The Sure Thing (1985)

7.0PG-1391 minDirector: Rob Reiner

1985 American adventure comedy romance film by Rob Reiner

The Sure Thing is a 1985 American romantic comedy road film directed by Rob Reiner and starring John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Lindfors, and Nicollette Sheridan. The film chronicles the cross-country journey of college students Walter Gibson (Cusack) and Alison Bradbury (Zuniga) as they make their way from New England to Los Angeles over Christmas break, each in an effort to meet their ideal romantic match.

Written by Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Roberts, The Sure Thing marked Reiner's second directorial feature after This Is Spinal Tap (1984), and Cusack's first major starring role.

Released theatrically in the spring of 1985, The Sure Thing was a box-office success and received mostly favorable reviews from film critics, who commended it for its traditional comedic structure, with some likening it to a modern version of Frank Capra's It Happened One Night (1934), though Reiner himself stated that the parallels between the two films were unintentional.

In 2017, the British Film Institute ranked The Sure Thing among Reiner's top five feature films.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is The Sure Thing about?
The Sure Thing (1985) — College freshman Walter (Gib) Gibson decides to go cross country to visit his friend in California during winter break. Awaiting there is a bikini-clad babe whom his friend assures him is a "sure thing". Meanwhile, Allison, a cute (but somewhat retentive) girl at Gib's college ha
Is The Sure Thing based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is The Sure Thing scary?
Content rating: PG-13. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.
What is The Sure Thing (1985) about? Plot, synopsis and ending explained — Screencodex