Tom Cruise plays ex GI Brian Flanagan, who leaves the army determined to make his first million in the quickest time possible. It is soon determined that Flanagan is actually a narcissist with delusions of grandeur as we see a montage scene of Flanagan thinking it is possible to just walk into a high paying job on Wall Street or Madison Avenue without a college degree.
After a day of rejections the penny drops and he is forced to lower his standards. He goes into a bar on the Lower East Side and meets Doug Coughlin, (Bryan Brown), another Narcissist who works behind the bar. Coughlin is a wisecracking know it all, whose catchphrase is saying 'Coughlin's Law' before spouting some pearl of wisdom that isn't really wise at all. Doug offers Flanagan a job despite him having no experience in bartending.
Flanagan soon falls for Coughlin's endless tirade of BS laws that he has made up, without once questioning why a guy who knows so much is still just a lowly bartender, despite being well into his forties. It's not too long before the pair are the toast of Manhattan, with their dazzling displays of bottle flipping, despite most of the liquid they were pouring flying everywhere but in the glass. I guess people were easily pleased.
After falling out over a girl the two go their separate ways and two years later, Flanagan is now a respected barman in Jamaica. Here he meets tourist Jordan Mooney, (Elizabeth Shue), and the two form a romance and it seems Brian's life is idyllic, but the long shadow of Douglas Coughlin arrives in the Caribbean to block out the Jamaica sun.
Their tiff seemingly forgotten, Flanagan is pleased to see his old friend and is shocked to find that not only is he married, but married to a beautiful millionaire and amazingly she is even more shallow that Doug is.
Doug, quick with the banter and repartee, extols Brian's brilliance to his impressed patrons, but declares that Brian still has one flaw, and that is he believes he can work his way to the top and is a romantic at heart so he is not 'good' enough to do what he did and get to the top by hustling a rich woman and bets Brian 50 bucks that he can't do exactly that.
Brian, whom we have already established isn't too bright, accepts the bet and then commits his crowning folly, by cheating on the insanely hot, late 80's era Elizabeth Shue, with another woman. The smitten Jordan witnesses Brian go off with the 'rich chick' and feeling embarrassed and humiliated, packs her bags and flies back to New York, something Brian only finds out about the next morning when he calls on her.
With Jordan gone, Brian forms a relationship with the rich woman in hopes that he can do what Doug has done and sleep his way to the top and with the Jamaica season over, he flies back to New York with her.
However, the rich chick only sees Brian as her 'bit of rough' and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to make Brian's dreams a reality. Realising the hustler has now become the hustled, Brian breaks up with her and tries to repair his relationship with Jordan.
Jordan, asks why Brain humiliated her in Jamaica. But don't worry, our 'hero', the walking MENSA candidate that we know him to be, has his air-tight defence all ready to go. "Doug bet me that I couldn't land a rich chick, that I wasn't good enough to hustle her and when a guy lays down a dare, you've gotta take it".
Suitably impressed with his response, Jordan forgives him and they live happily ever after.....as if! Appalled at Brian's shallow and offensive reply, Jordan drops the bombshell that after too much 'sex on the beach' she is expecting Brian's baby before throwing him out.
The next day he goes to see Jordan again and comes face to face with her enraged Father, who offers him $10000 to stay out of her life. It's just a shame Jordan's father had no prior knowledge about Brian's penchant for doing stupid stuff for as little as $50, as his 'jumping off' point in these negotiations could have been a lot lower. Brian, tears up the cheque right in front of Jordan and her father.
With no job, prospects and a baby on the way He goes to see Doug, to ask for a job in his new nightspot. However, It is revealed that because of some bad investments, he has lost all the money and is essentially penniless, something his wife doesn't even know yet.
After Doug passes out drunk, Brian drives Doug's wife home and rejects her sexual advances. When he returns to Doug, he finds that he has cut his own throat with a Brandy bottle, leaving him in the red both literally and figuratively.
Devastated that the most negative influence he had ever known in his life is no longer around, Flanagan breaks down in tears when reading Doug's final letter to him. "Coughlin's law, Bury the dead, they stink up the joint, as for the rest of Coughlin's laws, ignore them, the guy was always full of sh*t", which to be honest, isn't exactly the reveal of the century for the audience.
Determined to win Jordan back and marry her, he goes back to Jordan's penthouse on Park Avenue, but the security guard has been given strict instructions to not allow him in, but the athletic Brian outwits him by sliding into the elevator as the doors are closing thanking God that he had the presence of mind to do this in 1988 before the invention of motion sensor doors.
After forcing himself into the penthouse he confronts Jordan, declares his love for her, promises to marry her and make an honest living and despite not saying anything more compelling than on their last meeting, this time, she agrees and leaves with him with her father cutting them both off permanently.
The end sees a very VERY pregnant Jordan only just declaring to Brian something that she must have known MONTHS before that she is actually expecting twins, proving that when it comes to honesty, Jordan may have a few issues of her own.
Despite my slightly scathing and sarcastic review. I still look upon cocktail as one of my favourite 80's movies and will not subscribe to the majority opinion that it is one of the worst films ever. It has a very 80's charm that even the strange storyline and poor(ish) script cannot douse.
