Sunday night I was in the mood for light, but not silly fare. The Sure Thing, Rob Reiner second from, made in 1985 perfectly fit my mood and as Christmas feature in the plotline it was even a timely viewing.

This is an early outing my John Cussak, a very talent actor who for that last three decades has been in a wide range of projects from the expansive and inane 2012 to the small and disturbed Being John Malkovich.

The story is simple, Walter “Gib’ Gibson  needs to get from New England to California where his best friend Lance has set him up with an attractive blonde (‘the sure thing’) to help break Gib’s long dry spell of failing with the ladies. A recent failure of Gib’s, Allison Bradbury, is also traveling cross-country to see her boyfriend Jason. So The Sure Thing is one part road film and one part romantic comedy. It succeeds as being both. During this time a number of teen comedies made box office money by being crude and explicit. (Think Porky’s) The Sure Thing aimed for a higher target, daring to think that teen audiences might respond to a story about love instead of sex, and character over slapstick.  The film’s success cemented Rob Reiner’s career as a director and opened doors that allowed him to helm a troubled project named ‘The Princess Bride.”

The Sure Thing works because it has a witty script with exaggerated, but not cartoonish, characters, with perfectly cast actors. The only bit of casting that did not work for me, and it is entirely a personal affectation, is Nicolette Sheridan as ‘The Sure Thing.’ She is an attractive woman, but at no point did I feel she was simply so desirable that the hardships of a transcontinental trek were justifiable. (Add in that Daphne Zuniga was far more appealing to me, and the goal of the trek seemed a lesser prize.) The film is a product of tits time, the 1980’s, and the score is heavy with pop songs, however it wears its age far better than many of the film of that decade and the songs don’t feel forced.

Clocking in at an hour and thirty-five minutes, this movie wastes no time with unneeded scenes, moving quickly to the story and wrapping up neatly. If you have never seen this movie, do make time, especially during the holiday season, for this charming film.