• Modern reinterpretation of classic ’80s movies, like the Amazon Prime Road House remake, can be successful and pave the way for more updates.
• A Cocktail remake could improve on the original’s flaws with strong lead, action, and romance, following the success of Road House.
• Including a Tom Cruise cameo in a Cocktail remake could honor the original’s legacy and capitalize on nostalgia for the ’80s film.

The success of the Amazon Prime Road House remake perfectly demonstrates that a modern take on an oft-forgotten Tom Cruise movie from 36 years ago could also benefit from a modern reinterpretation. While far from perfect, Road House’s reviews are good enough to validate the remake’s existence, while also paving the way for other classic ’80s movies to receive the update treatment. Additionally, the Road House 2 tease, suggests the entertainment industry isn’t quite done with modernizing classic action thrillers, further highlighting the potential for other ’80s movie remakes.

Many of Tom Cruise’s best movies are from the 1980s, but one movie in particular is among one of his most poorly received movies to date. As such, its legacy could actually benefit from a remake, as it isn’t uncommon for remakes of classic movies to be better than the original. Furthermore, as demonstrated by the recent success of Top Gun: Maverick, it’s very possible that a modern remake of the late ’80s critical disaster in Cruise’s filmography could benefit from a modern retelling. As such, one Cruise movie from the ’80s needs a remake after Road House‘s success.

RelatedThe 2024 remake of Road House is just as action-packed as the 1989 original, and the best fights have a visceral, bone-crunching impact.

Road House 2024’s Success Proves A Remake Of Tom Cruise’s Cocktail Movie Could Work

Cocktail’s similar vibe and setting are already perfect for a remake.

Based on the Heywood Gould novel of the same name, Cocktail sees Cruise as a New York City business student who takes up bartending in Jamaica to make ends meet. Filled with beautiful scenery and a unique cast of characters, Cocktail is unfortunately marred by a confusing message, as the movie’s emphasis on Cruise’s Brian Flanagan making money overshadows the forced love subplot between himself and Elisabeth Shue’s Jordan Mooney. As such, a remake of Cocktail could work well since it would be the perfect chance to restructure its themes.

Cocktail‘s remake would need a strong lead, compelling action, and believable romance to improve its predecessor’s failures.

With a similar laid-back vibe combined with the ridiculousness of most ’80s thriller movies, a Cocktail remake for modern audiences could maintain its unique Jamaican location and underdog protagonist, while blending it with modern romantic storytelling devices. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House remake worked because it demonstrated that it was capable of keeping the good elements from the past, such as its location and hard-as-nails protagonist, while updating them with modern martial arts sensibilities and romantic storytelling. Cocktail‘s remake would need a strong lead, compelling action, and believable romance to improve its predecessor’s failures.

Cocktail’s Divisive Legacy Would Give A Remake A Bigger Advantage Than Road House 2024

Road House needed to remain as faithful to its original movie as possible.

Cocktail isn’t as fondly remembered as Road House, so a remake could be good for its legacy, and while the 1989 Road House isn’t a critical darling, it still has a dedicated following that admires it greatly despite its flaws. As such, the remake needed to remain somewhat faithful to it. Cocktail is not as beloved, so a competent remake might actually be better for a proposed remake. Aside from possible cameos by Cruise and Shue, virtually nothing from the original Cocktail would need to be in a remake, which is a stark difference from Road House.

Road House and Cocktail Reception Comparison

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score

RT Audience Score

Road House (1989)

41%

67%

Cocktail

9%

58%

Who Could Play Tom Cruise’s Character In A Cocktail Remake?

Just as Jake Gyllenhaal has proven to be a worthy replacement for Patrick Swayze’s original iconic Dalton, there are plenty of candidates who could fill Tom Cruise’s shoes in a Cocktail reboot. In the 1988 movie, Cruise’s Brian is typified by his youthful charisma and hot-headedness. While he is ultimately driven by his dream of having his own string of successful franchise bars, he is also impulsive and motivated by his passionate relationship with Elizabeth Shue’s Jordan. Throughout the story, he looks up to the older Doug as a source of inspiration – despite problematic aspects to his personality.

RelatedThe ending of Road House 2024 differs slightly from the original movie. Dalton meets a new fate and there are a few surprising villain twists.

Because of Brian’s arc, the ideal replacement would be someone youthful enough to be believable as a man at the start of his professional journey with a track record of portraying difficult relationships with mentor figures. After his performance in Top Gun: Maverick, Miles Teller could be a great option, and would be a satisfying nod to Cocktail‘s Cruise-centric origins. Another choice could be Spider-Man star Tom Holland, who has both shown himself capable of embodying a difficult mentor/mentee relationship with Tony Stark and also displayed his bartending skills in Uncharted. Both candidates could bring something unique and interesting to Brian.

Tom Cruise Could Still Appear In A Cocktail RemakeCustom Image by Yailin Chacon

Unlike Road House, which was sadly limited by Patrick Swayze’s untimely passing in 2009, a Cocktail remake could potentially feature a cameo from original star Tom Cruise. Given Cruise’s age, it would not make sense for him to return and play Brian Flanagan again – unless the film took a completely different approach to the story. However, including Cruise in a brief cameo could be a great way for a Cocktail remake to honor the original’s legacy while progressing the story forward.

By necessity, Road House almost entirely avoided explicit ties to the original film. Although Gyllenhaal and Swayze’s characters share the same name, there is no room for other returnees like Sam Elliott’s Wade Garrett. While this helps the film distinguish itself from its predecessor, it also means that it fails to fully capitalize on the potential of nostalgia. Cocktail may not have been as critically successful as Road House, but the movie’s notoriety and contemporary box office success means that a Tom Cruise cameo can help a remake acknowledge its surprising impact.

Road House is a remake of the original 1989 film, which followed protagonist Dalton, a Ph.D. educated bouncer at the roughest bar in the south known as the Double Deuce. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dalton, with two major changes including Dalton being a retired UFC fighter and the bar locale being in the Florida Keys.