The Sure Thing

Walter "Gib" Gibson, a beer loving slacker, teams up with Alison Bradbury, an uptight Ivy Leaguer, for a cross country ride home over the Christmas break. They bicker almost at every mile, trading barbs and bad habits. Yet as the highway wears on, their obvious differences start to feel less like obstacles and more like pieces that somehow fit. The trip nudges them to see beyond first impressions and consider what a real connection could mean, even as distractions and personalities threaten to pull them apart. By the end the road has quietly reshaped what they think love could be. The moments are funny, awkward, and unexpectedly tender. Without cheating the truth.

Released in 1985, The Sure Thing was directed by Rob Reiner. It originates from an original screenplay by Jonathan Roberts and Steve Bloom, giving it a fresh rom com voice that blends road trip humor with warm character moments and a sharp lead performance.

Critics generally welcomed the mix of comedy and romance, praising the chemistry between Cusack and Zuniga and the film's light but sincere take on growing up and letting go of preconceptions. The film foregrounds attraction born from contrast, using humor to soften observations about class, ambition, and map of love.

Over the years The Sure Thing has lingered in conversations about 80s rom coms, helped by its witty banter and the pairing of Cusack and Zuniga. The road trip premise became a familiar mechanism for later films, letting characters reveal themselves through misadventures that sharpen their evolving chemistry. It remains a cozy landmark for fans of late 80s road romances.

Budgeted at around 4.5 million, The Sure Thing earned 18,135,531 at the worldwide box office. It was a solid, modest performer for an 80s romance comedy and helped establish its star and director in the genre.