tom cruise movie in jamaica

Where Was The Movie Cocktail Filmed In Jamaica

Have you ever wondered where the classic movie Cocktail was filmed? Many of us have seen the movie, but few of us are aware of the incredible Jamaican scenery that was featured throughout. Jamaica is known for its lush tropical landscapes, world-renowned beaches, and unique culture, making it the perfect backdrop for this much-loved film.

Here we will explore where the movie Cocktail was filmed in Jamaica, and what made this stunning island the perfect location to feature in the movie. With its mix of beautiful tropical vistas, stunning beaches and cultural delights, it’s no wonder the movie’s producers chose Jamaica as the perfect location.

By the end of this blog post, you’ll have a better understanding of how the various locations in Jamaica were used to create the backdrop for this fun-filled, romantic comedy. So, let’s dive into the places where Cocktail was filmed in Jamaica and explore the many attractions that this Caribbean island has to offer!

1. Negril Beach

Negril Beach was one of the main filming locations for the 1988 movie Cocktail. Located on the western tip of Jamaica, Negril Beach is known for its white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. With its stunning sunsets, it’s an ideal location for a romantic movie like Cocktail. The movie follows the story of a young man who works as a bartender at a beachside resort in Negril and his journey of self-discovery. The beautiful beaches of Negril make for the perfect backdrop for the movie’s romantic scenes and provide the perfect atmosphere for a romantic comedy.

2. Runaway Bay

One of the most memorable locations where the movie Cocktail was filmed in Jamaica is the beautiful Runaway Bay. This beach is located in the northern part of Jamaica and is known as one of the most idyllic locations on the island. The movie was filmed in the summer of 1987 and the beach is still as beautiful as ever. For those looking to experience the beauty of Jamaica, a visit to Runaway Bay is a must. With its crystal clear waters and lush green hills, it is the perfect location for a romantic getaway.

3. Dunn’s River Falls

The movie Cocktail was filmed at many iconic locations in Jamaica, including Dunn’s River Falls. Located near Ocho Rios, Dunn’s River Falls is one of Jamaica’s most popular attractions, and it was prominently featured in the movie. It is a 600-ft tiered waterfall that cascades down into the Caribbean Sea. Visitors can climb up the falls and enjoy the breathtaking view from the top. The natural beauty of the falls and the surrounding landscape were a perfect backdrop for the memorable scenes from the movie.

4. Montego Bay

Montego Bay was one of the main locations for filming Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise. The bustling city was the main backdrop for many of the movie’s scenes, and its colorful culture and people were a perfect setting for the classic film. Some of the more memorable scenes that were filmed in Montego Bay include the beach volleyball game and the club scenes. The natural beauty of the city, with its stunning beaches, lagoons and mountains, were also captured in the movie and added to the romantic atmosphere. This vibrant city has been inspiring tourists and filmmakers alike since the film was released in 1988.

5. Port Antonio

The fifth and final filming location for the movie Cocktail was Port Antonio, Jamaica. Situated on the northeast coast of Jamaica, this port town is known for its lush tropical forests, beautiful beaches, and majestic Blue Mountains. Port Antonio is a great spot for scuba diving, kayaking, and other water sports. It’s also home to the world-famous Reggae River Cruise, which takes visitors on an unforgettable journey down the Rio Grande. The film crew used the town’s setting to capture the romance and beauty of the Caribbean.

In conclusion, the movie Cocktail was filmed in various locations across Jamaica, including Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril. The film crew also took advantage of the island’s natural beauty, filming at some of Jamaica’s most picturesque beaches and in its lush rainforests. With its stunning visuals and vibrant soundscape, Cocktail is a great example of the beauty of Jamaica and its people.

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Home > Films > C > Cocktail

Thursday September 26th 2024

Cocktail | 1988

• Locations |
• New York City ;
• Toronto , Ontario ;
• Roger Donaldson
• Tom Cruise,
• Bryan Brown,
• Elizabeth Shue,
• Lisa Banes,
• Laurence Luckinbill,
• Gina Gershon

For a brief period in 1988, it began to feel like synchronised bartending was the coolest career option available thanks to Roger Donaldson ’s cautionary tale of choosing ambition over love.

Brian Flanagan ( Tom Cruise ), fresh out of the army, arrives in New York , via the inevitable Greyhound bus, with dreams of overnight riches.

There's not an auspicious start as he takes the subway to Vernon-Jackson Station in Queens to hook up with his only contact in the city, Uncle Pat who runs a local Irish pub in Long Island City .

‘Pat’s Place’ was a bar which stood at 10-37 Jackson Avenue on the corner of 50th Avenue. It's now unrecognisable – apart from the distinctive shape – after being spruced up as the hip Jackson's Eatery / Bar .

Despite Pat’s attempt to bring Brian down to earth, the aspiring tycoon has his sights firmly set on a career in Wall Street, or Madison Avenue, or ‘communications’…

He quickly discovers that he’s not remotely experienced enough to step straight into a high-end position and reluctantly settles for tending bar at night while studying during the day.

It’s more Brian’s charm and popularity with female customers than innate ability that get him a job from cynical Aussie Doug Coughlin ( Bryan Brown ) at the old TGI Friday bar on the East Side .

This stood at 1152 First Avenue at 63rd Street but the candy-striped awnings are long-gone and the premises now houses the Sherlock Holmes-themed Baker Street Pub .

For reasons of economy, the production was based in Toronto and the interior of the popular hangout was recreated in the studio here.

In Ontario too is ‘City College’ where Brian enrolls for a business course, which is Knox College at the University of Toronto .

Coughlin and Flanagan’s bottle juggling routine proves a great hit, oddly taking precedence over speedy service, and the pair are hired to tend bar at “the hottest saloon in town”.

The ‘town’, once again, is Toronto , where 'Cell Block', the blue-lit circular bar in which Brian flagrantly contravenes all manner of health and safety regulations by standing on the bar top to recite poetry, is the Rotunda of the Old Don Jail, 550 Gerrard Street East .

The Don Jail , east of the Don River in Toronto 's Riverdale neighbourhood, was built in 1864 as the Toronto Jail, with a capacity of 184 inmates. Before capital punishment was abolished in Canada , Toronto Jail was the site of twenty-six hangings, the last being as recently as 1962.

The Jail was renovated to serve as the administrative wing of Bridgepoint Active Healthcare in 2013, and its Rotunda is open to visitors.

Doug and Brian’s ambitious plans to open their own ‘Cocktails and Dreams’ establishment come to grief after a fist-swinging falling-out over the flirtatious and rich Coral ( Gina Gershon ).

