The Sure Thing (1985)
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Two college students embark on a cross-country journey during Christmas break, each searching for their ideal romantic match.
The story
The film chronicles the cross-country journey of college students Walter Gibson and Alison Bradbury as they make their way from New England to Los Angeles over Christmas break, each in an effort to meet their ideal romantic match. The story follows the two as they navigate the challenges of the road, including a shared ride with a couple who eventually abandon them. The tension and bickering between the two students become a central focus as they navigate the distance between New England and California, dealing with the complications of their individual goals and the unexpected circumstances of their shared journey.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Walter "Gib" Gibson and his friend Lance celebrate moving to college, where Gib admits he has lost his touch with girls. While Gib is in New England and Lance is headed to UCLA, they stay in touch. Lance tells Gib about a "sure thing" girl in California. Gib tries to woo his classmate Alison Bradbury but fails. During Christmas break, Gib and Alison end up sharing a ride with a couple, Gary and Mary Ann, who abandon them after the two start bickering. After a series of mishaps, including a stint in a motel and a stay at an upscale hotel, the two continue their journey. Amidst misunderstandings about the "sure thing" and a confrontation at a party in Los Angeles, they eventually realize their feelings for one another. After a period of tension following the party, they eventually reconcile and kiss.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Reiner
- Writers
- Steven L. Bloom · writer; Jonathan Roberts · writer
- Cast and characters
- John Cusack · Walter "Gib" Gibson; Daphne Zuniga · Alison Bradbury; Viveca Lindfors; Nicollette Sheridan
- Genres
- romantic comedy; road film; comedy
- Themes
- coming-of-age; romance
- Tone and mood
- traditional; witty; sentimental
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; hitchhiking; holiday
- Source material / true-story basis
- An experience writer Steven L. Bloom had while attending Brown University.
- Reception
- The film was a box-office success and received mostly favorable reviews from film critics, who commended it for its traditional comedic structure.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 84% · scale: approval rating · review count: 99; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7.0 · scale: 10
- Production trivia
- Rob Reiner's second directorial feature; John Cusack's first major starring role; Robert Bauer played the same character, Moke, in two of Reiner's films
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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