7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A college student plans a cross-country trip to get laid, but ends up traveling with a young woman. They hate each other, so naturally...
Starring: John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Anthony Edwards, Boyd Gaines, Tim RobbinsRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 60% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
What a difference a year makes. 1984 saw the release of Rob Reiner’s first feature film as a director, the ebullient send up This Is Spinal Tap, a raucous, occasionally lunatic, satire of the excesses of the rock music industry. Reiner, still probably best known back then for having played “Meathead” on All in the Family, took a 180 degree turn for his next film, the sweet and strangely underappreciated 1985 “teen comedy” (more about that in a moment) The Sure Thing, a film which offered a young (as in teenaged) John Cusack in one of his first starring roles. The Sure Thing plays a bit like a postmodern, younger skewing version of the venerable Frank Capra classic It Happened One Night, with two mismatched but obviously “meant for each other” people thrust together on an improbable road trip, where they both need to overcome various obstacles as well as an inherent (supposed) dislike for each other. While there’s nothing overly profound about The Sure Thing’s depiction of an amorously inclined young college kid named “Gib” Gibson (John Cusack) who can’t quite seem to find the appropriate angle to convince brainy Alison Bradbury (Daphne Zuniga) a second (or perhaps even a first) glance, the film is rather charming and gently pleasing, offering a nicely measured portrayal of young folks attempting to find themselves (and maybe each other in the process), a portrayal wonderfully devoid of gross out humor and other tricks of the so-called “teen comedy” trade.
The Sure Thing is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The elements utilized for this transfer have a few minor issues, including age related snafus like scratches and the like. Colors are slightly anemic looking at times, but perk up considerably in the more brightly lit outdoor sequences. In fact some of the most vivid looking sequences in the film are the moments when Gib and Alison are (literally) on the road, shots that offer both commendable clarity and good depth of field. Close-ups reveal decent to above average levels of fine detail (see screenshot 5), but things can look fairly soft throughout this presentation. An organic layer of fine grain is well in evidence and helps to give the presentation a natural look. There are no signs of overly aggressive digital tweaking, so while not perfect, this is a solid effort that generally looks good to very good, if not great.
The Sure Thing offers the film's original mono presentation via DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, as well as a somewhat restrained DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 repurposing. The 5.1 mix really springs to life when source cues dot the soundtrack, but otherwise tends to only sparsely utilize the side and rear channels. Nevertheless, fidelity is excellent and dynamic range surprisingly wide for this kind of relatively sonically reserved feature. There are no issues with dropouts or other damage to address in this review.
The Sure Thing isn't especially profound or meaningful, but it's often surprisingly sweet and just as often quite funny. Cusack and Zuniga are well paired, and the fantasy sequences between Cusack and Sheridan are sure to snag any red blooded male's attention, especially when Sheridan gets to spout lines that sound like they were written by some hormonal caveman's idea of what a woman sounds like. Slight but never shallow, The Sure Thing offers a kind of relationship "prequel" to Reiner's (admittedly better) When Harry Met Sally.... While this 30th Anniversary Edition isn't a slam dunk and/or home run, it offers generally solid video and audio and comes with agreeable supplementary material. Recommended.
1988
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