Giving up on the dull business course, Brian heads to the West Indies for an apparently lucrative gig running a beach bar in Jamaica . The was the Dragon Beach Bar, Dragon Beach in Port Antonio , which went on to find fame under the name of, yes, the Cruise Bar. Sadly, it’s since closed.

You can still enjoy Dragon Beach itself and, a few miles east, you can visit Reach Falls , on the Drivers River , which is where Brian frolics with holidaying New Yorker Jordan Mooney ( Elizabeth Shue ).

In 2010, Tom Cruise returned to Port Antonio for the tropical island scene in Knight And Day , and you can see more of the town in the final Daniel Craig Bond movie, No Time To Die .

If you want to boogie the night away in the reggae-filled ‘Dance Cave’, well, that’s back in Toronto . This 'tropical' hideaway was filmed inside Lee’s Palace , 529 Bloor Street West .

Lee’s is also the rock venue where Sex Bob-omb perform in Edgar Wright ’s 2010 adaptation of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World .

A bad bet with Doug, who’s turned up on honeymoon with his wealthy new bride, leads Brian to enjoy a fling with the older – but rich, Bonnie ( Lisa Banes ).

Jordan, understandably humiliated, is on the first plane home, back to her job in a ‘New York’ diner.

Well, sort of. ‘Jerry’s Deli’, where she waits tables – and later gets to dump the day’s specials onto the contrite Brian, is the famous Lakeview Restaurant , 1132 Dundas Street West , Toronto .

This 24-hour eaterie dates back to 1932 and its period deco interior has appeared in Troy Duffy 's 1999 The Boondock Saints , the 2007 musical Hairspray , David Cronenberg 's 2012 Cosmopolis , with Robert Pattinson , and famously became 'Dixie Doug's', the faux-Southern pie restaurant in Guillermo Del Toro ’s Oscar-winning The Shape of Water .

Brian, now living with Bonnie back in New York , realises the terrible mistake he’s made. It’s outside a gallery alongside the old Regency Theatre, which stood at 1987 Broadway at West 68th Street in New York , that he drunkenly breaks up with her.

The Regency, which seems to be showing Casablanca , was indeed a rep house showing classic films. It closed in 1999 and the whole block has been rebuilt.

Jordan is in no mood to take Brian back but, after a wise word from Uncle Pat, he storms off to her family’s luxury apartment on – where else? – 'Park Avenue'.

That expansive lobby, where Brian has to get past the doorman, is actually that of the Canada Life Building, 330 University Avenue at Queen Street, in Toronto ’s Downtown core.

Once he gets up to the penthouse to confront Jordan’s father ( Laurence Luckinbill ), who tries to pay him off with a $10,000 cheque, the elegant blue and white living room is Lady Pellatt’s Suite in Casa Loma , 1 Austin Terrace at Spadina Road, on a bluff overlooking northern Toronto . The Suite has had a slightly warmer makeover than its clinical pale blue-and-white colour scheme in the film.

The mock-Gothic folly of Casa Loma has proved a real boon to the city’s film industry, featuring in countless productions, most famously as Professor Xavier’s Academy in Bryan Singer ’s first X-Men movie, but also in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (again), David Cronenberg 's Dead Ringers , Keanu Reeves sci-fi Johnny Mnemonic , and Oscar-winning musical Chicago .

‘Hysteria’, the smart floating nightclub now run by Doug, is The Water Club , in a barge moored on the East River at East 30th Street , in New York 's Murray Hill .

Unless you want to hire the club, you've missed your chance for a romantic meal here. From 1982 to 2018, The Water Club operated as a restaurant but it's now used exclusively as a venue for private events.

Things are not going as well as they appear on the surface, and Brian finds himself hit by a dose of reality when he has to attend a funeral, held in St John’s Norway Cemetery , 256 Kingston Road at Woodbine Avenue, in Toronto . Picturesque and conveniently close to film studios, the cemetery has also been seen in Gus Van Sant 's 1995 To Die For , John Singleton 's Four Brothers , and Jim Sheridan 's Get Rich or Die Tryin' .

Visit The Film Locations

Flights: John F Kennedy International Airport , New York, NY 11430 ( tel: 718.244.4444 )

Visit: New York

Travel around: MTA

Visit: the Baker Street Pub , 1152 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10065 ( tel: 212.688.9663 )

Ontario | Toronto

Visit: Ontario

Visit: Toronto

Flights: Toronto Pearson International Airport , 6301 Silver Dart Drive, Mississauga, ON L5P 1B2 ( tel: 416.247.7678 )

Rail: Union Station

Getting around: Toronto Transit Commission (bus, subway, streetcar and paratransit)

Getting around: GO Transit (bus, train)

Visit: Lee’s Palace , 529 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1Y5 ( tel: 416.532.1598 )

Visit: Casa Loma , 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto, ON M5R 1X8 ( tel: 416.923.1171 )

Visit: Jamaica

VISIT: Port Antonio

Cocktail Locations

Cocktail is an American romantic comedy-drama movie directed by Roger Donaldson, written for the screen by Heywood Gould, based on his book of the same name, and scored by J. Peter Robinson. Starring Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elisabeth Shue, Lisa Banes, Laurence Luckinbill, Kelly Lynch, Gina Gershon, and Ron Dean, the film was released on July 29, 1988, and grossed $171.5 million worldwide against a $20 million budget. Cocktail was shot in Canada and Jamaica. The interiors of the Jamaican club were filmed at Lee's Palace in Toronto. The funeral scene was shot at St John's Norway Cemetary. A few scenes occurred in New York City. Sandals Royal Plantation, Jamaican Inn, and Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica were among the shooting locations.

Where was Cocktail Filmed?

Cocktail was filmed in 1132 Dundas St, 199 Chambers St, 50th Ave & Jackson Ave, Canada Life Building, Casa Loma, Don Jail, Jamaican Inn, Knox College, Lee's Palace, Medical Sciences Building, University of Toronto, Sandals Royal Plantation, St John's Norway Cemetary, The Water Club and The World Famous Dunn's River Falls & Park.

The complete list of the locations with latitude and longitude coordinates are listed below in the table.

Cocktail Locations Map

Cocktail locations table, related movies.

