Cocktail

Cocktail (1988)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Blockbuster about a young man (Tom Cruise) who dreams of having money and fame but soon his bar-tending skills lead him to Jamaica where he falls in love with a woman (Elisabeth Shue). COCKTAIL was a gigantic hit when it was released and looking back on the film you can't help but see it like so many other hits of its day. While the film remains slightly entertaining there's still no question that the story itself is downright stupid and contains some pretty idiotic moments throughout. One of the most embarrassing scenes happens towards the end of the picture between Cruise and the woman's father but I won't spoil this scene for those who haven't seen the film. A lot of the movie just seems to happen for no reason other to try and jam every type of emotion down the viewer's throat. Again, I'm not going to spoil what happens to one of the major supporting characters but this little twist just doesn't work and really goes against everything else we've seen in the film. With that said, there's no question that Cruise is in fine form here as he was really finding his own. Shue is also extremely good in her role and the two stars share some really good chemistry. The same for Bryan Brown who adds a lot of fun with his supporting role and the magic between he and Cruise certainly helps the entertainment factor. Kelly Lynch and Gina Gershon can also be seen. The film's biggest highlight is the terrific soundtrack, which has everyone from The Beach Boys to John Mellencamp. COCKTAIL is an entertaining movie but at the same time it's quite shallow and really starts to slow down towards the end. Fans of Cruise will still want to check it out even with the flaws.

"Cocktail" from 1988 is one of the films that solidified Tom Cruise's superstar status. He stars in this film with Bryan Brown, Lisa Banes, and Elizabeth Shue.

Cruise plays Brian Flanagan, a young man with a lot of dreams of making big bucks. After getting out of the service, he relentlessly seeks a job in New York City, finally snagging one as a bartender in a upper east side, trendy bar, where he works alongside Doug Coughlin, his boss.

Before long they're an attraction in and of themselves, throwing bottles to one another, finishing off each other's drinks, all the while dancing, turning, and gyrating.

Brian goes to business school as well, but given his late nights, it's exhausting and not very fulfilling.

He and Doug both have dreams of owning their own bars, and the two become great friends. However, after a huge fight, Brian goes to Jamaica and runs a bar there, making good money and falling for Jordan, a pretty waitress (Shue).

Then Doug shows up, having married rich, and when a very classy, upscale woman (Banes) comes to the bar, Doug bets Brian that he can't get to first base with her. He does, and Jordan sees him do it, and drops out of the picture.

Back in New York, Brian finds out living with a high-powered woman is no picnic - in fact, it's pretty humiliating -- and he runs into Jordan again.

"Cocktail" doesn't have much of a plot, but it has two very attractive leading men, sexy Bryan Brown and, of course, Cruise, handsome even with his old nose and looking quite different than he did in "The Color of Money." He's very charming,likable, and exudes a lot of youthful energy. He has some emotional moments, too, which he handles well.

"Cocktail" is a light film aimed at a younger crowd than I was even in 1988, but anyone can enjoy its swinging New York atmosphere, lazy Jamaican sun, great soundtrack, and two wild bartenders.

Underneath it all, it's about the dreams of youth and the reality of being out in the world. That's a message everyone learns pretty quickly.

I saw another review which said, 'it never bores' and then gave it 2 out of 10. It's on that same basis that I'm giving it 7 out of 10. It's entertaining escapism from beginning to end. I mean, it is drivel or course, but that's not the point. It's okay for 80s movies to be drivel, as long as they hold our attention, and take us back to that time in a fond way. That's really why most of us watch 80s movies isn't it? It's to remember the energy and the feel of that period, when life seemed simpler in many ways. We knew who we were and what we were meant to do. And that's what this film does....the characters know who they are, and what they are meant to be doing....even when they don't. Even existential crisis in the 80s was simpler (in films at least). It's a good trip back in time.

God only knows in my lifetime I've dealt with a lot of bartenders, I still do now when I go in a place and only order non-alcoholic beverage. But unless it was a topless joint where the bartenders were required to do more than pour and converse and maybe toss out an occasional drunk, I never did see one do the Hippy Hippy Shake. And here Tom Cruise does it tandem with Bryan Brown.

Still Cocktail is an entertaining enough film with Tom Cruise now settled into the parts he usually plays as an all American social climber. Tom's fresh out of the army and his first stop is his uncle Ron Dean's bar in Queens. He probably could get a job with his uncle, but Tom aims for higher things.

The problem Tom has in looking for a job is that old adage, what kind of work are you out of? He tries in all kinds of places, but he has no experience. An exhausted Tom arrives at an upscale bar presided over by Bryan Brown and the two of them hit it off. Brown teaches Tom all the tricks of the trade in bartending and hustling.

Bartending on the Upper East Side is a whole different world than the working class of Queens. In fact right around the same time Cocktail was out the tragic murder of Jennifer Levin by preppie killer Robert Chambers was introducing via the tabloids of the world of the yuppie bars of that vicinity. It was the world of Cocktail brought to a gruesome reality.

The women come and go for both Cruise and Brown. Success turns out to be ephemeral. The key scene in the film for me is that where Brown after marrying East Side princess Kelly Lynch and her father's money has backed him in opening the most posh establishment on the East Side, he confesses that he doesn't know the first thing about really running a business. Running a bar/restaurant is a lot more than pouring drinks and dispensing wisdom. Turns out Brown hasn't got that much wisdom and his realization of that leads to tragedy. It's a beautifully played scene, the best I've ever seen from Bryan Brown.

Elizabeth Shue as Tom's East Side princess is very appealing, but I also like Ron Dean as Cruise's uncle who really does have a lot of wisdom and he doesn't think that he has it simply because he pours drinks.

Brian Flannagan in Cocktail became one of Tom Cruise's staple roles and further endeared him as our number one superstar. Still I've yet to see a real bartender do the Hippy Hippy Shake.

Apart from the few moments of real drama, this film is pure popcorn fun. It's not one of Tom Cruise's best but its late 80s yuppie era tone is perfect for conveying our protagonist's struggles to become a successful businessman.