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There are a few 80's teen movies I enjoy, and some I enjoy very much. But this is my favorite one of all time. This movie introduced a new kind of guy to me; the really cool Everyman with an Alterna-geek bent, and I have loved John Cusack since. No matter how many times I see this movie, it's still fresh and hilarious, and John is in peak form as the Average College Guy, sprinting across the USA to get with the lovely blond fantasy girl. The plot is predictable, but this version of "boy-wants-dumb-chick-ends-up-with-smart-chick" is really witty and terrific. Daphne Zuniga is the perfect Straight (wo)Man to Gib's charming goofiness. Eventually she sees the fun in things, and he sees that not everything is a joke. Someone here said every character has quotable lines, and they are right. Consider outer space, grab a trough of spritzer and watch this movie.

This movie has GOT to be the most underrated movie of the 80's if not of all time. When you consider the relatively young age of the actors, Daphne Zuniga was 22 and John Cusack was only 17, and it was only Rob Reiner's second film, it makes this film that much more of a milestone. Maybe the storyline is predictable, so what. The acting by Cusack and Zuniga is perfect. They make this movie seem real and honest.

What makes this movie so enjoyable and memorable is the feelings it provokes. Remember the rush of emotions when you first meet someone who makes your heart beat out of your chest and feel lightheaded? Acting like you really don't like someone when deep down inside you would give anything to be with them? Going to a party and flirting with other people hoping that they would see you and get jealous? That's what this movie does for me. It makes me realize just how much I miss the innocence, passion and emotion of those days. The acting is wonderful and you really get drawn in to their plight as they make their way across the country to be with the one they "think" is their own "sure thing". The great thing about this movie is that every time it looks like they are finally going to get together, something pulls them apart. While there are many funny lines and memorable scenes in this film, by far my favorite is at the end when Gib's essay is read aloud. Allison's facial expressions let you know just how painful it is for her to hear it. The final scene is wonderful. I tear-up whenever I see it, and I'm a guy.

I like this one. Having always been a fan of Daphne Z, I have to say its strange that her career hasn't taken off better than this promised. She has poise, presance, looks, ability. Cusack himself is still around, be it in 'Thin Red Line' or '8 Men Out' or whatever.

I like how sweet natured this is, and how these kids aren't all cock-sure sex-fiends, unlike in all those other Porky's type flix of the era.

The soundtrack is pretty good too-the Cars, Huey Lewis, Wang Chung, Rod Stewart too. Who would thought that Rob Reiner'd turn out to be such a good director? This was his first traditional movie Move, if you will-after the Psuedo-documentary 'Spinal Tap' from the previous year-and it's a good one.

Very 80s, but a Good 80s flick. You will like this if you get a chance to see it.

*** outta ****

Love stories are hard to do right. Especially films in the 80's. They were more concerned with typical Porky's like shower scenes than they were with true love. And although Gib ( Cusack ) is promised a guaranteed lay if he makes his way down to California, the movie is not at all about getting laid and bare breasts and sex, it is about falling in love and the lengths we'll go to obtain the affection of the opposite sex.

The story starts off with Gib in his first year of some Ivy League school while his best friend from highschool, Lance (Anthony Edwards) is partying it up in sunny California. Gib is already striking out with the babes on his college campus and to make matters worse, Lance is seemingly getting action everyday. Then Gib walks into his English class and notices Allison, played by Daphne Zuniga. She is not your typical bimbo in the movies. She is smart, pretty, articulate and she flat out refuses his advances towards her. She does agree to see him strictly on a study basis and he ends up making himself look even more silly and barbaric. Eventually Gib and Allison end up in the same car pool to California. She is going to see her boyfriend and he is going to bang the Sure Thing. Later, a trucker remarks to Gib, " 3000 miles just to get laid, hey you pay the speeding tickets and I'll get you there." Of course along the way, Allison and Gib find they have a mutual admiration for each other and it is only up to the viewer to guess the outcome. Shouldn't be too difficult.

So far this may sound like pretty lame stuff and perhaps it could have been except for a few things. One is the writing, two is the acting and three has to be Rob Reiner. First of all, Allison and Gib are given plenty to do and they have much funny dialogue to go with it. Allison is goated into showing how she is not as repressed as Gib thinks she is by flashing her assets to a passing car. Gib teaches Allison how to "shotgun" a beer using "any household utensil, I use a pen." Gib rescues Allison from a would-be rapist in one of the funniest moments in the film ( I think I'll take your wife ). There are also some great performances by some of the supporting characters. Tim Robbins and Cusack must have met on the set of this movie and thus their strong friendship over the years can be accredited to the filming of this gem. Here, Robbins plays Gary Cooper, but the not the Gary Cooper that's dead, and he is one of the most annoying drivers that you could be stuck with for a cross country trip. Viveca Linfors plays the English professor and she has a way of making you want to learn how to write properly, learn Shakespeare and express yourself. As she says in the film, " Life is the ultimate experience, but you have to experience it in order to write about it." And of course Anthony Edwards is quite funny as Lance.

The Sure Thing is not raunchy the way Porky's or American Pie is. It is not crude the Fasttimes or Last Road Trip is. But it is honest in it's humour and fair with it's balance of love and lust. This is 15 years old but it is one of the best teen-comedies to come out of the 80's. 90's comedies and ones that are made in the new millenium are quite good, but there is an innocence that cannot be imitated from films like this. I think a film like Here On Earth may have had The Sure Thing ( or maybe an episode of Bold and Beautiful ) in mind when they made that film. It tried to be sweet and funny but failed miserably. The Sure Thing not only doesn't fail, it surpasses your expectations.

10 out of 10

Check Rob Reiner's bio in virtually any film resource and they don't even mention this movie. Why this is so is beyond me. This is one of the overlooked gems of the 80s. I would rank it as one of Reiner's three genuine classics, along with THE PRINCESS BRIDE and THIS IS SPINAL TAP. Neither Cusack nor Zuniga could have been any better, and yet Reiner shows his directorial skill by including a cast of supporting characters that's as quirky and memorable as the leads. If you're looking for a teen romance road comedy (that isn't a gross-out soft-core flick in disguise), check this one out!