It'd be unfair to say that Tom Cruise makes the same movie over and over again. After all, he's probably the best action movie star in the West, renowned for performing his own risky stunts and going the extra mile for his fans. He most definitely pushes himself. At the same time, some viewers have pointed out that Cruise is drawn toward playing specific types of characters, and they aren't wrong per se. That's not a bad thing, mind you, as audiences can't get enough of him.
In the 1980s, Cruise was prone to playing ambitious underdogs who wanted to be the best at their respective vocations. "Top Gun," for example, saw him portray a cocky pilot who experiences a crisis of conscience and falls in love. His "Days of Thunder" character experiences a similar arc, albeit from behind a racecar steering wheel instead of the cockpit of a fighter jet. "Cocktail" has a similar framework, only set within the world of bars and clubs. Cruise carries all of these movies with his trademark charm, and his performance in "Cocktail" plays to his strengths.
In short, if you're a fan of movies like "Top Gun" and "Days of Thunder" (or any other Cruise flick that sees him play flawed aspirational characters who experience triumph, tragedy, and romance), then "Cocktail" will be right up your street.
