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A Movie A Day: THE SURE THING (1985)
Excuse me, won’t you? I have to go kick the shit out of someone.

Awesome by kwisatzhaderach	Jul 20th, 2008 03:18:46 AM
I've seen this movie countless times, glad you liked it Quint.
Daphne Zuniga? From Last Rites? by SpencerTrilby	Jul 20th, 2008 03:27:31 AM
well, I'd be pig phucked!!!
The dude who's quoted on the box by The Guy Who Slept Through Everything.	Jul 20th, 2008 03:28:13 AM
Should have been fired and black-listed as a professional film critic, and I too have a great undying love for 80's Cusack.
Of all the films not seen this one surprised me by elab49	Jul 20th, 2008 03:33:04 AM
Even more so if you've seen the more obscure and lesser films One Crazy Summer and Better Off Dead. Compared to them it has a massive fanbase - without intending to be like the older posts being insulting, how did you miss this one? My memory after first watching it was my mum screaming at us when we tried the can trick!
"A masterpiece akin to Welles or Fellini's work!" David Manning by SpencerTrilby	Jul 20th, 2008 03:33:44 AM
Hell, I miss David Manning. Those fake captions are more truthful than any Premiere review.
As much as I love *Cusack by Gabba-UK	Jul 20th, 2008 04:04:27 AM

Smegging enter key Cock-up!!! by Gabba-UK	Jul 20th, 2008 04:11:38 AM
Really should be an edit feature Quint!!! As much I also love 80's Cusack at the time I hated him a little because in the space of a couple of years he got to play tonsil hockey with two of the hottest actress' in film at the time, Daphne Zuniga from this and Ione Skye (who's nakedness in the Rachel Papers had a pretty large role in my life for a short time!) in Say Anything.... Git!!!
Moving Violations by stultified	Jul 20th, 2008 04:16:23 AM
i loved this movie when i was a kid i remember watching it for the first time strait after wrestle mania 5
Oh and Quint... by Gabba-UK	Jul 20th, 2008 04:25:32 AM
I brought The Black Hole after your piece on it.. Its just as cheesy and great as i remember it!!
Very Well Known by barneyshouldbeputdown	Jul 20th, 2008 04:25:46 AM
...in Hollywood. EVERYONE knows this movie. It's the first big hit Rob Reiner had. It put him on the map. Extremely quotable. Really kind of shocked that you or anyone involved with or writing about the business DIDN'T know about this movie already.
Moving Violations is AWESOME.. by Redfive!	Jul 20th, 2008 05:26:15 AM
Especially when Wendie Jo Sperber has her "Oil Changed",what great comedy.Very Police Academy-ish of coarse and Bill Murrays brother is pretty much Bill Murray back in the day.
Not Well Known??? by m_prevette	Jul 20th, 2008 05:31:44 AM
Actually the movie is pretty well known and regarded, just not a hit movie. It got pretty good reviews during it's release and a wider audience on video.
Video cover looked like some saucy comedy by pokadoo	Jul 20th, 2008 05:33:38 AM
...it had a soft-focus photo of a chick, much like the poster above. Totaly mis-marketed. Or a clever trick. I'm not sure. Great film though.
Never even heard of this one by Conans Sword	Jul 20th, 2008 06:13:07 AM
ill probably forget the name of it as soon as i shut down my pc
good review by chokinonrhodes	Jul 20th, 2008 06:37:02 AM
saw this in my collection last night while trying to pick out a movie for my nephew..havent seen it in awhile.
An 80's movie by kikuchiyoboy	Jul 20th, 2008 06:45:43 AM
that still holds up. The truck driver madman scene and "Get in the car!" still cracks me up. Keep it coming dude... But holy lord I hated Moving Violations.
What happened to Rob? by MarkSingle	Jul 20th, 2008 07:31:28 AM
The Sure Thing, This is Spinal tap, Stand by me, Misery, When Harry met Sally, Princess Bride, A few good men... in the beginning of his directing career Rob Reiner was probably the most talented and exiting of them all. But what happened? Where did it all go wrong? Loved The Sure Thing. Zuniga and Cusack were just great!
Respected film, this by theBigE	Jul 20th, 2008 07:35:21 AM
I was a nerdy teen when this came out (as opposed to being a nerdy adult now), and I remember it got pretty good reviews and was well respected. We rented it a few times back then. It was more of a mainstream hit than the other of Cusack's comedies prior to Say Anything, too. So yeah, I'm surprised Quint downplays it so much.
"Spontaneity has its time and place." by Mike-El	Jul 20th, 2008 07:38:32 AM
"You're flunking English. That's your mother tongue." "I don't think I want this ride after all. And I think...I think...I'll take your wife...if you don't mind." Very quotable movie.
My most quoted line by Iowa Snot Client	Jul 20th, 2008 07:42:55 AM
"I HAVE A CREDIT CARD."
"It happened one night" for 80's teens by aint_it_cruel?	Jul 20th, 2008 08:17:28 AM
Sure Thing put Cusack ahead of the Brat pack crowd.--Quint, use your Moving Violations DVD as a coaster instead of watching it. You'll get more enjoyment from it that way.
Reiner is one of many directors... by Bobo_Vision	Jul 20th, 2008 08:20:30 AM
...who seem to lose their talent with age. Growing old changes them, and their best films were tied to whatever vigour or vision they held in their younger years. The list includes Reiner, Lucas, Coppola, and DePalma to name a few.
Bw by Juggernaut125	Jul 20th, 2008 09:59:55 AM

