FAINT WAVES

Cocktail (1988), directed by Roger Donaldson, based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Heywood Gould.

The film tells the story of a business student (Tom Cruise) who initially takes up bartending to make ends meet after his business ambitions lead nowhere. Along the way, he finds talent, passion, and true love in his new career path (with a little bit of drama too). Lambasted by critics on release, nevertheless enjoyed by audiences and becoming a box office success, Cocktail was an unconventional film that wouldn’t fly in the modern era. Disney would never touch something like Cocktail now. It’s not a profitable idea on paper, and frankly, it doesn’t really suit the squeaky clean image. It makes me wish the Touchstone banner (or something similar) was still around; we might still be getting something of value from Disney every once in a while.

As you can tell, I’m a fan of the film in general, but one thing it indisputably nailed was vibe, atmosphere, and aesthetic. From NYC to Jamaica, the ambiance is well illustrated, predominantly through the use of music, lighting, and clothes. It’s a stylish film, but never completely over the top; it never quite reaches the heights of hyper-stylization. It’s very of the era but also very much grounded in the looks, trends, and fads that were really happening. It’s the sort of story that feels at home happening in the background of the Miami Vice universe. None of the characters, locales, nor looks would be out of place. It’s quintessential 80’s in that respect.

The button-up shirts that Tom Cruise wears as Brian Flanagan—they could have an article by themselves. Who could be responsible for such a thing, you might ask. To which I would reply, Ellen Mirojnick, costume designer extraordinaire. Who is that? Who could that be? Well, believe it or not, you likely know her work. Ellen worked on costume design for Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, Basic Instinct, Speed, Twister, Face/Off, What Women Want, The Chronicles of Riddick, Cloverfield, and more recently, Oppenheimer. Those are just some of the credits Ellen has. Between the art direction (Dan Davis), costuming (Ellen Mirojnick), set design (Hilton Rosemarin), and location work? Cocktail is an 80’s feast for the eyes and if you want to understand the height of 80’s excess and what it contributed to art and fashion, this film is essential viewing.

Cocktail is available to rent on Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube.