I am in 80’s heaven this week with the DVD release of two of my favorite teen romantic comedies of the era. I almost missed out on my absolute favorite, “The Sure Thing”, when it was released into theatres back in 1985, mostly because I figured it was just one of a hundred bad teen comedies that were coming out. Then I learned one little fact that changed everything. It was directed by a post-“This is Spinal Tap” Rob Reiner, and that was enough to get me into the theatre… 5 or 6 times. It is the story of a freshman college student (John Cusack) who is traveling across the country to meet a ‘Sure Thing’ (Nicolette Sheridan) that has been set up by his best buddy (Anthony Edwards). Before leaving, however he meets a brainy ‘plain’ girl (Daphne Zuniga) and falls head over heels for her, though she won’t give him the time of day. He finally gives up and focuses on the journey ahead, only to find himself stuck on the road trip with her.

“The Sure Thing”, in any one else’s hands, would have probably been like all the other drivel that we had to put up with at the time. But Reiner’s deft direction, not to mention the performances by all involved raised the level of the film way above everything else out there. I ended up seeing it multiple times for the simple reason that it was a great movie. It was, and still is my absolute favorite teen romantic comedy.

There is so much to like about “The Sure Thing”, that I wouldn’t know where to start. Almost anything I tell you would be giving too much away. So maybe I’ll drop you subtle hints that you might pick up on as you watch it… “Then the French Fry guy dies…”, “That’s when I rearrange my sock drawer”, “Feelings…..”, “Who invented liquid soap and why…”, and on and on. Classic lines, show tunes, and flannel sheets all come together to make a great flick.

Of course, there are a lot of other reasons I loved “The Sure Thing”, well okay… one thing. Daphne Zuniga. In 1985 I was 22 years old (hopefully none of you are good at math), and went nuts for Daphne Zuniga. Not in that ‘stalker’ kind if way, but in the way all young guys and girls fall for an actor or actress, knowing full well that it will never be. As gorgeous as Nicolette Sheridan was, I would have picked Zuniga in a heartbeat. Of course, like most crushes of this nature, it was based solely on the characters in that movie. Zuniga’s character was brainy and had a more down-to-earth beauty, while Sheridan’s character was model beautiful and… well… the term ‘vapid’ comes to mind. Nothing is a bigger turn off than an airhead. Well, I better get off this tangent before I start to sound obsessive.

The new DVD release of “The Sure Thing” delivered everything I would have hoped for the movie. A terrific transfer, as well as extras I actually want to see (and hear). The first is a director’s commentary by Reiner, which admittedly is the least interesting of the features. I was really looking forward to hearing him talk about the film, and though there are quite a few interesting tidbits to be learned, his delivery was a little drier than I expected. I really would have loved a commentary by Cusack and Zuniga, oh well.

I did enjoy the main featurette of the disc, which included quite a bit of old and new interviews. It comes in at about twenty minutes and really offered a lot of background material. There are also three shorter featurettes, focusing on casting, costumes and music that are pretty good, but way too short. The disc does include a cool Trivia Track, which fills us in a lot of little facts about the time period as well as some info about the movie itself.

“The Sure Thing” is one of those movies that is long overdue as far as releasing it on DVD. There’s also a good chance many of you may even pass it up if you see it in the store, like I almost did in theatres so many years ago. Big mistake! This is one of those rare romantic comedies that is done right. Make sure to get pick up this one, it is absolutely worth it.

By the way, I mentioned at the top of this review that “The Sure Thing” was one of TWO 80s comedies being released this week. The other, “Valley Girl” stars Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman. Though it isn’t as high on the list for me as “The Sure Thing”, it still ranks as one of the better teen comedies. Be on the lookout for my review coming up soon!

Directed by: Rob Reiner
Starring: John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Landfors, Nicolette Sheridan
Extras: “The Road to the Sure Thing” Retrospective Featurette. 3 Mini Featurettes on the making of The Sure Thing, Audio Commentary by director Rob Reiner, Trivia Track, Hidden Menu Features
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Digitally Enhanced 5.1 Surround Sound, Original Mono
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 8/5/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Website

We'll give The Sure Thing an A.