Cocktail is a movie that was a big hit in the 80s thanks to Tom Cruise and also Elizabeth Shue, people forget that she was a big deal back in the 80s! Anyway, Cocktail is a movie that is so cheesy and weird that it kind of works. I watched this recently and it was a “so bad, it is good” kind of experience and I had a lot of fun with it.
How to Download Cocktail
Cocktail was released on July 29, 1988. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Fans of Elizabeth Shue should also watch her in The Karate Kid, or Back to the Future Part II and III.
The Movie Review
The thing about a movie like Cocktail is that if someone were to tell me that this movie was pure garbage, I honestly would not have an argument as to why it is not! I would not say that this is an 80s movie you had to see in the 80s or even 90s to appreciate. If you get a kick out of bad and cheesy movies, you could have some fun with this. Plus, 80s Tom Cruise and Elizabeth Shue are pretty easy on the eyes, also, Gina Gershon is in this movie so that is cool!
The movie on the surface is about a young man called Brian who has big dreams. Brian ends up working as a bartender and a “friend” called Doug teaches him the artistic and flamboyant side of bartending. Brian has dreams of opening his own bar and making it a chain and being a real big shot.
I have to be honest, Brian is not the most likable guy. He is a typical 80s good-looking, cutthroat kind of guy that will do what he wants when he wants to do it. He meets a cute girl called Jordan (played by Elizabeth Shue) and they hit it off, but due to his competitive nature, he hurts her after a bet with Doug.
Characters and Plot
While Doug appears to be living the 80s dream that Brian wanted, Brain realizes that he wants Jordan more than anything and is willing to prove that his love for her is real. The movie is a series of unintentionally over-the-top hilarious scenes of Brian trying to get his way back to the heart of Jordan. I swear, Brian is like the Terminator in his determination to win Jordan back, he will simply not take no for an answer.
Unintentional Humor
The thing with Cocktail is, that it is trying way too hard to be this emotional rollercoaster, but it is more unintentionally funny than serious. Although, there is a suicide scene that feels so out of place in this movie. I have seen this movie many times and the suicide scene is one that always makes me say “what the hell?” as it feels out of place and does not fit with the tone movie, there is no need at all, especially with the way it goes down and what we actually see.
A Guilty Pleasure
Cocktail is a movie that is super predictable, well predictable apart from that suicide scene, but it is still a movie I have fun with. It is a guilty pleasure cheesy movie that can always make me laugh and smile, even if that is probably not what the people making the movie intended. At the end of the day, this is one of the 80s movies that really helped cement Tom Cruise as a massive box office draw.
