I have this recurring rage that I need to vent. It happens everytime TBS or PAX TV rerun the movie Cocktail. Arguably one of Tom Cruise's better movies, this movie had it all: copious amounts of liquor, attractive babes of the 80's (yes, there was such a thing), and a brief uncredited performance of Elizabeth Shue's brother, Andrew "looks-like-someone-else-is-driving" Shue - who performed brilliantly under the character of "Guest at Wedding."
Anyway - this film had a reasonable amount of plot development and characters who weren't always good, and weren't always bad. And for extra measure, bottles would be tossed around bars that glowed of neon and tacky set-design.
My beef with this movie is the underlying drive of the hero of the story, Brian Flanagan (Cruise). He is this focused, talented, savvy guy who busts his arse so that someday he can create the perfect bar called... wait for it..... wait for it.... Cocktails and Dreams. Oy.
That kills me right there. This writer put together a reasonably good story and trashes it with the protagonist's quest to open up a bar named Cocktails and Dreams. Say it outloud to yourself. Then say "I want to open a bar called Cocktails and Dreams." Now stop wincing. Admit it. You would never patronize such an establishment.
I find myself yelling at the TV, "No you don't! There is no way you want to open a bar of that name! This is a lie!" Even in the 80's, entitling a place of business with that name would have been, ummm, like, wicked lame.
Part of me realizes that this was but a brief a foreshadowing of the writer's talent. I mean, this is the same writer who brought us "Double Bang" - which gives you not one, but TWO Baldwin brothers for the price of one.
So there you have it. And before people email and comment on the fact that there are plenty of places actually named "Cocktails and Dreams", let me point out that a.) most of them are in the Caribbean or another tropical location (playing off one of the themes of this movie) and; b.) it still doesn't make it OK. In fact, it makes it worse.
I guess the easy solution would be to stop watching these bad channels to begin with, but honestly, I loves me some PAX TV.