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Cocktail Locations

Locations Notes

Rewind the locations where they filmed the 1988 Romantic Comedy movie starring Tom Cruise , Elisabeth Shue , Bryan Brown, Lisa Banes

Gina Gershon , Kelly Lynch , Laurence Luckinbill, Ron Dean , Robert Donley, Ellen Foley , Andrea Morse, Chris Owens, Justin Louis, John Graham, Richard Thorn, Robert Greenberg (II), Sandra Will Carradine, E. Hampton Beagle, Richard Livingston, Jean St. James Update Cast

Cocktail Filming Locations:

Locations links, l x preview.

L X is our radical new locations feature that we've been beavering away on.. For years! Each location will have it's own page with then/now pictures, maps, StreetView, discovery story and the most detailed explanations on how the location was used. Most importantly, the locations will have a status that shows whether they are verified correct and by whom. We are working with the actual locations managers or other crew where possible. The whole thing will be very interactive and you will, of course, be able to update everything.

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10 Stirring Facts About Cocktail

One of cinema's greatest guilty pleasures, Cocktail starred Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan, a young man who unexpectedly achieves some fame as a "flair bartender" in New York City along with his mentor, Doug Coughlin (Bryan Brown). Brian eventually takes his bottle-flipping skills down to Jamaica, where he falls for Jordan (Elisabeth Shue), a vacationing artist. Here are some facts about the Tom Cruise staple, in accordance with Coughlin's Law.

1. BRIAN FLANAGAN WAS ALMOST TWICE AS OLD IN THE BOOK.

Yes, Cocktail was originally a novel; it was written by Heywood Gould, and based on the dozen years he spent bartending to supplement his income as a writer. Whereas Tom Cruise's Brian Flanagan is in his twenties, Gould's protagonist was described as a "38-year-old weirdo in a field jacket with greasy, graying hair hanging over his collar, his blue eyes streaked like the red sky at morning." As Gould told the Chicago Tribune , "I was in my late 30s, and I was drinking pretty good, and I was starting to feel like I was missing the boat. The character in the book is an older guy who has been around and starting to feel that he's pretty washed-up." Disney and Gould—who adapted his book for the screen—fought over making Brian Flanagan younger, with Gould eventually relenting .

2. THERE WERE AT LEAST 40 DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPT.

The script went through a couple of different studios, and dozens of iterations. According to Gould , "there must have been 40 drafts of the screenplay before we went into production. It was originally with Universal. They put it in turnaround because I wasn't making the character likable enough. And then Disney picked it up, and I went through the same process with them. I would fight them at every turn, and there was a huge battle over making the lead younger, which I eventually did."

Bryan Brown explained that when Cruise came on board, the movie "had to change. The studio made the changes to protect the star and it became a much slighter movie because of it."

Kelly Lynch, who played Kerry Coughlin, was much more forthright about how Gould's vision for the story changed under Disney, telling The A.V. Club :

"[Cocktail] was actually a really complicated story about the ’80s and power and money, and it was really re-edited where they completely lost my character’s backstory—her low self-esteem, who her father was, why she was this person that she was—but it was obviously a really successful movie, if not as good as it could’ve been. It was written by the guy who wrote Fort Apache The Bronx, and it was a much darker movie, but Disney took it, reshot about a third of it, and turned it into flipping the bottles and this and that."

3. FOR A BRIEF SECOND, DISNEY WASN'T COMPLETELY SOLD ON TOM CRUISE IN THE LEAD.

Recounting the kind of story that only happens in Hollywood, Gould told the Chicago Tribune about one of his early meetings with Disney heads Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg. "Someone mentioned that this might be a good vehicle for Tom Cruise," Gould recalled. "Eisner says, 'He'll never do this, don't waste your time, he can't play this part.' And then Katzenberg says, 'Well, he's really interested in doing it,' and without skipping a beat Eisner says, 'He's perfect for it, a perfect fit!' That's the movie business: I hate him, I love him; I love him, I hate him!"

4. BRYAN BROWN'S AUDITION WAS "DREADFUL."

Director Roger Donaldson specifically wanted Bryan Brown to audition for the role of Doug. Brown flew from Sydney to New York and, almost immediately after his 20-plus-hour flight, was sitting in front of Donaldson. "He did the audition and he was dead tired and it was dreadful," Donaldson said . "After he did it I was like, ‘Bryan, do yourself a favor—we’ve got to do it again tomorrow.’ And he said, ‘No, no, I’m catching a plane back tonight.’ I couldn’t persuade him to stay and do it again, so I didn’t show anybody the audition." Instead, Donaldson told the producers and studio to watch Brown's performance in F/X (1986); clearly, they liked what they saw.

5. CRUISE AND BROWN PRACTICED THEIR FLAIR BARTENDING, AND USED REAL BOTTLES ON SET.

Los Angeles TGI Friday's bartender John Bandy was hired to train Cruise and Brown after he served a woman who worked for Disney who was on the lookout for a bartender for Cocktail . Bandy trained the two stars in the bottle-flipping routines , and Gould took Cruise and Brown to his friend's bar to show them the tricks they used to do . Donaldson claimed they used real bottles—and yes, they did break a few .

6. JAMAICA WASN'T KIND TO TOM CRUISE

The Jamaica exteriors were shot on location, where it was cold, and Cruise got sick. When he and Shue had to shoot a love scene at a jungle waterfall, it wasn't pleasant. "It’s not quite as romantic as it looks,” Cruise told Rolling Stone . “It was more like ‘Jesus, let’s get this shot and get out of here.’ Actually, in certain shots you’ll see that my lips are purple and, literally, my whole body’s shaking.”

7. THE FILM SCORE WAS ENTIRELY REWRITTEN IN A WEEKEND.

Three-time Oscar winner Maurice Jarre ( Lawrence of Arabia ) was Cocktail 's original composer, but the producers didn't think his score "fit in" with the story. They particularly didn't like one cue, so they called in J. Peter Robinson to fix it. Donaldson liked what Robinson did so much, that he asked the composer to take over and do the rest of the work. "All this was happening on a Friday," Robinson said . "I was starting another film on the following Monday and told Roger that I was going to be unavailable. 'We're print-mastering on Monday, mate!!' Roger said. So from that point on I stayed up writing the score and delivered it on Monday morning at around five in the morning."

8. "KOKOMO" WAS WRITTEN FOR THE MOVIE.

While it was The Beach Boys, by then minus Brian Wilson, that recorded the song which brought the group back into the spotlight, "Kokomo" was penned by John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas; Scott McKenzie, who wrote “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)”; producer Terry Melcher, Doris Day's son; and Mike Love. Phillips wrote the verses, Love wrote the chorus, and Melcher penned the bridge. The specific instructions were to write a song for the part when Brian goes from a bartender in New York to Jamaica. Off of that, Love came up with the "Aruba, Jamaica ..." part .

