The Sure Thing (1985)

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

Steve Bloom (written by) &
Jonathan Roberts (written by)

Release Date:

1 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

He's onto a sure thing . . . but ends up on the funniest journey to romance you've ever seen.

Plot:

A college student plans a cross-country trip to get laid, but ends up traveling with a young woman. They hate each other, so naturally...

Plot Keywords:

College | Cross Country | California | Road | Road Trip

Cast

John Cusack	...	Walter 'Gib' Gibson
Daphne Zuniga	...	Alison Bradbury
Anthony Edwards	...	Lance
Boyd Gaines	...	Jason
Tim Robbins	...	Gary Cooper
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Mary Ann Webster
Viveca Lindfors	...	Professor Taub
Nicollette Sheridan	...	The Sure Thing
Marcia Christie	...	Julie
Robert Anthony Marcucci	...	Bobby
Sarah Buxton	...	Sharon
Lorrie Lightle	...	Lucy
Joshua Cadman	...	Jimbo
Krystal Richards	...	Girl in Photo
John Putch	...	Mastin
Steve Pink	...	Football Player
Tracy Reiner	...	Alison's Friend
Martin J. Layton	...	Frat Guy (as Marty Layton)
Amy Resnick	...	Marsha
Robert Bauer	...	Moke
Frantz Turner	...	Cop
Garry Goodrow	...	Pick-Up Driver
Robert Snively	...	Bus Station Clerk
Carmen Filpi	...	Bus Station Bum
Richard Hamilton	...	Bartender
George Memmoli	...	Man in Bar
Rosalind Moreland	...	Barmaid
Sunshine Parker	...	Cowboy Guy
Fran Ryan	...	Lady in Car
Teresa Baxter	...	Rose Lady
Larry Hankin	...	Trucker
Jimmy Baron	...	Guy at Frat Party
Julie Ow	...	Girl in Sarong
Noelle Williams	...	Katherine
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tamara Carrera	...	Fantasy Girl (uncredited)
David Connella	...	Student (uncredited)
Helen Kelly	...	Bar Girl (uncredited)
Joy Michelle Moore	...	Hot party girl (uncredited)
John Richard Petersen	...	Frat Guy on Stairs (uncredited)
Christopher Rydell	...	Charlie (uncredited)

Directed by
Rob Reiner

Writing credits
Steve Bloom		(written by) (as Steven L. Bloom) &
Jonathan Roberts		(written by)

Produced by
Roger Birnbaum	....	producer
Andrew Scheinman	....	co-producer
Jeffrey Stott	....	associate producer
Henry Winkler	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Tom Scott

Cinematography by
Robert Elswit		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert Leighton

Casting by
Janet Hirshenson
Jane Jenkins

Production Design by
Lilly Kilvert

Set Decoration by
Lisa Fischer

Costume Design by
Durinda Wood

Makeup Department
Patricia Messina	....	makeup artist
Michele Payne	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Steve Nicolaides	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Brian James Ellis	....	second assistant director
Sam Epstein	....	second assistant director
Thomas Lofaro	....	first assistant director

Art Department
David Brisbin	....	lead man
Mickie Cecchini	....	assistant painter
Buddy Cone	....	art department assistant
Amanda J. Flick	....	scenic artist (as Amanda Flick)
David L. Glazer	....	property master (as David Glazer)
Mark 'Digger' Green	....	assistant props (as Mark Green)
Dennis Hoerter	....	carpenter
Richard Hoover	....	assistant art director
Thierry Verrier	....	set dresser
Frank Viviano	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Douglas B. Arnold	....	boom (as Doug Arnold)
Beth Bergeron	....	post-production sound
John Brasher	....	post-production sound
David E. Campbell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Roberta Doheny	....	post-production sound
Robert Eber	....	sound mixer (as Bob Eber)
Alia Kahn	....	post-production sound
Lars Nelson	....	post-production sound
Tony Ray	....	post-production sound
John T. Reitz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gregg Rudloff	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Gregg C. Rudloff)

Special Effects by
John Frazier	....	special effects
Jeffrey A. Wischnack	....	special effects assistant (as Jeff Wischnack)

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Amorelli	....	electrician
Greg Bridges	....	grip
François Duhamel	....	unit photographer (as Francois Duhamel)
Kevin Kelley	....	best boy electrician
Martin J. Layton	....	camera assistant (as Marty Layton)
Michael Meek	....	grip
Ron Meurrier	....	lamp operator: Stockton
Jack Palinkas	....	key grip
Lee Phillips	....	gaffer
Chris Rao	....	camera assistant
George Ressler	....	grip best boy (as George Resler)
Thomas Vanghele	....	camera assistant (as Thomas P. Vanghele)
Devik Wiener	....	electrician
Roland Young	....	electrician

