Cast:Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elisabeth Shue, Lisa Banes, Laurence Luckinbill, Kelly Lynch, Gina Gershon, Ron Dean, Robert Donley, Ellen Foley, Andrea Morse, Chris Owens, Justin Louis, John Graham, Richard Thorn
After leaving the Army, Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) 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 (Brian Brown) teaches him the secrets of the bar trade and they become the most famous bartenders in town. Both Brian & 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 (Elisabeth Shue), 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 sleep with an older woman, who is also staying at the resort. Jordan, herself the daughter of wealthy parents back in New York, leaves the Island overnight, after seeing Brian and the older woman together after closing... Will Jordan ever forgive Brian and will they get back together???
AMAZON.COM REVIEWS FOR COCKTAIL (1988): This 1988 effort at creating a milestone coming-of-age storywith the impact of The Graduate is commendable, but the resultsare mostly shaky and garish. Tom Cruise plays an ambitious young manwho arrives in New York City and becomes known as a flashy bartenderin a hot club. After falling for Elisabeth Shue's girl-next-doorcharacter, however, his desire for success causes him to travel down amore selfish path with an older woman. The film, directed by RogerDonaldson (Bounty), is built on entirely on appearances(Cruise's star charisma) and flash (the way Cruise and his character'sbartending mentor, played by Bryan Brown, toss bottles of boozearound). The more interesting and underlying themes, however,particularly the hero's obvious Oedipal dilemmas, are lost beneaththis window dressing, as if everyone involved was afraid to commit tothe story's intrinsic value. Cruise fans might want to take a look atthis, but otherwise there isn't much to recommend it. --TomKeogh
:
- ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
1989
Won
ASCAP Award
Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures
John Phillips
Mike Love
Scott McKenzie
Terry Melcher
For the song "Shakedown"
Top Box Office Films
J. Peter Robinson
- BMI Film & TV Awards
1989
Won
Most Performed Song from a Film
Mike Love
Scott McKenzie
Terry Melcher
For the song "Kokomo".
- Golden Globes, USA
1989
Nominated
Golden Globe
Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Scott McKenzie
Mike Love
Terry Melcher
John Phillips
For the song "Kokomo"
- Grammy Awards
1989
Nominated
Grammy
Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
Mike Love
Terry Melcher
John Phillips
Scott MacKenzie
For the song "Kokomo".
- Razzie Awards
1989
Won
Razzie Award
Worst Picture
Ted Field
Robert W. Cort
Worst Screenplay
Heywood Gould
Nominated
Razzie Award
Worst Actor
Tom Cruise
Worst Director
Roger Donaldson