Better Off Dead by Juggernaut125	Jul 20th, 2008 10:02:00 AM
is my favourite comedy... EVER. "Gee I'm sorry your mom blew up, Ricky." After that, I remember enjoying this movie when it came out, but not nearly to the same extent as BOD and One Crazy Summer. Except for the drunk scene at the bar... "I'm a beautiful guy... And you're a beautiful guy.." Very funny stuff.
The weird thing about Cusack is.... by Bobo_Vision	Jul 20th, 2008 10:06:00 AM
...he absolutely hates "Better Off Dead", one of the best films he's made. Despises it, is embarasses by it, and refuses to have anything more to do with it like doing a commentary track on the DVD. He was actually pissed off at the director after it came out and felt betrayed by him for some reason as if the final product was drastically different than what he thought was communicated to him by the director.
Yeah, this was a great one. by Jawa 007	Jul 20th, 2008 10:14:18 AM
So these were all movies you owned on dvd, right? How long did it take you to link them together? Actually sounds like fun -but I'm impressed that you can bounce around from the 80s to the 40s etc. Cool though. Enjoying this column.
Favorite quotes by PolarCow	Jul 20th, 2008 10:18:05 AM
"You know, junk food doesn't deserve the bad rap that it gets. Take these pork rinds for example. This particular brand contains two percent of the R.D.A. - that's Recommended Daily Allowance - of riboflavin." "I'm talkin' to you cordless!" Classic flick!
During the filming of One Crazy Summer... by Bobo_Vision	Jul 20th, 2008 10:19:37 AM
...Savage Steve held a screening of Better Off Dead, and John walked out of it and was pissed off and yelled at Steve for "tricking" him. They had to work together despite this, but John started to loosen up later on as filming progressed and Better Off Dead received good reviews. Here's the interview with Savage Steve: http://tinyurl.com/55al9o
I always get this film title confused with... by fiester	Jul 20th, 2008 10:29:42 AM
A Tom Cruise flick from the same era...Making All The Moves or something it was called? I can't remember.
Daphne Zuniga by EyeofPolyphemus	Jul 20th, 2008 10:41:22 AM
Zuniga is another one of those women just like Sabrina Lloyd who i find hot but no one else seems to care about.
"What'll it be, Dr. Levinson ?" by JohnnyFriendly	Jul 20th, 2008 10:56:00 AM
... asks the bartender after Cusack presents his fake ID. THAT'S a favorite quote for ya. The whole bar scene with Cusack and the 2 drifters singing "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" is charmingly memorable.
"Make love in a hammock!" by haushinkabb	Jul 20th, 2008 11:21:40 AM
Fantastic,underrated movie.
What went wrong with Reiner?... by zooty882	Jul 20th, 2008 11:26:29 AM
...one word..."North". Possibly the WORST film he ever made, and the first bad film. In the Comedy Central roast of Reiner a few years ago, one of the more popular lines was "...and then came North...". Oh, and Quint, as some others have said, it's really odd that you perceive this film as having little good "word of mouth" about it. For about a decade after it came out, it was widely considered to be one the the best teen comedies of the '80s, and an equal in the pantheon of great early Reiner films. Definitely better received critically than either of the Steve Savage films. (I've always considered this one and "Better off Dead" to be basically interchangeable.) Sort of weird what another 10 years and a string of awful Reiner films will do to a films reputation...
Bar scene by Potsy	Jul 20th, 2008 11:27:37 AM
Yup, that's the funniest part of the whole movie. "a trough of spritzer and a beer for cowboy-guy."
Why is Moving Violations even on your list? by Thunderbolt Ross	Jul 20th, 2008 11:40:58 AM
I didn't think that was a well-loved or even remembered flick.
Great Movie by Tipsy McStagger	Jul 20th, 2008 12:19:18 PM
Completely watchable after all this time, with no bad 80's aftertaste.
Doesn't have much of a reputation? by jmyoung666	Jul 20th, 2008 12:30:50 PM
If anything, I thought this film was overrated. Decent, I liked it, but not a great film. Better off Dead and One Crazy Summer were both hysterical, primarily due to Savage Steve Holland controlling the helm (Where's the Eek the Cat DVD release?) Never a big fan of Say Anything, but I did not realize it was a romantic drama rather than a comedy when I went into it, so my opinion may have been skewed.
This is not an obscure film. by Mostholy	Jul 20th, 2008 01:07:43 PM
Next to Say Anything, this is probably Cusack's biggest 80's hit. Bigger than Better off Dead and One Crazy Summer, at any rate.
another good 80s Cusack is Hot Pursuit by JackieGleasonUFO	Jul 20th, 2008 01:07:47 PM
cusack, ben and jerry stiller, robert logia AND keith david. can't go wrong.
princess vespa by ddog	Jul 20th, 2008 01:37:12 PM
i want to touch ms vespa. always had a thing her. dont know why.she not that good of an actress.i actually think joan rivers as teh faux r2d2 was a better performance in spaceballs.