9. ROGER DONALDSON IS SORRY ABOUT "DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY."

Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" hit number one thanks to its inclusion on the Cocktail soundtrack. The director heard the song on the radio one day while driving to the set. “I heard it and thought it would be perfect for the film," he said . "And suddenly it was everywhere. Sorry about that."

10. THE REVIEWS—INCLUDING TOM CRUISE'S—WERE HARSH.

To conclude his two-star review, Roger Ebert wrote , "The more you think about what really happens in Cocktail, the more you realize how empty and fabricated it really is." Richard Corliss of TIME said it was "a bottle of rotgut in a Dom Perignon box."

In 1992, even Tom Cruise admitted that the movie "was not a crowning jewel" in his career. And Heywood Gould wasn't pleased with it at first either. "I was accused of betraying my own work, which is stupid," Gould said . "So I was pretty devastated. I literally couldn't get out of bed for a day. The good thing about that experience is that it toughened me up. It was like basic training. This movie got killed, and then after that I was OK with getting killed—I got killed a few more times since then, but it hasn't bothered me."

Jamaica has long been a sought-after location for filmmakers and producers from around the world because of its unique and captivating environment, friendly local people and exotic settings. Every year, about 150 films are shot in the West Indies, and organizations like JAMPRO work to help film producers bring their projects to the screen.

Many James Bond films were shot on location in Jamaica.

“ Dr. No ” starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress was filmed at Crab Key, Ocho Rios . The opening scenes were filmed in Kingston, near downtown Harbor Street. The shooting scene occurred at Queens Club, also known as Liguinea Club, in Kingston. The private sports club and resort is home to the Jamaican Squash Association. Another killing scene was shot in North Kingston at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Some of the other Jamaican locations in “Dr. No” included Norman Manley International Airport near Palisadoes Road, the Governor General’s Mansion at King’s House on Hope Road in Central Kingston, the waterfront at Morgan’s harbor in Port Royal, Couples San Souci in Ocho Rios, Laughing Waters/Roaring River, the bauxite mine on Crab Key and the mangrove swamp in Falmouth where Bond and Honey were captured in the Dragon tank.

“ Live and Let Die ” starring Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto and Jane Seymour, was filmed at Couples San Souci in Ocho Rios, and a cemetery set was built on Falmouth road north of Montego Bay for the shoot. A bus chase was filmed on the Montego Bay-Lucea Highway. The wharf where Bond and Rosie tried to board a yacht is located in Montego Bay, and the restaurant scene was filmed at a bungalow in the Half Moon Bay Resort. The crocodile farm in the film is actually “Swaby’s Swamp Safari” on Forshore Road in Falmouth, a four- acre mangrove swamp that offers daily guided tours to view the wetland’s wildlife.

“ Cocktail ” starring Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown and Elizabeth Shue was filmed partly at Sangster’s International Airport in Montego Bay, while the beach bar scene was staged at Dragon Bay Beach in Port Antonio. The waterfall featured in the film is Reach Falls on the Drivers River,  inland from Manchoneal on the North Coast.

“ Legends of The Fall ” starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn was filmed in St. Ann, Ocho Rios.

Both “ Papillon ” starring Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman and Victor Jory, and ” 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ” starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason and Paul Lukas, filmed cave and cliff scenes at the Xtabi Hotel in Negril .

Jamaica was also the location of other film shoots, including “ Cool Runnings ,” “One Love,” “ Shottas ,” ” Dance Hall Queen ” and “ Island in The Sun “. The movie “ Knight and Day ” starring Cameron Diaz, Tom Cruise and Peter Sarsgaard was filmed partly on Frenchman’s Cove in Portland.

The famous “Rent-a-Rasta” Jamaican documentary, which describes sex tourism and the hedonistic behavior of white women on vacation was filmed at many of the major resorts on the North and South Coasts.

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Dragon Bay Beach

Cocktail (1988).

This is the place where Cocktail starring Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown and Elisabeth Shue was filmed at Dragon Bay Beach in Port Antonio, Jamaica. Start scrolling to find out more.

Brian and Jordan are having a great time together.

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LOCATION DETAILS

beach, beach (tropical)

Tom Cruise, Elisabeth Shue

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.

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Romantic Jamaican Films

Sometimes all you need for a great date night is a massive bowl of popcorn and a romantic film that features the beauty of Jamaica. We’ve created a list of films that, for the most part, are romantic so that this Valentine’s you’re able to stream and chill.

How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

This film, which turns 21 this year (egad!), was filmed at two Jamaican resorts — Time-n-Place in Falmouth (RIP) and Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Montego Bay. We will forgive Taye Diggs for the botched Jamaican accent as the hot and steamy scenes did not disappoint.

Dr No (1962)

Not technically a romance film, but the love scenes in every Bond film are both legendary and titillating. In Dr No, Bond gets an assignment in Jamaica and viewers will see what places like Morgan’s Harbour, Port Royal, downtown Kingston, Laughing Waters, Salt Marsh and Ocho Rios looked like in the early 1960s.

Better Mus’ Come (2011)

From Jamaican film-maker Storm Saulter, this film is a Jamaican take on Romeo and Juliet. A couple eschews the rules of their warring Kingston communities in order to pursue love and find peace in tender moments.

Cocktail (1988)

With scenes filmed in Ocho Rios and Dragon Bay and at Jamaica Inn and Sandals Royal Plantation, this Tom Cruise rom-com flick is sure to put you in the mood. If it doesn’t, well at least you’ll have a laugh.

King of the Dancehall (2016)

Nick Cannon’s love letter to Kingston may be predictable and a tad cheesy, but the steamy dancehall scenes will make you hot under the collar.

Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)

This film adaptation of Jean Rhys’ feminist prequel to Jane Eyre has a bit of everything — love, passion, secrecy, insanity and familial obligation, plus it was all filmed here on The Rock.

Blue Lagoon (1980)

Despite being panned by a number of critics this love story about two shipwrecked teens who come of age on a tropical island in the South Pacific (played by Jamaica, Fiji, Vanuatu and Malta) is beautiful and yes, romantic.

One Love (2003)

Another film about forbidden love, but this time it’s between a Rastafarian musician and the daughter of a pastor. Written by Trevor Rhone and starring Ky-Mani Marley and Sherine Anderson (Idris Elba is in it too), One Love is a feel-good and beautifully shot film.

Small Island (2009)

Not a film but a two-part BBC miniseries, Small Island is an adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel of the same name. With themes of unrequited love, hope and dedication, this is three hours of fantastic television.

