WHEN HE POURS, HE REIGNS.
After leaving the Army, Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) gets a part-time job as a bartender in New York City and grows increasingly popular with women. The original idea was to make a darker film based on writer Heywood Gould’s experiences, but hiring a young heartthrob like Cruise resulted in a different direction. This is a slick romantic drama with an engaging song score, sunbaked Jamaican locations and showy bartending tricks… but Cruise’s love affairs, especially with Elisabeth Shue, are painfully juvenile.
1988-U.S. 100 min. Color. Directed by Roger Donaldson. Screenplay, Novel: Heywood Gould. Song: ”Kokomo” (performed by The Beach Boys). Cast: Tom Cruise (Brian Flanagan), Bryan Brown (Doug Coughlin), Elisabeth Shue (Jordan Mooney), Lisa Baines, Laurence Luckinbill, Kelly Lynch… Gina Gershon.
Trivia: At different points, Robin Williams and Demi Moore were reportedly considered for Cruise and Shue’s roles.
Razzies: Worst Picture, Screenplay.