I do remember that when this film came out, any visit to the local pub would always be accompanied by periodic glass smashing as the bartenders attempted to toss bottles and glasses behind the bar trying to emulate the mixology skills shown here.
Enjoy!
After a day of rejections the penny drops and he is forced to lower his standards. He goes into a bar on the Lower East Side and meets Doug Coughlin, (Bryan Brown), another Narcissist who works behind the bar. Coughlin is a wisecracking know it all, whose catchphrase is saying 'Coughlin's Law' before spouting some pearl of wisdom that isn't really wise at all. Doug offers Flanagan a job despite him having no experience in bartending.
Flanagan soon falls for Coughlin's endless tirade of BS laws that he has made up, without once questioning why a guy who knows so much is still just a lowly bartender, despite being well into his forties. It's not too long before the pair are the toast of Manhattan, with their dazzling displays of bottle flipping, despite most of the liquid they were pouring flying everywhere but in the glass. I guess people were easily pleased.
After falling out over a girl the two go their separate ways and two years later, Flanagan is now a respected barman in Jamaica. Here he meets tourist Jordan Mooney, (Elizabeth Shue), and the two form a romance and it seems Brian's life is idyllic, but the long shadow of Douglas Coughlin arrives in the Caribbean to block out the Jamaica sun.
Their tiff seemingly forgotten, Flanagan is pleased to see his old friend and is shocked to find that not only is he married, but married to a beautiful millionaire and amazingly she is even more shallow that Doug is.
Doug, quick with the banter and repartee, extols Brian's brilliance to his impressed patrons, but declares that Brian still has one flaw, and that is he believes he can work his way to the top and is a romantic at heart so he is not 'good' enough to do what he did and get to the top by hustling a rich woman and bets Brian 50 bucks that he can't do exactly that.
Brian, whom we have already established isn't too bright, accepts the bet and then commits his crowning folly, by cheating on the insanely hot, late 80's era Elizabeth Shue, with another woman. The smitten Jordan witnesses Brian go off with the 'rich chick' and feeling embarrassed and humiliated, packs her bags and flies back to New York, something Brian only finds out about the next morning when he calls on her.
With Jordan gone, Brian forms a relationship with the rich woman in hopes that he can do what Doug has done and sleep his way to the top and with the Jamaica season over, he flies back to New York with her.
However, the rich chick only sees Brian as her 'bit of rough' and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to make Brian's dreams a reality. Realising the hustler has now become the hustled, Brian breaks up with her and tries to repair his relationship with Jordan.
Jordan, asks why Brain humiliated her in Jamaica. But don't worry, our 'hero', the walking MENSA candidate that we know him to be, has his air-tight defence all ready to go. "Doug bet me that I couldn't land a rich chick, that I wasn't good enough to hustle her and when a guy lays down a dare, you've gotta take it".
Suitably impressed with his response, Jordan forgives him and they live happily ever after.....as if! Appalled at Brian's shallow and offensive reply, Jordan drops the bombshell that after too much 'sex on the beach' she is expecting Brian's baby before throwing him out.
The next day he goes to see Jordan again and comes face to face with her enraged Father, who offers him $10000 to stay out of her life. It's just a shame Jordan's father had no prior knowledge about Brian's penchant for doing stupid stuff for as little as $50, as his 'jumping off' point in these negotiations could have been a lot lower. Brian, tears up the cheque right in front of Jordan and her father.
With no job, prospects and a baby on the way He goes to see Doug, to ask for a job in his new nightspot. However, It is revealed that because of some bad investments, he has lost all the money and is essentially penniless, something his wife doesn't even know yet.
After Doug passes out drunk, Brian drives Doug's wife home and rejects her sexual advances. When he returns to Doug, he finds that he has cut his own throat with a Brandy bottle, leaving him in the red both literally and figuratively.
Devastated that the most negative influence he had ever known in his life is no longer around, Flanagan breaks down in tears when reading Doug's final letter to him. "Coughlin's law, Bury the dead, they stink up the joint, as for the rest of Coughlin's laws, ignore them, the guy was always full of sh*t", which to be honest, isn't exactly the reveal of the century for the audience.
Determined to win Jordan back and marry her, he goes back to Jordan's penthouse on Park Avenue, but the security guard has been given strict instructions to not allow him in, but the athletic Brian outwits him by sliding into the elevator as the doors are closing thanking God that he had the presence of mind to do this in 1988 before the invention of motion sensor doors.
After forcing himself into the penthouse he confronts Jordan, declares his love for her, promises to marry her and make an honest living and despite not saying anything more compelling than on their last meeting, this time, she agrees and leaves with him with her father cutting them both off permanently.
The end sees a very VERY pregnant Jordan only just declaring to Brian something that she must have known MONTHS before that she is actually expecting twins, proving that when it comes to honesty, Jordan may have a few issues of her own.
Despite my slightly scathing and sarcastic review. I still look upon cocktail as one of my favourite 80's movies and will not subscribe to the majority opinion that it is one of the worst films ever. It has a very 80's charm that even the strange storyline and poor(ish) script cannot douse.
I do remember that when this film came out, any visit to the local pub would always be accompanied by periodic glass smashing as the bartenders attempted to toss bottles and glasses behind the bar trying to emulate the mixology skills shown here.
Enjoy!
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