Casting Department
Eve Brandstein	....	casting executive

Costume and Wardrobe Department
May Hart	....	wardrobe assistant
Constance Sech	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Christine Cholvin	....	assistant editor
Terry Haggar	....	color timer
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Cathy Rosenstein	....	post-production coordinator
Adam Weiss	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Kenneth Karman	....	music editor
Alexandra Leviloff	....	assistant music editor
Gary Lubow	....	music recording engineer
Elliot Lurie	....	music coordinator
Becky Mancuso-Winding	....	music supervisor (as Becky Shargo)

Transportation Department
Ken Day	....	driver
Bo Falck	....	transportation co-captain
Pat Gordon	....	driver
Thomas A. Gordon	....	driver (as Tom Gordon)
Greg Landis	....	driver
Ronald Linxwiler	....	driver (as Ron Linxwiler)
Tim Roslan	....	transportation captain
Dusty Saunders	....	driver
David Shaffer	....	driver (as Dave Shaffer)
Larry Sims	....	driver

Other crew
Robert Breech	....	location manager: Los Angeles
William Burke	....	location manager: Stockton
Leslie Cornyn	....	assistant production accountant
Leigh French	....	coordinator: custom looping
Joan Gagrelcik	....	studio teacher (as Joan Thompson Gabrelcik)
Elizabeth Galloway	....	production coordinator
Walter Hart	....	production assistant
Edward Hersom	....	craft service: Stockton
Lisa Lynn Kearsley	....	production secretary: Los Angeles
Cathy Lerner	....	secretary: Mr. Birnbaum
Leslie 'Tinker' Linville	....	production assistant (as Leslie Linville)
Mitch Marcus	....	production assistant
Anne Rapp	....	continuity (as Anne Rapp-Dowd)
Cathy Rosenstein	....	assistant: Rob Reiner & producers
Eric Silvern	....	craft service: Los Angeles
Mary Vigna	....	production secretary: Stockton
Joyce Wagner	....	unit publicist
Zelig Walters	....	caterer
Ron Welch	....	caterer
Ruth Whittle	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Embassy Film Associates (presents) (as Embassy Films Associates)
• Monument Pictures

Distributors

• Embassy Pictures Corporation (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox Network (1991) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Atmosphere Casting  extras casting
• Compact Sound Services  re-recording by
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.®)
• J's Fine Art Inc.  post production sound
• Modern Film Effects  title and opticals
• Otto Nemenz International  cameras and lenses supplied by
• Record Plant Scoring  music recorded at
• Seiniger Advertising  main title design
• Split Reel Recording  sound transfer

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (No. 27534) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

Company:

Embassy Film Associates

Trivia:

In the swimming pool scene there is a sign in the background which reads "Happy Birthday Coach Oppewall". This is a reference to production designer Jeannine Claudia Oppewall.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The trees and the grass are too green in the Midwest for a trip that is supposed to take place in the middle of winter.

Quotes:

Gib: [opening lines] Consider outer space. You know, from the time of the first NASA mission, it was clear that outer space has a clear effect on the human psyche. Why, during the first Gemini mission, thought was actually given to sending up a man and a woman... together.
Julie: [interested] Really?
Gib: A cosmic 'Adam and Eve,' if you will. Bound together by fate, situated on the most powerful rocket yet known to man. It's giant thrusters blasting them into the dark void, as they hurtle towards their final destination: the gushing wellspring of life itself.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Earth, Wind and... Wait for It (#3.12)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Lights Out

Stands up to time pretty well, actually...

Just for the heck of it, I pulled out my copy of The Sure Thing and watched it again. It's held up well since I first saw it on video in 1986. Yeah, the music is a little old, and Jason, Alison's boyfriend, still grates on me because I looked like him, but in all other respects it has held up well. What carries it is that it's the classic John Cusack Movie, where Cusack is just being... John Cusack. Totally real, totally unpretentious. You can see it in everything else he's done, even things of totally different style, like "Eight Men Out" and "The Grifters." He just rules the screen and the production ends up recalling pictures like "His Girl Friday" and "It Happened One Night." This has stood up to nearly fifteen years of viewing pretty well. Compare and contrast other stuff of that era, like "St. Elmo's Fire," and "Fast Times At Ridgemont High." Or any Tom Hanks movie of the period.

I've now come back five years after originally posting this review (it's now May, 2007) and I say, this film STILL stands as a classic Cusack, even after I have (in the interim) loved "Pushing Tin," "Being John Malkovich" and of course the amazing "High Fidelity." And to this day, I have been known to say, in bars, "BARKEEP! Bring this man...a TROUGH... of spritzer!"

And just remember...

"Credit cards work on a completely different kind of lock!"