Really Surprised!

Better Late Then Never

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

"Cocktail" is an underrated movie for me. I really don't get the hate and razzies this film recieved. To me, I consider this to be a nice little romance/drama movie. I'd rather watch some of Tom Cruise's movies like "Top Gun", "Days of Thunder", and even the "Mission: Impossible" series.I recommend it for Tom Cruise's performance, and the pretty decent story.

Let me tell ya - I have always believed Thomas Mapother IV.... (Oops!)... I mean, Tom Cruise to be nothing but a total no-talent pretty-boy - And, the fact that he couldn't even convincingly play a shallow, self-loving bartender in "Cocktail" confirms that belief of mine, 100%.And this confirmation about Thomas has now prompted me to swear that I'll never, ever watch another one of his dreary films ever again. Never. I'm serious here.Mapother IV... I mean, Cruise was so annoyingly clueless in his role as stud-muffin bartender, Brian Flanagan that I'm certain someone out of camera-range was actually continually feeding him his lines so that he would know WTF? was expected of him next. I'm not kidding here.Anyway - To say that this formulaic "poor-boy-meets-rich-girl" story from 1988 was pure pedestrian rubbish would truly be an understatement like no other.

Cocktail (1988)Plot In A Paragraph: Brian Flanagan (Tom Crusie) an ambitious student learns the tricks of the trade and a few life lessons from Doug Coglan (Bryan Brown) a talented New York City bartender. After serious Cruise in The Colour Of Money, it was back to flashy/commercial Cruise in Cocktail. This movie appears on a lot of So Bad, It's Good lists, which I think is unfair. It's hardly Showgirls, and it perfectly captures the time and the excess of the late 80's. It's a bit more style over substance, but so what?? Like most 80's movies, it also has a great soundtrack too. A great, fun soundtrack can totally make a silly movie (and Cocktail is silly) better.Cruise may not be at his dramatic best, but he is it his charming, smiling best. I have to admit, I develop a crush on Elizabeth Shue, every single time I watch this movie. Brian Flanagan steals every scene he is in (Dman that man is charismatic in this movie) Gina Gershon is fine in her small role and Kelly Lynch looks superb in several bikinis. The reshot scenes stand out, mainly due to Cruise's hair (it's longer, how he has it in Rain Man) apparently these reshoots cut down Shue and Lynch screen time, whilst relegating Dougs plans and subsequent problems to almost a single scene. Although, probably not in my Top 10 Cruise movies, I usually watch this movie every year or so, and always enjoy it. Cocktail grossed $78 million at the domestic box office, to end the year the 9th highest grossing movie of 1988. For some reason I had it in my head this movie under performed, But it was Cruise's second highest grosser (behind Top Gun) and second best chart position (also behind Top Gun)

Elizabeth shue is wonderful as ever tom cruise great acting and before he got commercial and crazy with Scientology and Bryan Brown makes the movie with unforgettable performance the movie has great script and a moral conclusion that comes to realize that money doesn't matter Miss the 80 movies when they knew how to make great movies with a small budget. And a story line that mean something. although its a romantic comedy it really make you think about what's really important in life and in a funny way I don't understand how stupid movies with stupid scripts that disrespect the viewer intelligence of our time with enormous budget score 8 or 9 and this movie barley 6