– “My father told me to only use my credit card in an emergency.”
Rain, thunder, lightning.
John Cusack says, “Maybe one’ll come up.”
– Anthony Edwards had hair.
– Daphne Zuniga screaming out the window of the car: “COME TO MAMA, BOYS!”
– Tim Robbins’ BRILLIANT turn as the passive-aggressive driver, who sulks when the 2 college kids in the back won’t join in the sing-along. “I’m not going to sing if they’re not going to sing. They’re ruining it for everybody!”
Also: “Hi, I’m Gary Cooper. But not the Gary Cooper that’s dead!” Huge goofy laugh.
And my favorite – after he kicks them out of the car, he screams at his wife, “LOCK THE DOOR!” and she screams at the top of her lungs, as though Freddy Krueger is coming after her. It’s so damn funny.
– And, on another level – the general sweetness and humor of the entire film. It’s rare that a film ends with a kiss that feels so sweetly earned, so meaningful. She’s got to transform, loosen up a bit, and he’s got to transform, and grow up a bit.
The whole movie is a delight. Sheer liquid pleasure, I tell ya.
John Cusack. Who’s bettah than him??
Love that movie – have the DVD. My absolute favorite is the scene in the bar where Cusack meets the chatty fat dude who’s trying to pick up the waitress: “I had fried food for lunch today…I know, I know, I shouldn’t have had it.”
For some reason that scene cracks me up.
Dan, I love you. I love that line, too – who is that guy??? So funny!!
Oh, and also in the same scene when Cusack gives an obviously fake ID, the bartender glances at it, and then says, “Okay, Dr. so-and-so, what’ll it be?”
That whole scene is a great little vignette. It’s so…gentle – it’s not mean sarcastic or pratfall toilet humor. The characters are only on screen for a few minutes but somehow you (or at least I) totally ‘get’ them. Watching it, you just know that the fat guy is in there EVERY day, trying to pull the waitress. But he’s not obnoxious about it, instead he’s trying this endearing kind of Jedi mind trick where he addresses these alomost random remarks to the waitress as if she actually cares, in the hope that she’ll be ‘tricked’ into caring about his lunch habits and what not.
It’s one of my favorite little bits of character or support acting; it’s so good it’s like a window into another movie entirely you know? Watching it I get the feeling like the people in the bar just continue being, even after Cusack leaves, if that makes any sense.
Yes, I think about some things entirely too much.
Yeah, and the fat guy is, at heart, a really romantic sweet guy. And the kind of ragged Marlboro man who joins into the Christmas carol with this loooooow bass voice … hysterical.
And yeah – in my book, the definition of good acting is that you can totally believe that the characters continue to live on, even when they’re off-screen and the scene is over.
Ah, the Cowboy Guy…a few years back I was at a bar with a friend and we saw a guy who looked a hell of a lot like Cowboy Guy. Neither one of us had seen or even thought of The Sure Thing in ages. However, when I turned and simply said “We’re all three good lookin’ guys,” we both collapsed in gales of laughter.
“Bring this man a troth of spritzer!”
Three moments slay me in that film.
1. They’re at the bar. “What’s wrong with me? I’m a good looking guy…?” “You are…you ARE a good lookin’ guy. And I’m a good looking guy…”
2. They’re getting kicked out of the car by Tim Robbins and Leah Thompson. Cusack simply MUST GET BACK IN THE CAR “FEELINGS!!!NOTHING MORE THAN FEELINGS!!! TRYING TO FORGET MY Fee-”
the car skids away, but John keeps singing…
“FEEEEEELINGS!!!”
3. Cusack tries to kiss Daphne Zuniga. She throws him down. He half-yelps.
“That hurt you?”
“…No…”
She leans back, and football punts him SQUARE in the nads, and stomps away.
I should also mention that I learned how to ‘shotgun’ canned products after watching that film. I was in the 8th Grade. We did Jolt twice as fast that way.
On a geeky note, The Sure Thing was the one of the first movies to use the short lived VCR “technology” that prevented you from recording to your other VCR (by weakening the signal to the TV… dumb). Of course, if it hadn’t been for this I would have watched it many times for free instead of continuing to rent it.
Whatzizname – Leah Thompson?? Don’t remember that.
“Elliot?.. Elliot is a fat kid with glasses who eats paste… Nick’s your buddy… The kind of guy who doesn’t care if you puke in his car”
It actually was not Leah Thompson. Good catch. It was Lisa Jane Persky – who is still around, working all the time. She was one of the friends of Sally in Harry Met Sally, among many other things.
Favorite The Sure Thing moment: The monologue Gib delivers about failing English and subsequent fall into the pool.
“When I get out of jail I’m 36 years old…”
And according to IMDB the fat gut was one George Memmoli, who apparently passed away the year ‘The Sure Thing’ was released. Sad.
I forget – does the fat chatty dude’s character have a name? Or is he just listed as Fat Chatty Dude?
Mr. Z – I love his reading of that line, too – making his voice go all low and grim – while she keeps doing her laps.
I was so jealous of her hair in that movie. I loved her hair and my hair could never look like that.
If only Hollywood had more John Cusaks. Ever since I saw “Say Anything” I’ve been a fan. Now here’s a question for you, is he and the other Cusaks related to Cyril Cusak who was a huge acting talent at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. He did appear in some American and English films. Maybe you know or could find out! Best wishes David
Dearest: re. Cusaks: Cyril has three daughters [[all actors, appeared in London a few years ago in Three Sisters [one married to Jeremy Irons?]]. John and Joan not his, but may be ralated more distantly. Watched Sure Thing last night–we loved it. love, dad
David Stern:
My father has just come to the rescue.
Thanks, Dad!
There’s another Cusack out there … a Sinead Cusack … I believe she is related somehow to John and Joan. Maybe a sister?
Joan Cusack is an idol of mine.
Ehm … School of Rock??? what??
She’s so great.
Joan completely rocks in Grosse Pointe Blank.
“Sir, it’s out of my hands. The gods want you to go back home and they want to delete someone while you’re there.”
Wow. I stand corrected. So it wasn’t Leah Thompson. I should have checked before I commented.
My memory betrays me. I usually remember things so well.
I do remember that the Truck Driver that eventually picked them up was an Orioles fan. He had an old, oil-covered hat with the original Oriole Bird’s smiling face on it.
Wutzizname:
Knowing you, and knowing your FREAKY-ASS memory, I was shocked at your slip … However, you are a human being, we all make mistakes, and no one will hold it against you.
You need to tell me about the furniture project thingie, by the way. Email me.