Cocktail (1988)

A talented New York bartender takes a job at a bar in Jamaica and falls in love.

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writer:

Heywood Gould (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elisabeth Shue

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Brian Flanagan
Bryan Brown	...	Doug Coughlin
Elisabeth Shue	...	Jordan Mooney
Lisa Banes	...	Bonnie
Laurence Luckinbill	...	Mr. Mooney
Kelly Lynch	...	Kerry Coughlin
Gina Gershon	...	Coral
Ron Dean	...	Uncle Pat
Robert Donley	...	Eddie
Ellen Foley	...	Eleanor
Andrea Morse	...	Dulcy
Chris Owens	...	Soldier
Louis Ferreira	...	Soldier (as Justin Louis)
John Graham	...	Soldier
Richard Thorn	...	Soldier

Storyline

After leaving the Army, Brian Flanagan tries to get a marketing job in New York. But without a college degree, this was not possible. He then decides to start studying for a business degree at the local City College and gets a part time job as a bartender. He realizes that its not that easy, but when his new boss Douglas Coughlin teaches him the secrets of the bar trade and they become the most famous bartenders in town. Both Brian and Doug Coughlin want their own top class cocktail bars someday and Brian's Cocktail Bar is to be called 'Cocktails & Dreams', and in order to get the necessary money to open it, Brian travels to Jamaica to work as a bartender at a resort Tiki Bar, and the pay is good. There he meets Jordan Mooney, a young and pretty, up and coming American artist on vacation with her girlfriend from New York, staying at the Island resort. Jordan and Brian spend some quality time together and fall in love. But when Brian takes a dare from his old buddy, Doug Coughlin to ...

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Plot Keywords:

bartender | cocktail | jamaica | cocktail bar | money | 

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Taglines:

When he pours, he reigns.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Coctel

Filming Locations:

Dunn's River Falls, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica

Box Office

Gross:

$78,222,753 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Interscope Communications, Silver Screen Partners III, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The boxing fight shown on the TV, upon which Doug has a $50 bet, is a heavyweight bout between George Foreman and Ken Norton.

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Goofs

While inside the ambulance in Jamaica, the steering wheel is shown on the left side. Jamaicans drive on the left side of the road thus the steering wheel for vehicles in Jamaica are on the right side.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Brian: Come on, put it to the floor! Come on! Let's go!

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Connections

Referenced in Bottoms Up (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Rave On"
Written by Sonny West, Norman Petty and Bill Tilghman
Performed and Produced by John Mellencamp (as John Cougar Mellencamp)
Published by Wren Music, BMI
Courtesy of PolyGram Records

User Reviews

Mindless But Still Fun

Cocktail (1988)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Blockbuster about a young man (Tom Cruise) who dreams of having money and fame but soon his bar-tending skills lead him to Jamaica where he falls in love with a woman (Elisabeth Shue). COCKTAIL was a gigantic hit when it was released and looking back on the film you can't help but see it like so many other hits of its day. While the film remains slightly entertaining there's still no question that the story itself is downright stupid and contains some pretty idiotic moments throughout. One of the most embarrassing scenes happens towards the end of the picture between Cruise and the woman's father but I won't spoil this scene for those who haven't seen the film. A lot of the movie just seems to happen for no reason other to try and jam every type of emotion down the viewer's throat. Again, I'm not going to spoil what happens to one of the major supporting characters but this little twist just doesn't work and really goes against everything else we've seen in the film. With that said, there's no question that Cruise is in fine form here as he was really finding his own. Shue is also extremely good in her role and the two stars share some really good chemistry. The same for Bryan Brown who adds a lot of fun with his supporting role and the magic between he and Cruise certainly helps the entertainment factor. Kelly Lynch and Gina Gershon can also be seen. The film's biggest highlight is the terrific soundtrack, which has everyone from The Beach Boys to John Mellencamp. COCKTAIL is an entertaining movie but at the same time it's quite shallow and really starts to slow down towards the end. Fans of Cruise will still want to check it out even with the flaws.