Flashback Friday: Cocktail Review
Cocktail was released July 29th, 1988, staring Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan an upcoming bartender who is looking to open up his own bar with his boss/mentor Doug Coughlin while balancing his school work and love life. This year also had one of Tom Cruise best performances to date: Rain Man which he starred alongside with the great Dustin Hoffman. So far Tom Cruise is the only actor to star in a Razzie Award winning film (Worst Picture) and an Academy Award winning film (Best Picture for Rain Man) in the same year. While, this film is one of the highest grossing films of ‘88, it received very underwhelming reviews by critics. Tom Cruise has even said that he regrets doing this film.
My question is: does Cocktail deserve the hate? No, I believe it doesn't. There were 40 drafts of the Screenplay before we got this. I'm not sure which draft this was but it wasn’t what I wanted. The studio didn't even want Tom as the lead because they didn't consider him a “leading man" yet.
Tom Cruise definitely has the charm and the charisma to lead this film. The acting is great, the soundtrack slaps and he has great chemistry with Bryan Brown. However, with a movie that is named, Cocktail, you would think the sole focus of the film would be bartending. About the first 30-40 minutes focuses on Brian as a bartender, however, after that it turns into a romantic drama.
Cocktail's weakness is that it doesn't know what story to tell. Rather it's about Brian Flanagan being torn between his two loves: bartending or finding what he wants to do with his life after he graduates. Meanwhile, the other half of the film is a romantic drama which feels like a completely different film. What would've been better is if they cut the love story out of the film or just not make it the sole focus of the film. Also, Brian and Doug's falling out between them happened way too quickly.
While, this isn't the worst film is Tom's filmography it isn't his best either. Great concept just poorly executed Screenplay.
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️½
