's'' were the norm. In a review for ''The New York Times'', Janet Maslin wrote that ''The Sure Thing'' was "glowing proof of two things: Traditional romantic comedy can be adapted to suit the teen-age trade, and Mr. Reiner's contribution to '' This Is Spinal Tap'' was more than a matter of humor". '' Variety'' deemed the film "a sweetly old-fashioned look at the last lap of the coming-of-age ordeal in which the sure thing becomes less important than the real thing. Realization may not be earth shattering, but in an era of fast food and faster sex, return to the traditional is downright refreshing."

'' Time Out'' magazine described the film favorably as a "confident, witty teenage variation on ''It Happened One Night'' hatfocuses on two students hitching across the States through rainstorms, starvation and show tunes. He's a libidinous layabout who inadvertently dropped in to college. She's an uptight goody-goody who believes spontaneity has its time and its place. There's plenty of mileage in this pairing, even if the movie isn't going anywhere unexpected."

In 2017, the British Film Institute ranked ''The Sure Thing'' among Reiner's five most essential directorial efforts, noting: "In an age when American teen comedies came to be defined by the success of '' Porky's'' (1982), ''The Sure Thing'' triumphs from its winning formula of being sassy yet never bawdy and sentimental while never mawkish."

The film holds a rating of on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "Though its final outcome is predictable, ''The Sure Thing'' is a charming, smartly written, and mature teen comedy featuring a breakout role for John Cusack."

Home media

MGM Home Entertainment released ''The Sure Thing'' in a special edition region 1 DVD on August 5, 2003. In 2015, Shout! Factory released a 30th-anniversary Blu-ray edition of the film. Sandpiper Pictures reissued a Blu-ray edition on December 19, 2023.

References

Sources

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External links

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The Sure Thing
' at ''The 80s Movies Rewind''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sure Thing
1985 films
1985 romantic comedy films
American Christmas comedy films
American comedy road movies
American romantic comedy films
American teen comedy films
Embassy Pictures films
Films about hitchhiking
Films directed by Rob Reiner
Films produced by Roger Birnbaum
Films scored by Tom Scott (saxophonist)
Films set in California
Films set in New York (state)
Films shot in California
Films shot in New York (state)
Films with screenplays by Jonathan Roberts (writer)
1980s American films
1980s Christmas comedy films
1980s comedy road movies
1980s English-language films
1980s teen comedy films
English-language romantic comedy films
English-language Christmas comedy films