Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Cruise may not cause butterflies or be the best star-crossed romance you’ve ever seen, but it is a decent way to kill an hour and a half.
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| Director(s) | Robert Siegel | |
| Screenplay By | Robert Siegel | |
| Date Released | 9/28/2018 | |
| Genre(s) | Romance, Drama | |
| Good If You Like | Romance Between Two People From Different Sides Of The Track.
80s Style Italians. |
|
| Noted Cast | ||
| Gio | Spencer Boldman | |
| Jessica | Emily Ratajkowski | |
| Ant | Noah Robbins | |
| Chris | Lucas Salvagno | |
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Summary
It’s around 1987 and Gio, a sort of aimless young man, college age, spends most of this time either racing cars, selling parts, or screwing local girls. However, one day, out of the blue, he comes across Jessica. She’s a Jewish girl from a good family, goes to Brown, and seemingly just wants a summer fling. One with a bad boy like Gio to have a story to tell when she goes back to school in the fall. However, with Gio looking for a change from his routine, and Jessica doing more than stroking his ego but seeming like the kind of woman he should wife, he wants them to be serious.
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Problem is, Jessica may not have found herself wanting Gio like that. She likes the guy who steals car radios, if not cars themselves. Who seems like a bad boy. So will she fall for the man who wants her to meet his folks, as well as him meet hers? The guy who is willing to drive to Queens to her university, an estimated 180-mile trip? Well, you gotta watch to find out.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Whatever happened to Jessica’s friend? You’d think between Ant and Chris, one of them would have tried to get with her. Maybe have asked Gio or Jessica to put a word in.
- Why does Ant hang with Chris and Gio and why do they hang with him?
Collected Quote(s) or .Gifs
You’re totally smart, you just haven’t been exposed […] to the world.
— Jessica
Highlights
The Music
I was born in ’91 so most of the music in this movie was foreign to me but you can bet your behind I was looking at my phone to see what Google picked up. For with each dance track setting the mood for each date, it’s hard to not move about a little. As well as attempt to find someone who made a playlist of the songs, since this doesn’t seem to have a soundtrack.
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Jessica Is Made To Be More Interesting Than Most Female Leads
Like many, when I see someone like Ratajkowski who is known more for her modeling than acting, I take my expectations down a few notches. However, as Jessica, she shows that is not necessary. For, if anything, it is because of that career she knows how to command the camera and your attention. But the real kicker here is that Jessica wasn’t written to just be a beautiful girl to lust over and make you wish you was Gio. She is a full person.
It is noted in the film Jessica goes to Brown and is an art major, has dreams of opening her own gallery, has interest in Basquiat, among others, and her being attractive is the least interesting thing about her. Making it where, seeing Gio actually work to be worthy of her, you get it. It isn’t because he just loves the feeling of being inside her, making out, or anything like the other girls, it is because she is the type you have meet the family, you meet her folks, and do better so you are deserving of her time.
Criticism
No Doesn’t Mean No In The 80s
Jessica initially rejects Gio. He decides to not take that no for an answer and instead stalk her. Leading her to reward his persistence, and honesty about wanting to have sex with her, by having sex with him. Now, I’m not going to go SJW on the idea, but it just seems weird how the line between charming persistence and being a creep blurs so easily. Then again, it’s Gio doing the pursuing and not Ant so I guess that is why he was given a pass.
The Events Surrounding Stealing a Car
For a good portion of the movie, it seems Gio, beginning to feel insecure, and seeing Jessica become distant, decides to up the bad boy ante and decides to steal a car. Long story short, they steal a car with cocaine in it, the mob gets involved, and the whole situation seems rather out of place with the rest of the film. Hence why it probably begins and ends so quickly. It might have just been left in for the sake of hitting over 90 minutes.
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On The Fence
What About Your Friends?
Ant, Chris, and whoever Jessica’s friend is, they get pushed to the wayside. Which I kind of appreciated, since Chris was annoying, but at the same time Ant is that runt of the group you want to see things happen for. So with Gio doing well with Jessica, it makes you kind of wish Ant got the hookup. Especially since he isn’t a douche.
Who Are These People?
As much as we learn about Jessica, no other character gets developed to that point. Gio is aimless and doesn’t evolve past being this guy who likes to drive fast cars, and pretty much the Ant and Chris we meet in the beginning are the same in the end. Which isn’t to say, over the course of a few weeks, they all should have drastically changed for that’s not realistic. However, at least with Gio, you’d think he would have talked about why he loves racing cars, why he steals radios and things like that. At least to make it so everything isn’t answered with him being a poor Italian boy from Queens.
Overall: Mixed (Divisive) | Purchase Or Rent On (Fandango/ Amazon)
Cruise may not deserve a pedestal for your #RelationshipGoals or your go-to romance movies, but it is a decent film. The acting is good enough, Ratajkowski takes advantage of playing a charming young woman who is more than a pretty face and attractive body, and with a rental price of roughly $7, it’s inexpensive entertainment.
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Yet, this is being labeled mixed since the men are by no means developed, the thrills Gio presents Jessica won’t necessarily thrill you, and while the soundtrack slaps, the story is sort of bland.
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