The Sure Thing

There's an entity known as a John Cusack movie and The Sure Thing is where it all began. The fast-talking charmer that makes many a gal put hand to forehead first appeared in this Rob Reiner film. A road movie that assumes teenagers have a brain (something Reiner makes much of in the commentary track) but doesn't ask them to work it too much, The Sure Thing is a light, easy movie about college freshmen on a cross-country trip. Alison (Daphne Zuniga) is tight and controlled, while Gib (Cusack) is reckless and unkempt. Will this mismatched couple fall in love? This isn't the best film of its genre, or even the best Cusack version (that would be Say Anything). There's nothing on the level of "I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen" but there's a charm that stands up 18 years later. Reiner's commentary has a few highlights. There are stories about scenes inspired by his father and backgrounds of character actors in bit parts. And the essay Gib submits to English class — "How To Eat A Pizza Without Burning The Roof Of Your Mouth" — was actually written by Reiner in high school. Cusack also contributed many moments, including shot-gunning cans of beer. Unfortunately, Reiner also spends too much time describing the ethos of romantic comedies, or the conflicting natures of women and men. The Sure Thing works because it was made before Reiner started taking himself so seriously. A trivia track provides a Pop-Up Video-style collection of facts and featurettes about dressing and casting the film, the experience of making the movie and a reading of the original treatment. However, most of the information was provided in commentary track and the other featurettes. Extras: commentary; featurettes; trivia track; more. (MGM)