The Harder They Come (1972)

It may be a stretch to call this a romance, but hear us out. Jimmy Cliff’s character of Ivanhoe Martin not only falls in love with the nubile Elsa, but he’s also deeply in love with the idea of stardom and wealth. You could say he’s in a love triangle.

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Picture perfect scenery 2: famous film set locations in jamaica.

Is there anything Jamaica isn’t famous for? The Caribbean island has some of the most renowned athletes, including now retired sprinter Usain Bolt and sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and is home to some of the biggest Reggae and Dancehall acts in the world. Much like other developing Caribbean nations, Jamaica has more to be proud of than just super-talented people. The landscape and overall beauty of the island sets a tone of adventure captured only on the silver screen, so much so that Jamaica has been featured in multiple international blockbusters over the years. If you’re hearing this for the first time, read on to find out which famous flicks are set in Jamaica, and which celebrities made special appearances.

Some of the most famous movies shot in Jamaica include, ‘Knight and Day’ , ‘How Stella got her Groove Back’ , ‘Cocktail’ , and ‘Papillon!’ .

Also read our article on famous movies shot in the Bahamas .

1962 | Sean Connery, Ursula Andress

There’s something about Jamaica and spy films, and this old British film was one of the first to feature the island in this light. Dr. No is the first James Bond film ever made, and details a mission to Jamaica where lead characters investigate the death of a British intelligence agent. Ursula Andress, Honey Rider in the film, makes a memorable appearance dripping wet as she walks out from the Laughing Waters Beach in front of Dunn’s River Falls , singing Cibelle’s famous ‘Under the Mango Tree’. In the movie, she is pure perfection in a white bikini, and since that time, ‘Bond Girls’ have had quite a high bar to reach. That same bikini was later auctioned for over 60,000 USD!

WATCH: Honey Rider meets James Bond on the Laughing Waters Beach in Jamaica (video opens in new tab)

1988 | Tom Cruise, Elisabeth Shue, Gina Gershon

Cocktail is one romantic drama that just might have you packing your bags and heading straight to the Caribbean. This movie is romantic beyond belief… it’s almost as though its director’s knew the sort of romance and charm they’d get out of Jamaica, and found just the right actors to bring that to life.

A bartender is the star of this flick. He learns on the job, and becomes a master at his craft. The jet-setting benefits of his job take him to Jamaica, where he is swept off his feet by a beautiful bombshell. Will he choose to let go, and love to the fullest?

If you haven’t yet, now’s a great time to kick back and watch this movie straight from the 80’s. While watching, look out for scenery including Dunn’s River Falls and Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios . Despite not-so-great reviews, the movie earned more than $170 million, a lot in its time. Likely attributed to the beauty and charm of Jamaica, and a young and dashing Tom Cruise!

WATCH: Tom Cruise bartending in Sandals Royal Plantation, Ocho Rios (video opens in new tab)

Tip: Planning on visiting Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica? Find out everything you need to know in our exclusive guide: ' Dunn's River Falls: The Complete Guide '.

1973 | Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman

Based on the international best-selling novel, Papillon is one of the greatest tales of adventure to ever make it to the big screen. It brings together legends of film in a way that solidified their reputations in the entertainment industry, particularly Dustin Hoffman. Both he and McQueen were incarcerated at the French penal colony (Devil’s Island), near French Guiana. The movie follows their failed attempt to make a prison break, and later, McQueen’s epic cliff jump to freedom. Some scenes in this movie were filmed in Falmouth , Jamaica. Falmouth is the capital city of Trelawny Parish on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. Other scenes from this movie were shot in Negril’s coastal Cliffside . This movie has since been remade, but as with everything else, there’s nothing quite like the original.

WATCH: Steve Mcqueen's cliff jump to freedom (video opens in new tab)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

1954 | Kirk Douglas, James Mason

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is one of the most unforgettable movies ever made. Still today critics admit that it is one of those films that have stood the test of time. Since being produced by Walt Disney Productions, the film has won two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects. Notably, parts of this popular movie are shot in the Bahamas, and Jamaica also makes several prominent appearances. Caves in Negril , Jamaica receive particular attention in this production. This movie opens the doorway to adventure for visitors heading to both Jamaica and the islands of the Bahamas, as tours in both countries will take you to the filming sites, and we’re certain that’s not something you’ll want to miss!

WATCH: The 20,000 leagues under the sea trailer (video opens in new tab)

Tip: Jamaica is popular for scuba diving for both experienced and newbie undersea adventurers. Negril and Montego Bay are two of the best spots for great sightings! All-inclusive resorts Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Negril , includes free scuba diving and top of the line equipment.

How Stella Got her Groove Back

1998 | Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs

Based on a true story, this feel-good romance is one of the must-see movies filmed in Jamaica. The romantic comedy is directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, and was adapted from Terry McMillan’s bestselling novel which goes by the same name. In the movie, Stella is a high flying American stock broker, who is convinced by a close girlfriend to go on vacation in Jamaica. She is swept off her feet by a much younger stud muffin, and the rest is history. ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back’ proves that there is nothing better than a Caribbean getaway that ends with love.

WATCH: How Stella meets Winston in Montego Bay (video opens in new tab)

Cool Runnings

1993 | Leon, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, Malik Yoba, and John Candy

No listing of movies shot in Jamaica is complete without mention of the hit movie, ‘Cool Runnings’. A Disney film, ‘Cool Runnings’ features a Jamaican underdog bobsledding team’s journey of perseverance and triumph. It’s all worth it in the end when they walk away with a major win at an international competition. This movie is one of those that put the Caribbean island on the map showcasing the beauty of the island and the easy going nature of the people who live there, and summing it all up in an inspirational flick.

WATCH: Introduction to the 'bobsled' (video opens in new tab)

Knight and Day

2010 | Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz

With Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz at the forefront, what more incentive do you need to watch a movie? Add the island of Jamaica into the mix and it’s a sure recipe for pure magic. Hang onto your seat for this action packed movie where spontaneity meets romance in the most unforgettable way. Jamaica comes alive in the beach scenes of this flick, where you’ll see possibly the hottest screen couple alive frolicking on a local beach - filmed at the Frenchman cove . From casting, to location and storyline, the directors certainly got it right for this film!

WATCH: Knight and Day beach scene (video opens in new tab)

Tip: Jamaica is filled with great beaches. The beach resorts of Ocho Rios is especially appealing for honeymooners.

