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

Brian and Doug's bartending skills are referred to as "flair bartending." John Bandy, a flair bartender, trained Tom Cruise for the film.

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Goofs

When Brian pours Jordan a beer in the Jamaican bar, he is also making a drink for another customer. You then see Jordan take her first drink, and yet there is only about an inch high of beer in her glass.

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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

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Tom Cruise: The Star Next Door (1990)

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Soundtracks

"When Will I Be Loved"
Written by Phil Everly
Performed by The Everly Brothers
Produced by Archie Bleyer
Courtesy of Barnaby Records

User Reviews

The Best!

Essentially, `Cocktail' is nothing more than your average ‘popcorn flick'. However, it is a darn good one. What was surprisingly nice about this film was that it actually had a mature amount of depth to it. It is also overflowing with big-name stars such as Tom Cruise (Risky Business), Elizabeth Shue (Adventures in Babysitting), and Bryan Brown (The Thorn Birds). But, the supporting characters happen to be so fascinating that at times it's hard to focus on anything else. In addition to this, the film has glorious cinematography- especially the scenes set in the tropics. Another thing `Cocktail' has going for it is its soundtrack: great 80s music!! At its heart, `Cocktail' is nothing more than the same romantic fluff you have seen hundreds of times before- but it is presented in such a nice package that who really cares?