John Cusack: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

In a move that leant to his success in eighties teen pics (more on those later), one of the defining moments of John Cusack's career happened before he got started, where he dropped out of university, said goodbye to roomie Jeremy Piven and, to quote the man, utilised that "fire in his belly" to forge a career in Hollywood. A cameo in Sixteen Candles put the young talent on Rob Reiner's radar, giving Cusack the chance to feature in three of the director's most endearing pictures, in turn making him the go to guy in movieland when you required a pretty face with a smart mouth. So, as the eighties segued into the nineties and indie cinema darted out of the paddocks courtesy of Miramax, Sundance and the postmodern auteur, Cusack became the pretty face of some of the decade's most memorable features. On a personal level, Cusack maintains a level of individuality that separates him from his fellow A-listers - he's a highly-belted kickboxer, ensures that old pal Piven and sister Joan feature in as many of his films as possible and really stuck it to Bush in the noughties - and with the recent release of Love & Mercy, and the glowing reviews that have gone with it, it seems that the once fresh-faced star has entered a new phase in his career. Good vibrations indeed.