10 Unjustly Forgotten Films By Famous Directors

7. Rob Reiner - The Sure Thing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxo6F6rJv7E I've written of my unabashed love of Rob Reiner's early work before, so I won't rehash all of that here. All I'll say here is that few directors have had a run of amazing films as long as Reiner's; from 1984, when he made his directorial debut with This Is Spinal Tap, through 1992, when A Few Good Men was released, the man never made a misstep. At his worst, his work was entertaining and fun (The Princess Bride; I know I'm going to catch some flak for that, but I'm sorry; the book is funnier), and at his best, he turned out films that were nothing short of masterpieces (Stand By Me). However, although almost all of Reiner's early films have gotten the attention they deserve, one film of this period has been lost in the shuffle: Reiner's 1985 teen comedy The Sure Thing. The Sure Thing could be described as a teenage It Happened One Night. The basic plot of the two films is the same: a stiff, cultured girl meets a loose, worldly guy; the girl and guy, through a twist of fate, end up traveling across the country together. Essentially the only difference between the two films is that the Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert parts are played by younger actors: John Cusack (in his first film) and Daphne Zuniga, respectively. Both Cusack and Zuniga are traveling to Los Angeles for Christmas vacation; Zuniga to meet her straight-laced boyfriend, Cusack to meet a gorgeous, bikini-clad blonde goddess who Cusack's friend has promised will make a man out of him; Cusack's friend calls the blonde a "sure thing," giving the film its title. When they start their trip together, Zuniga and Cusack hate each other; however, as their trip unfolds, their attitudes begin to change, Zuniga wondering if she might be better off with a more laid-back guy (like Cusack), while Cusack wonders if he really wants an easy girl and if he would prefer a woman of more substance (like Zuniga). What makes this film work is that Reiner makes us care about the main characters; both Cusack's and Zuniga's characters seem real and believable from the moment we meet them and, as the film unfolds and we learn more about them, they seem more and more life-like and we grow to like them, wanting the two to end up together. The film is funny in a warm and sincere way, and the film worms itself into our hearts as a result.