Legends of the Fall

1994 | Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Julia Ormond

Jamaica (Saint Ann, Ocho Rios to be more specific) stands in for Polynesia in this film, which tells a World War 1 tale and the consequences thereafter. The lives of the main characters are forever changed after deciding to fight with the Canadian army. A love story happens behind the scenes, but doesn’t quite end how viewers would expect. Amid all of the drama, the beauty of Jamaica is unmistakable to those who know it best, proving that sun, sea, and sand aren’t the only way to recognize Caribbean islands in all their blockbuster glory!

WATCH: Legend of the Falls movie trailer (video opens in new tab)

2003 | Idris Elba, Ky-Mani Marley, Vas Blackwood

Jamaica is sometimes known as the land of wood, water and variety. While we have no idea why that is, at least the variety aspect translates into the value of the movies which are filmed there. You’ll be dancing and shimmying from start to finish as you watch this film that tells a love story shared between a Rasta man (Ry-Mani Marley) and a Pastor’s Daughter. The movie literally starts with the groovy Reggae hit ‘One Love’, and things progress from there into what is probably one of the most compelling story lines you’ll see in a while. This movie will give you a sense of life on the ground in Jamaica, while you enjoy the best of Roots Reggae music, in some places fused with traditional gospel.

WATCH: One Love movie trailer (video opens in new tab)

A Perfect Getaway

2009 | Milla Jovovich, Chris Hemsworth, Timothy Olyphant

Much like many other movies with optimistic names, ‘A Perfect Getaway’ doesn’t waste time in turning into a complete nightmare. The beginning is blissful enough though, with lovers on honeymoon getting set for the vacation of a lifetime. Although the movie takes place on the volcanic islands of Hawaii, the Sea Cave scene shows limestone rocks - which cannot be found on Hawaii . This scene is actually shot in Jamaica.

WATCH: Perfect Getaway movie trailer (video opens in new tab)

License to Wed

2007 | Robin Willams, Mandy Moore and John Krasinski

Directed by Ken Kwapis, this movie featuring the late Robin Williams is one of those feel-good love stories that will have you laughing along the way. A warner Bros film, ‘License to Wed’ stars Ben and Sadie are about to get married, but first they have to pass Reverend Frank’s (Robin Williams) marriage preparation course. Things get challenging for the couple, and after a huge argument, their decision to wed comes into question. Sadie decides to use her honeymoon tickets regardless, and that’s where the Jamaica connection comes in. The movie ends with Ben and Sadie finally getting married at Sandals Royal Plantation , a resort that features prominently in the film. A perfect love story, if there ever was one!

WATCH: License to Wed movie trailer (video opens in new tab)

Tip: Looking for the most romantic island getaway of your life? You will surely fall in love all over again at one of the romantic luxury resorts in Jamaica !

Why Jamaica?

It is hard to describe the Caribbean without speaking of its breathtaking natural beauty. While the islands are all similar, in that most feature the perfect mixture of sun, sea and sand, there are notable differences to the sort of landscapes one can find on each. Some islands like Barbados are flat and made of limestone; others like Saint Lucia and Dominica are volcanic and somewhat mountainous.

Jamaica is one of the biggest islands in the Caribbean ; with a melting pot of cultures and just the right blend of rolling hills, more mountainous terrain, and flatland. The people are super-talented in this part of the world, and always willing to help. This may be part of the reason film crews descend upon the island, because they are sure to get more bang for their buck on an island where their presence brings excitement, and lures people in who wholeheartedly want to see their island being acknowledged for all that it is.

Even the film Commissioner in Jamaica, Dell Crooks, notes that there is enough talent on island so crews can come with less people . This means that even low-budget film crews can consider making Jamaica their location of choice, with lower overheads as relates to travel, and perhaps even the costs associated with the transportation of equipment, as Jamaica is one of the most technologically advanced Caribbean islands. The landscape in Jamaica is also very versatile , from luxury settings, to rugged outback locations, meaning that scenery in Jamaica can resemble pretty much anywhere on earth!

Tip: If you’re planning on visiting this tropical paradise, read also our article to find out when it is the best time to visit Jamaica .

What a list!

The films mentioned are some of the best of the best, but they are just a few of the productions that get underway in Jamaica annually. The island has a robust entertainment industry, and makes big bucks from film companies who choose to use the island as their location of choice. Other productions that come together on the island include music videos, reality shows, documentaries, photoshoots and commercials.

If you want to see for yourself what’s so special about the island, book your all-inclusive vacation in Jamaica today!

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Movie Review | ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ – Setting the summer movie bar high

For the longest time Top Gun seemed a relic of a bygone ‘80s era. An action film with a cheesy title, grown men parading around with ridiculous nicknames, and an inexplicable volleyball scene. Yet by all accounts, Top Gun has stood the test of time, with its audience growing fonder of it as the years go by. With the original being so iconic, can its sequel recapture the magic?

With Top Gun: Maverick the answer is a resounding yes. The film is set 36 years since the original the film yet sees a returning Tom Cruise who looks to have aged only 10. Cruise’s Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell has burned too many bridges in the Navy, and his latest stunt sees him at risk of being grounded for good. His punishment is to train the next generation of elite pilots to pull off the most dangerous mission they’ve ever faced.

All that there is to love about Top Gun is present in the sequel. The new film is exceptionally good at setting stakes, while its plot is informed by its characters. As can be expected, Top Gun: Maverick is paced brilliantly and feels like the result of a fine-tuned effort. The only drawback to speak of is the film’s predilection for the predictable. Surprise may not be in store for the avid viewer, but as familiar as its beats may be, the execution of its story puts ‘Maverick’ a cut above the rest.

Not to mention the action is superb, helped in no doubt by the lead actor’s insistence that he and his co-stars undergo flight training for the film. Tom Cruise may very well be certifiable. His commitment to practical action may border on a debilitating obsession. He may be endangering himself and others in his pursuit of grounded action, but the end result is worth every penny.

Top Gun: Maverick is an exhilarating experience that more than makes up for the near four decades since the original film. The film knows exactly what it wants to be, giving a meaningful follow-up to the story of Top Gun while giving its new cast more than enough room to develop their characters. Top that off with some incredible action that puts the audience front and centre to the mayhem. The summer of 2022 may have just begun, but the bar is already set exceedingly high.

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Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.

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“Cocktail” tells the story of two bartenders and their adventures in six bars and several bedrooms. What is remarkable, given the subject, is how little the movie knows about bars or drinking.

