MOVIE WATCH

by MICHAEL SONSINO

MOVIEWATCH

Cocktail

What’s the first watch you get when you come into a bit of money? Sure, there are a few decent choices out there, some cool niche independents and solid, iconic, instantly recognisable icons, but let’s be honest, it’s probably going to be a Rolex. That was doubly true in the 80s, especially in the case of Cocktail’s Brian Flanagan.

First, a bit of background if you’ve never seen the rom-comdrama. A worryingly young-looking Tom Cruise plays protagonist Flanagan, a bartender, not quite by choice, in Jamaica. He meets mentor Doug Coughlin – played by Bryan Brown – who challenges him to pursue a wealthy female patron. I mean, it was the 80s. Apparently that was ok then.

It’s… not a great film. It won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture and while that’s perhaps a bit harsh – it’s no Showgirls – it’s certainly not Cruise’s best. It’s fun though and for the watch lovers out there, there’s a neat little cameo.

To pursue the wealthy woman of his dreams, Flanagan needs to earn with some mad mixology skills and plenty of flair. Once he does, you can quite clearly see that he’s been earning well thanks to a downright lovely steel Rolex Air-King on his wrist. The pared-back bracelet number has a streamlined silvered dial, understated and practical in equal measure.

It’s not just Cruise’s character that moves up in the world, however. His mentor manages to take his own advice and marries into wealth and to celebrate treats himself to a gold Cartier. Before you applaud him for good taste, back in the 80s it was a little more flashy than it’s considered these days and you can be sure his character motivation wasn’t to invest in a classic.

So yes, while we can’t recommend Cocktail as the kind of film that should be preserved for posterity so that future generations can learn the gravitas of ‘Coughlin’s Law’, it’s a fun enough watch. More importantly, the wrist game is on point.