Cocktail main backdrop
Cocktail main poster

6.1/10 • 1.4K

1988-07-291h 44m

RomanceDramaComedy

When he pours, he reigns.

After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin, who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his flashy drink-mixing style, and Brian adopts his mentor's cynical philosophy on life and goes for the money.

Directors
Roger Donaldson
Editors
Neil Travis

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Tom Cruise

    Tom Cruise

    Brian Flanagan

  2. Bryan Brown

    Bryan Brown

    Douglas "Doug" Coughlin

  3. Elisabeth Shue

    Elisabeth Shue

    Jordan Mooney

  4. Lisa Banes

    Lisa Banes

    Bonnie

  5. Kelly Lynch

    Kelly Lynch

    Kerry Coughlin

  6. Gina Gershon

    Gina Gershon

    Coral

  7. Ron Dean

    Ron Dean

    Uncle Pat

  8. Ellen Foley

    Ellen Foley

    Eleanor

  9. Chris Owens

    Chris Owens

    Soldier

Reviews2

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jun 9, 2022

5/10

There was something about Tom Cruise in this film that shows him at his most engaging and fun. His character "Brian" wants to get on in life - but at every turn his limited of education gets in the way. Despondent, he heads to a bar where he encounters "Doug" (Bryan Brown) and next thing we know, he is a cocktail barman. A bit slow to start off with, but soon he has the clientele eating out of his hand as his charm and cheekiness soon show he has a real skill for this job. The first half hour or so are actually quite lively and entertaining. We also get a sense of just how hard - manic, even - it is to be behind the bar in a busy venue - maybe I will show a little more patience next time I have to wait for my Sauvignon Blanc (though probably not!). The bulk of the film, though, is really weak and feeble. He falls in love, cheats, falls out of love, drops the bottle, does he or doesn't he get the girl (Elisabeth Shue)? Then the film is tinged with a little bit of tragedy just in case the fluffiness of it all was making us light-headed. The ending is sort of imposed upon us, and after 100 minutes it took it's time to deliver the obvious. If you don't drink, you'll almost certainly hate it. If you do drink, then you will probably still not rate it much, but at least you will learn how to put fruit juice in a martini!

Media

  • Cocktail poster
  • Cocktail poster
  • Cocktail poster
  • Cocktail poster
  • Cocktail poster
  • Cocktail poster
  • Cocktail poster
  • Cocktail poster
  • Cocktail poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$20,000,000.00
Revenue
$171,504,781.00
Keywords
new york cityjamaicanight lifebartenderambitionrags to richescocktail