Early in the film, there’s a scene where the two bartenders stage an elaborately choreographed act behind the bar. They juggle bottles in unison, one spins ice cubes into the air and the other one catches them, and then they flip bottles at each other like a couple of circus jugglers. All of this is done to rock ‘n’ roll music, and it takes them about four minutes to make two drinks. They get a roaring ovation from the customers in their crowded bar, which is a tip-off to the movie’s glossy phoniness. This isn’t bartending, it’s a music video, and real drinkers wouldn’t applaud, they’d shout: “Shut up and pour!” The bartenders in the film are played by Tom Cruise , as a young ex-serviceman who dreams of becoming a millionaire, and Bryan Brown , as a hard-bitten veteran who has lots of cynical advice. Brown advises Cruise to keep his eyes open for a “rich chick,” because that’s his ticket to someday opening his own bar. Cruise is ready for this advice.

He studies self-help books and believes that he’ll be rich someday, if only he gets that big break. The movie is supposed to be about how he outgrows his materialism, although the closing scenes leave room for enormous doubts about his redemption.

The first part of the movie works the best. That’s when Cruise drops out of school, becomes a full-time bartender, makes Brown his best friend and learns to juggle those bottles. In the real world, Cruise and Brown would be fired for their time-wasting grandstanding behind the bar, but in this movie they get hired to work in a fancy disco where they have a fight over a girl and Cruise heads for Jamaica.

There, as elsewhere, his twinkling eyes and friendly smile seem irresistible to the women on the other side of the bar, and he lives in a world of one-night stands. That’s made possible by the fact that no one in this movie has ever heard of AIDS, not even the rich female fashion executive ( Lisa Banes ) who picks Cruise up and takes him back to Manhattan with her.

What do you think? Do you believe a millionaire Manhattan woman executive in her 30s would sleep with a wildly promiscuous bartender she picks up on the beach? Not unless she was seriously drunk. And that’s another area this movie knows little about: the actual effects of drinking. Sure, Cruise gets tanked a couple of times and staggers around a little and throws a few punches. But given the premise that he and Brown drink all of the time, shouldn’t they be drunk, or hung over, at least most of the time? Not in this fantasy world.

If the film had stuck to the relationship between Cruise and Brown, it might have had a chance. It makes a crucial error when it introduces a love story, involving Cruise and Elisabeth Shue , as a vacationing waitress from New York. They find true love, which is shattered when Shue sees Cruise with the rich Manhattan executive.

After the executive takes Cruise back to New York and tries to turn him into a pampered stud, he realizes his mistake and apologizes to Shue, only to discover, of course, that she is pregnant – and rich.

The last stages of the movie were written, directed and acted on automatic pilot, as Shue’s millionaire daddy tries to throw Cruise out of the penthouse but love triumphs. There is not a moment in the movie’s last half-hour that is not borrowed from other movies, and eventually even the talented and graceful Cruise can be seen laboring with the ungainly reversals in the script. Shue, who does whatever is possible with her role, is handicaped because her character is denied the freedom to make natural choices; at every moment, her actions are dictated by the artificial demands of the plot.

It’s a shame the filmmakers didn’t take a longer, harder look at this material. The movie’s most interesting character is the older bartender, superbly played by Brown, who never has a false moment. If the film had been told from his point of view, it would have been a lot more interesting, but box-office considerations no doubt required the center of gravity to shift to Cruise and Shue.

One of the weirdest things about “Cocktail”‘ is the so-called message it thinks it contains. Cruise is painted throughout the film as a cynical, success-oriented 1980s materialist who wants only to meet a rich woman and own his own bar. That’s why Shue doesn’t tell him at first that she’s rich. Toward the end of the movie, there’s a scene where he allegedly chooses love over money, but then, a few months later, he is the owner and operator of his own slick Manhattan singles bar.

How did he finance it? There’s a throwaway line about how he got some money from his uncle, a subsistence-level bartender who can’t even afford a late-model car. Sure. It costs a fortune to open a slick singles bar in Manhattan, and so we are left with the assumption that Cruise’s rich father-in-law came through with the financing. If the movie didn’t want to leave that impression, it shouldn’t have ended with the scene in the bar. But then this is the kind of movie that uses Cruise’s materialism as a target all through the story and then rewards him for it at the end. The more you think about what really happens in “Cocktail,” the more you realize how empty and fabricated it really is.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

• Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan
• Lisa Banes as Bonnie
• Laurence Luckinbill as Mr. Mooney
• Elisabeth Shue as Jordan Mooney
• Bryan Brown as Doug Coughlin

Photographed by

• Dean Semler

Screenplay by

• Heywood Gould
• J. Peter Robinson
• Neil Travis

Produced by

• Robert W. Cort

Directed by

• Roger Donaldson

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Tom Cruise Movies List

1. Endless Love

3. The Outsiders

4. Losin' It

5. All the Right Moves

6. Risky Business

9. The Color of Money

10. Cocktail

11. Rain Man

12. Born on the Fourth of July

13. Days of Thunder

14. A Few Good Men

15. The Firm

16. Interview with the Vampire

17. Mission: Impossible

18. Jerry Maguire

19. Eyes Wide Shut

20. Magnolia

21. Mission: Impossible II

22. Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures

23. Vanilla Sky

24. Space Station 3D

25. Minority Report

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Cocktail Is Tom Cruise's Poorest-Reviewed Movie. The Guy Who Wrote It Might Get Redemption.

He's writing a sequel that takes place 20 years after the events of the original.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links. Here’s how we test products and why you should trust us.

Tom Cruise’s first and greatest hot streak as an actor lasted from 1986 to 1990, starting with Top Gun , followed by The Color of Money , Rain Man , Born on the Fourth of July, which got him his first Best Actor nomination, and Days of Thunder . But smack in the middle of that run was one major stinker: Cocktail .

The bartender drama, which came out in 1988, has a 5 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it Cruise’s lowest-rated movie on the site. “The more you think about what really happens in Cocktail ,” Roger Ebert wrote at the time, “the more you realize how empty and fabricated it really is.” For the role of Brian Flanagan, Cruise got a Worst Actor Razzie. The movie earned a stunning $171.5 million worldwide, but joined the canon of Minor Cruise films.

In the 30 years since its theatrical release, Cocktail has not earned a reappraisal from critics. No one is saying: Actually, it was ahead of it's time . But it also hasn't faded away. Over the years, the movie has maintained a loyal audience, including in Hollywood. Some of which you might even call admirers of the film. The producer of one of this year’s buzzy award-nominated films told me members of his social circle spent the weekend Cocktail hit Netflix last spring watching the movie and exchanging messages about it. Matthew Rhys, the star of The Americans , also told me , possibly half-joking, that Cocktail is an all-time favorite.