Well, Cusack can obviously never go back to his 80's self. by Knuckleduster	Jul 20th, 2008 01:43:49 PM
But I wish we'd get more movies like Gross Point Blank or High Fidelity from him. Would be great to see him team up with Cameron Crowe again.
quint you surprise me by earlfist	Jul 20th, 2008 01:56:13 PM
Being a John Cusack fan and not seeing this movie is a bit like being an Orson Welles fan and not knowing Citizen Kane! ok this movie is predictable but rom coms are like bruce willis movies.the couple have to get together in the same way that If the bad guy doesn't die then whats the point. The sure thing for me is second only to the goodbye girl as a modern(for it's time) throwback to the 30's classics like it happened one night or shop around the corner. i've always loved this movie.partly cause when i was 14 i was hopelessly in love with a half spanish girl who resembled daphne zuniga, with whom I also had to contrive a fake date.she didn't get mad, she just went off with my friend. I have even used the shakespeare line as a chat up line for a girl that thankfully turned out to love the movie.anyway at least you can get a decentish dvd of this when the goodbye girl is not even available in my home country.i should point out also that what ever happened to daphne zuniga's movie career. She is a hell of a better actor than countless others who had decent runs. Anyway Quint this blip withstanding keep up the good work.
Mel Brooks cast Zuniga after watching this by Tacom	Jul 20th, 2008 02:11:43 PM
That's what he says on the commentary track of SPACEBALLS. I love THE SURE THING. It's not the best Rob Reiner movie but it's a really good romantic comedy and one of my favorite of Cusack's.
Best Line In The Movie... (at least ONE of them) by pantera777	Jul 20th, 2008 04:10:38 PM
Cowboy: I went to Paris once with my wife...boy am I glad SHE'S dead. I fallout every time I hear that...when you watch his face during the pause, all the misery that bitch of a wife put him through was there.
classic cusack eighties movies by meximedia	Jul 20th, 2008 04:21:59 PM
This movie, along with Say Anything, Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer, made Cusack an icon. "The Sure Thing" was one of his best. Definately better than the "80's romantic comedy" it gets labeled as. Yes, it's often overlooked and forgotten, this movie is better than his his Savage Steve Holland collaborations but doesn't come close to the classic status of Say Anything. This movie is very quoteable, and it oozes with Cusackian monologues, comebacks and one-liners. I think it wasn't that big a hit mainly beacuse Reiner and Cusack were just beggining to hit their stride. Reiner had just done Spinal Tap and Cusack had only Class and Sixteen Candles under his belt. I believe this was his first starring role.
Great Movie by Wrath4771	Jul 20th, 2008 05:33:39 PM
This movie also taught me how to chug a Mountian Dew in the seventh grade by sticking a pen through the can and popping the tab. A life lesson that has come in handy many times.
No offense, Quint, but in 1985 . . . by lavaboat	Jul 20th, 2008 05:40:09 PM
. . . when The Sure Thing was released, I'm pretty sure you were playing hot wheels in a dirt hole somewhere. It wouldn't have blipped your radar screen. But to someone in their late thirties The Sure Thing is sorta seminal. Just saying that if you want to accurately contextualize a film you need think a little outside your own personal bubble.
Lane... by Wrath4771	Jul 20th, 2008 05:41:27 PM
I heard you and Beth broke up....
moving violations!!! by slappy jones	Jul 20th, 2008 05:53:26 PM
awesome. one of my favorites.best theme song.
"Private Gibson, incoming!" by Tar Heel	Jul 20th, 2008 06:07:52 PM
We friends and I often quoted that line while lobbing cold beers at each other in college. As for Anthony Edwards, wasn't he actually one of Spicoli's silend friends in "Fast Times"?
"Who invented liquid soap, and why?" by Big Jim	Jul 20th, 2008 06:12:42 PM
"Usually when I meet someone new I feel awkward and shy. But with you it's different. I can talk to you. You know what I'm thinking without my having to explain to you in fancy terms. We speak each other's unspoken language, fluently. I love you. "
Tar Heel, you are correct by Big Jim	Jul 20th, 2008 06:14:51 PM
he was, along with Eric Stoltz
Savage Steve Holland... still alive! by Iowa Snot Client	Jul 20th, 2008 07:22:31 PM
He directed a few episodes of the no-honestly-it's-a-good-show Ned's Declassified on Nick. They had that classic Better Off Dead feel.
Just for pleasure! by mercuryx23	Jul 20th, 2008 07:33:18 PM
This is one of the better road films from the 80's and certainly one of the best Cusack films. I'm really surprised it has taken you this long to watch it.
awesome film by misnomer	Jul 20th, 2008 10:22:28 PM
dont mind if I take your wife DO YA?!?!
by misnomer	Jul 20th, 2008 10:34:44 PM
^ or something to that effect...
Liked the music, hated the movie. by SmokeFilledTavern	Jul 20th, 2008 11:19:46 PM

