Campbell and “Cocktail”
An analysis of Joseph Campbell’s model of the Hero’s Journey as applied to the Tom Cruise film.
Once you learn to identify Joseph Campbell’s elements of a myth, you can start to recognize them in nearly every story you encounter. With a healthy cinematic addiction, one would probably think of film examples first; the most obvious being the Star Wars, Matrix, and Lord of the Rings trilogies. But Campbell’s mythic structures not only apply to the big budget, epic sci-fi and fantasy fare. Even in the profoundly mediocre Tom Cruise film, Cocktail, these elements are present. Since nobody but the most ardent Cruise fans should really be forced to subject themselves to anything more than the trailer to Cocktail, I will do my best to summarize the film, utilizing only the actors’ names to identify their characters, while pointing out the elements that correspond with Campbell’s mythic themes.
First and foremost is Cruise’s call to adventure. In need of a job, he sets out to find one, but is told by every potential employer that he is either lacking in experience or higher education. At the end of his rope he wanders into a small bar, run by Brian Brown. He describes his plight, and Brown lands him a job as a bartender. Brown also fulfills the story’s Supernatural Aide category, as he acts as an “elderly” mentor to Cruise’s character, teaching him the art of bartending, and fueling Cruise’s desire to run his own bar.
Cruise’s crossing of the first threshold happens once he starts to learn the bartending trade. His first attempts are sloppy, and result in poorly mixed drinks and fumbled bottles. Slowly he gains a grasp of the requisite bottle acrobatics and beverage chemistry, and even wows his customers with poetry and philosophy. With his newfound skills, Cruise makes his way through employment at a higher profile bar, and eventually lands in Jamaica.
The goddess comes in the form of Elizabeth Shue, whom Cruise meets in Jamaica. The two hit it off, finding themselves to be emotional and intellectual equals, and Cruise experiences true love and acceptance. Though she inspires him, he fails to realize her value, and becomes sidetracked with the tale’s temptress woman, in the form of a grossly wealthy, older, attractive single woman he spots on the beach.
At this point, things start to go sour. Brian Brown notices his attraction to the woman, and dares him to make good on his desires. Cruise accepts Brown’s bet, and strikes up a conversation with the woman. Eventually Cruise is able to charm his way into her company, and the two set off across the beach to her hotel. Elizabeth Shue spots the two wandering off together and opts to leave Jamaica rather than put up with her newfound unfaithful boyfriend. Cruise remains in the grasp of this temptress, lured by the prospect of a riches, sex without commitment, free room and board, and a very rich woman to take care of him, and becomes sidetracked from his initial goal of owning his own bar. Cruise ends up in New York after a while, and the woman explains that he needs to know his place when he travels with her. The two attend a party where the guests mock him for being the woman’s latest male-accessory, and he explodes, punching the guest in the face. Through this act of defiance, Cruise realizes his inability to live as a slave, and sets himself back on the track towards his dream. Unfortunately the time wasted succumbing to the temptress’s wiles has put quite a few more roadblocks in his journey towards self-sufficiency.
His first stop is to locate Shue’s character in her place of business. She delivers the first of many rejections upon seeing him, while he makes a concerted effort to try and talk to her. At one of their meetings Shue divulges that she is pregnant, and tells him off one final time. His subsequent attempts to visit her are blocked by her domineering father, who kicks him out of their penthouse building and tells him to never contact his daughter again. If it were a fairytale, this would equate to a sort of “princess in the tower” predicament for Cruise. Meanwhile, Cruise meets up with Brain Brown’s character, who has also struck it rich by marrying a rebellious wealthy woman. He takes Cruise to his yacht, to catch up on old times. He reveals he’s not particularly happy with his life, but he’s making what he can of it. He asks cruise to drive his wife home, and upon arriving at their penthouse she tries to seduce him. Thinking of his commitment to Shue, he is unable to bed her, and leaves. Upon returning to the yacht he finds that Brown has taken his life. Left without his mentor, a job, or his love, he reaches his absolute lowest point, effectively experiencing the belly of the whale.
But, in myths and films such as this, the protagonist cannot stay down forever. Cruise gathers up his courage and forces his way into the Penthouse of his beloved. Chased by the building security, he finds Shue and locks her in a room with him. He professes his love for her, confronts the father, and wins her back. The two escape; running out of the luxurious apartment; leaving the fuming father and frustrated security behind them. At this point, Cruise has regained his self confidence, his love, and his strength, and finally achieves apotheosis.
The film closes with a Master of Two Worlds segment. Cruise is shown at his very own pub, with a great number of friends and family in attendance. Elizabeth Shue announces that rather than one baby, they are to have two. With this scene, Cruise is shown to have achieved his dream of having his own bar, as well as achieved the domestic goal of a pretty wife and two kids. Now a master of both the business and familial worlds, Cruise has reached the end of his journey and the film closes.
Though at first glance, Cocktail may not appear to contain Campbell’s elements of myth, upon further analysis it becomes clear that it, in fact, does. But this is not some isolated incident. As long as a film, or story contains some sort of conflict, and the character makes some sort of effort to overcome said conflict, the Campbell’s universal model can, and will apply.
– Chris Nelson
