My views: 19
This is another movie my mom had to talk me into watching. I really had no interest in seeing it, but she got it from the library in 2004 and convinced me to sit through it. And, like almost all the movies my mom talks me into watching, I fell in love with it. In 2006 alone I watched it 8 times, I've now seen it a total of 20 times (because I've watched it once this year), and I haven't gotten tired of it yet. I truly think it's the best teen/young adult movie ever made, and I'm constantly surprised at how few people have even heard of it.
The script is brilliant. Is it just me, or do all Rob Reiner films have great lines? From "Get Cowboy Guy a beer" and "I bought some of those hangers you like so much" to "Who invented liquid soap and why?" this movie is full of quotes that I can always use to crack myself up while other people stare at me because for some unfathomable reason, no one has seen this movie. I guess they don't have moms who talk them into watching it. Beyond the fantastic script, there's the remarkable chemistry between the two young (at the time) stars. At first they hate each other as they seem to have nothing in common, but as they get to know each other better they start falling for one another in spite of themselves. It's a plot that's been done a million times, but very rarely is it done this well. John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga play off each other wonderfully, and both demonstrate flawless comedic timing, particularly in the scene where they're stranded in the middle of nowhere in the rain with no money trying to break into a deserted trailer, and Daphne Zuniga's character, Alison, suddenly remembers that she has a credit card. "Credit cards work on a completely different kind of lock!" "I don't think you understand. I have a credit card!" Then her face falls. "Oh. My dad told me specifically that I could only use it in case of an emergency." And with rain dripping down his whole body, he looks at her with a completely straight face and says, "Well, maybe one will come up."
I also love how the two completely different characters manage to bring out the best in each other, and how he prompts her to become a little more laid back while she prompts him to be a little more self-disciplined, without either of them really trying to change the other. But honestly, one of my favorite things about this movie, and the reason I think everyone needs to watch it at some point, is because it has a message which I think is far too often overlooked in our society: namely, that having casual sex with as many people as possible is not the be all and end all of human existence. This is contrary to what many TV shows and movies and books tell us, and certainly contrary to what John Cusack's character, Gib, believes at the beginning of this movie. After all, it's called The Sure Thing because he's traveling across the country to sleep with a girl he's never met because his best friend from high school promises that she's a sure thing: no questions asked, no strings attached, no guilt involved. But on his way there, through all of his adventures with Alison, he starts to realize that there's more to life than one-night stands. The way he goes through this journey, and the way the movie portrays this without shoving any message down our throats, is kind of incredible. When I talked about Beauty and the Beast I said I liked movies where the characters get to know each other before falling in love, and this film emphasizes the importance of that even more.
I'm not even kidding, if you haven't seen this movie, track it down and watch it immediately, particularly if you are a teenager or college student. You won't be disappointed. If you are, you can leave an angry comment, but you won't be. And stay tuned for my top 7 most-watched movies, all of which I saw at least 20 times from 2003-2012.
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