What? No Mention... by Gap Toothed TV Boy	Jul 20th, 2008 11:20:56 PM
of Nicolette Sheridan as the "Sure Thing"? How dare you, sir! 20 years later, she's still hot!!!
It Happened One Night by Bungion Boy	Jul 21st, 2008 12:41:57 AM
I think this was originally thought to be a kind of remake or re-imagining of that film. It shares a few elements at least.
"Driving with the load not properly tied down" by hoisin	Jul 21st, 2008 03:42:01 AM
gets me every time.
Nicollette Sheridan by bustamove	Jul 21st, 2008 08:08:51 AM
Suprised Quint did not mention that it was Nicollette Sheridan's, who plays Edie Britt in Desperate Housewives, first film. Damn she was hot!
Gap Toothed TV Boy...... by CullenisPrime	Jul 21st, 2008 12:12:51 PM
He did mention her. About halfway thru the review
Great little movie by Kaitain	Jul 21st, 2008 12:18:17 PM
"Consider outer space..."
Never talkbacked before... by sadsongco	Jul 21st, 2008 02:56:12 PM
... but felt compelled to to shout out my love for this movie. The bit in the truck is comedy genius - "Then what the hell did you pick me up for???!!!" And re: Iowa Snot Client's favourite quote - "no good - credit cards work on a completely different kind of lock".
could never buy that he didn't fuck the hot blonde at the end by Rupee88	Jul 22nd, 2008 03:53:46 PM
just ruined the movie for me..at least bang her behind the brunette's back...just dumb and made for a lame main character.

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A Movie A Day: THE SURE THING (1985)
Excuse me, won’t you? I have to go kick the shit out of someone.

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A Movie A Day: THE SURE THING (1985) Excuse me, won’t you? I have to go kick the shit out of someone.

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A Movie A Day: THE SURE THING (1985)
Excuse me, won’t you? I have to go kick the shit out of someone.