MovieChat Forums > Cocktail (1988) Discussion > Such an odd choice for Cruise at that po...

Such an odd choice for Cruise at that point in his career

posted 13 years ago by Fluke_Skywalker
22 replies | jump to latest

"Cocktail" feels more like a film Cruise would've made following "Risky business" or even "Legend" but not after the mega-success of "Top Gun" and the commercial and critical success of "The color of money". And to follow it up with "Rain Man" and "Born on the 4th of July"... It just seems out of place in the Cruise evolutionary ladder.

Anyone else ever get that feeling while watching it?

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[–] CapitanJusticia 13 years ago

Big box office stars make bad choices all the time. Take Arnold making 'The Last Action Hero' after T2 or Stallone making an arm wrestling movie (Over the Top) at the height of his Rocky/Rambo popularity.

[–] comicman117 13 years ago

Cocktail was not a mistake for Cruise however, it was a huge hit despite bad reviews.

[–] Desertman84 13 years ago

After Cocktail,it was a good thing he made Rain Man and Born On The Fourth Of July ,wherein he got his first Oscar nomination,to prove himself that he is a serious actor and not an actor that would just rely on his vanity and good looks.

Despite the hatred that many has for Cruise,I think that he is an underrated actor.

[–] Desertman84 13 years ago

One more thing.In 1988, Tom Cruise became the first actor to have the distinction of starring in both the year's Oscar winner for Best Picture, Rain Man and the year's Razzie "winner" for Worst Picture, Cocktail.That really is an interesting trivia in his career.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] coffeemann 13 years ago

I have no idea why he chose cocktail, I know he didn't want to do Top Gun in the beginning. it took him months of convincing for him to do it, bet he is glad he did. cocktail for me is a wonderful movie, sure everyone going in knew it wasn't going to top top gun at the box office, but for cruise I think he liked the character, and he thought it would be fun making a movie about bartending.
after all there are plenty of them in the world.

maybe he did it just for the money?????????? I am sure they offered him a lot of money for it, I heard he got 1 million dollars up front for top gun, and he wasn't even that big of a star really, I mean he had just came off risky business and had a part in the outsiders, and LEGEND I mean that didn't do anything.
frankly I am confused to why he was not interested in top gun and refusing it.
I mean ok it might have sounded cheesy and all, but 1 million dollars! in the 80's!??? you would think he would of jumped on it.. just goes to show, cruise is not only about money, he is about art, his career, and making " all the right moves" hahahahha
and looking back at his life now, it just goes to show how smart he is,
the guy probably generated close to a billion dollars for himself alone!

sure he got lucky, that's show business, well that's life.. but he made the right decisions, and took control of it, and it's paid off..
cocktail?? well I loved it!!! it's still one of my favorite movies of all time..
I have watched it almost 100 times I guess, I mean I abused that movie in my teen years, just loved it.. anyway, cocktail didn't slow him down.

[–] newbie453 13 years ago

He was waiting to do Rain Man, which was slow to come together, so took this, at a top fee.

This movie was a huge stepping stone in his career because it was the first one that showed he could "open" a movie. It ended up being very beneficial to his career.

[–] manofsteel4455 13 years ago

The interesting thing is Tom was only in his early twenties during this time.Why don't actors who are in their early 20's and 30's get taken seriously anymore?

You want to play the game, you'd better know the rules, love.
-Harry Callahan

[–] mrsbrownstone90 13 years ago

especially actors who are extremely good looking like him. I don't think anyone else is going to have a career like him

[–] manofsteel4455 13 years ago

Yea.Young actors are too patronized by older people these days.

You want to play the game, you'd better know the rules, love.
-Harry Callahan

[–] Dan_Garten 9 years ago

Yeah.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] fiatlux-1 12 years ago

I wondered at the time why Cruise chose this film. Perhaps it was just for the check and viewability, as he was not a HUGE star yet.
I agree with the poster that said they liked this film more than Born on the Fourth of July. That film was an overrated, badly acted, mega depressing film.
Cruise really overacted in that film.

He is not the best actor. Not the worst, but not the best. He's a snob too, he refuses to discuss any roles he felt were beneath him such as "Legend".
That was one of his best roles, yet he is ashamed of it.
Yet he's not embarrassed by "Color of Money" or even this film?

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] Howlin Wolf 12 years ago

It was a quick job he only took in between waiting for production to start on Born on the Fourth of July, that's why...

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] TommyJarvis82 (2600) 5 years ago

He was actually waiting on Rain Man.

[–] mfitzgerald03 10 years ago

Sometimes an actor or director, in order to do a film he wants, sometimes has to do a film that the studio wants.

[–] duckofprey 10 years ago

It just seems out of place in the Cruise evolutionary ladder.

Think of the perks to being in this film though...filming at an island resort, and having two dinners dumped over your head.

[–] Levtones (598) 5 years ago

And slaying all kinds of poon.

[–] ItsEddieHaskellBeyotch 9 years ago

Cocktail was a sheer "synergy" film. Even if you didn't see it back then, you knew about it or heard the soundtrack. Tom Cruise being the star got the easy money, even though he was blown off the screen by Bryan Brown.

When theres no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.

[–] avortac4 (3770) 4 years ago

Yep, compared to "Top Gun" or some others, this movie seems really small.

It's like, why run around in a circle, if you can travel the world.

Why get stuck on one planet, if you can travel to distant galaxies.

It doesn't make sense from certain viewpoints, but I guess he had his reasons, and doesn't seem to have hurt him in any way. It does seem like 'small, amateurish, irrelevant movie' compared to the bigger movies, though.

[–] Ripkens25 (2064) 4 years ago

This movie came during his ascension as a sex symbol...and I'm sure his agent felt it would be a good career move (and IMO, it was). It showed a fun, carefree side of him...in a movie that showed some acting chops, but also just showcased his attractiveness. Also, it was a great slice of the 80's, right in the zeitgeist of that decade. The movie had a message about careerism and at what cost...but most of that gets overshadowed by the pure appeal it has to the senses.

People mock and rip on Cocktail as a bad movie, but I quite liked it. It's a fun, guilty pleasure and pure fantasy. Who among us has not fantasized about moving to someplace tropical and tending bar for a living! Plus, the soundtrack is a guilty pleasure as well.

Michael Caine did Blame it on Rio. Matthew McConaughey did Fool's Gold. Pierce Brosnan did After the Sunset, etc, etc...
IMO, more thespians should do the occasional fun, guilty pleasure. Although somehow...I can't see DeNiro or Pacino being able to lighten-up enough to pull it off. It actually does take a certain kind of skill, screen presence and charisma to handle that kind of role.

Nicholas Cage did Honeymoon in Vegas (shot in Vegas and Hawaii)....which was a fun romp and a good time movie. And then a couple years later did Leaving Las Vegas, which was about as dark a role as an actor can take. Now THAT is versatility as an actor. Both were great film choices for him.

[–] HelpMeRhonda (1158) 4 years ago

That's what I'm thinking. He probably thought it'd be cool to go down to Jamaica or wherever and be a bartender.