In case you haven’t seen Cocktail , or haven’t seen it in a while, you should know it’s kind of insane. It takes place in three acts, across New York and Jamaica. Cruise’s character is a working-class guy from Queens, who’s striving to become an '80s era yuppie, yet he settles for a relatively quiet life owning a small bar and raising a family—an enormous shift his character makes in a few minutes. There’s a suicide. There’s a waterfall sex scene. There’s a very angry father who appears in a third act that wraps up way too quickly.

But I love the movie. Tom Cruise remains the most exuberant actor on the screen, and in Cocktail he’s at his second-most exuberant, behind only Jerry Maguire . (In fact, there’s some Brian Flanagan in Jerry.) Plus, Bryan Brown, who plays Cruise's mentor in the film, is so good they could've just made the movie about him. Elisabeth Shue, no surprise, is an absolute breath of fresh air.

And so last summer, I emailed Heywood Gould, who wrote both the movie and the novel upon which it’s based, asking to chat. He responded promptly, and one afternoon I spent an hour talking to the guy who wrote Cocktail about the movie’s plot, his reaction to its sour reception in 1988, Tom Cruise, and where the characters might be today. During our conversation, Gould dropped a bombshell: The 76-year-old is working on a sequel.

“I have a long treatment,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Here’s the plot of Cocktail : Tom Cruise’s character, Brian Flanagan, returns home to New York from the military in search of an executive-level job. This was a common trope in the ‘80s: If you’re a white guy, you don’t necessarily need a college degree or even experience to land a cushy corporate job. But in Flanagan’s case, no one is biting, so he ends up at a TGI Friday’s, where Doug Coughlin, played by Bryan Brown, gives him a job despite having never tended bar.

Bartending, it turns out, suits Flanagan, and he quickly becomes locally famous for a routine with Coughlin that involves tossing bottles in the air. One thing leads to another and Flanagan lands in Jamaica, where he meets Elisabeth Shue’s Jordan Mooney, and, after breaking her heart, heads back to New York where Coughlin takes his own life. At the same time, Mooney, who’s pregnant with Flanagan’s baby, turns her back on her wealthy father to be with Flanagan. The movie ends with Flanagan opening his own saloon, and Mooney revealing she’s having twins.

Like I said, it’s kind of insane. But what’s most surprising is how shockingly unfocused the movie is for a Tom Cruise project. His movies are usually taut and to the point. This one lists in search of ballast and never decides if it wants to rebuke '80s greed or revel in it.

(One question that’s long dogged me about the plot is the timeline: over how long a period does this movie take place? Gould told me Flanagan spends between four and six months in Jamaica, which would mean the movie itself occurs over the span of about 18 months.)

The sequel, according to Gould, takes place 15 to 20 years after the events of the original film. Flanagan is a "star in the big club world,” Gould said. But he’s divorced and estranged from his twin daughters. “Now that he’s older, he’s trying to reform himself, rehabilitate his marriage and relationship with his daughters.”

To be clear: Gould hasn't pitched the sequel to anyone. The money people, as he calls them, haven’t signed on. “If anyone wants to see it they can,” he said.

I need to pause for a moment to tell you that Heywood Gould is like a boozy Forrest Gump of pre-Giuliani New York. In the '60s and '70s, he covered the crime beat for the New York Post , served in Vietnam, returned to New York and became a professional poker player, drove a cab, wrote books, articles, and TV and movie scripts—he co-wrote the 1977 movie Rolling Thunder with Paul Schrader—got himself into serious gambling debt and worked it off as a bartender at the Hotel Diplomat's nightclub in Times Square, all the while writing Cocktail (and other books). In 1984, he published Cocktail , which Universal bought. Then he adapted the novel into a screenplay that Disney acquired from Universal.

The book is semi-autobiographical, according to Gould, who said the two main characters are composites of people he'd met behind the bar. He is neither Flanagan nor Coughlin, although in conversation Gould occasionally sounds like Coughlin.

At last year’s Sydney Film Festival, Bryan Brown said in an interview that the original script for Cocktail was one of the “very best” he’d ever read. “Very dark ... about the cult of celebrity and everything about it,” he said. But when Cruise signed on for the film, Disney sought to lighten up the script.

“They gave me a bunch of notes about making Brian more likable,” Gould recalled. “There were fights along the way, big battles with Disney about how likable to make him.”

A sequel that casts a shadow on the main character, adding nuance and depth to Brian Flanagan, would certainly be redemption for Gould. And in the age of reboots, it might be just the thing for Hollywood. (I mean, a dark reimagining of the Cocktail story is definitely something I'd see—and no worse an idea than at least half the reboots of the last decade.) But Gould isn't looking to redeem himself.

At this point in his life, he doesn’t harbor any ill will towards Disney or, for that matter, Cruise, who’s never said a negative word about Cocktail . Gould said he hung around with Cruise during the filming of the movie. Cruise, he said, would have him over to his loft on 13th Street for dinner parties. They even paired up for two-on-two basketball at the Carmine Street gym and once held the court for an hour and a half, according to Gould. “He’s a really good ball player,” Gould said. “I had to quit and get a cigarette because I was dying.”

(Look, I get it: Cruise is 5’7” and Gould was apparently a heavy smoker, but I love this story and I choose to believe it.)

When the movie came out to bad reviews, Gould fell into a brief depression. “They hated it. They hated me. They hated everything,” he said. “I was pretty shook to tell you the truth.” Gould hung around the house for a couple days, until his wife came back from the grocery store with good news: She’d overheard two people saying the movie made them think. This snapped him out of it. (He’s told versions of this story in the past. Sometimes it’s his wife who overheard people discussing the film. Sometimes it’s him.)

But he earned good money from the movie, continued to write screenplays as well as direct. In the early '90s, he directed two movies he wrote, One Good Cop starring Michael Keaton and Trial by Jury starring Gabriel Byrne. After 19 years in L.A., Gould moved back to New York when, he said, "the money ran out." Today he continues to write and still collects checks thanks to Cocktail . Its appearance on Netflix also goosed his book sales. On the first night Cocktail appeared on Netflix, Gould said he sold 47 copies of his book. “I was stunned,” he said. “Netflix has been great for me.”

Gould told the Chicago Tribune in 2013 that he was not happy with the movie when it came out. So I asked him how he felt about it today, whether he had any regrets or would do anything differently. “It’s become an institution,” he said about the movie. “I get a lot of letters from people about it. I’m happy people like it. You don’t have to see great profundity in what I do; I’m just glad you like it.”

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