I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen Jerry Maguire

1996.  The United States hosted the Summer Olympics, Mad Cow Disease was running rampant and Eric Clapton was still relevant.  All pale in comparison to the cultural milestone that occurred when Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger gave us the romantic comedy Jerry Maguire. Directed by Cameron Crowe, this is more than just a Valentine's Day release, run of the mill Zac Efron RomCom.  This is a nuanced story with performances that will knock you off your feet, which is why it remains a 90's gem and one of the most quotable films of all time.

Story:

Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire in his
iconic "Show me the money" scene

Tom Cruise stars as the titular character in this film, an L.A. sports agent who has it all: a great job, money, a beautiful fiancé, cars, friends - you name it, he had it.  The story, being narrated by Cruise's character Jerry, begins with a voiceover monologue of Jerry having a euphoric experience during which he writes an extensive mission statement about bringing integrity back to the business he works in.  In Jerry's case, he believes that himself and his fellow agents can be better human beings if they take on less clients and focus more on relationships with the athletes instead of the money they can usurp from them.

Jerry sends his mission statement to everyone at his agency where he is greeted with a standing ovation for his bravery and integrity, and then promptly fired for proposing a strategy that involves making less money.  The scene when Jerry is fired is m favorite Tom Cruise moment of all time.  Singing 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling' in Top Gun is a close second, but Cruise's unhinged, borderline crazy plea for his coworkers to join him at his new agency is some of the best acting from a man who is usually a one-note action star. Not to mention the iconic scene just before in his office talking to his biggest client Rod Tidwell (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), during which Rod implores Jerry to "show me the money."

In the process of starting his new agency, Jerry partners up with Dorothy Boyd (played by Renee Zellweger), a former receptionist at Jerry's agency and his secret admirer of his mission statement and his good looks.  She and her son Ray (played by an 8 year old Jonathan Lipnicki) get to know Jerry and help him get through the crisis of losing all of his clients (with the exception of Rod) and trying to get back on his feet.  This turns into a romantic relationship between Jerry and Dorothy, but not your typical romance. Jerry is in many ways forced into the relationship because his sexual desires for Dorothy eventually turn into pity because of her situation as a single mother who is not very trusting of men.  It's a great twist on the usual RomCom because you really don't want these characters to get together.  As a viewer you can tell Dorothy just wants to give Ray a father, and Jerry just felt obligated to stick around, but neither of them really loved the other.

It's an interesting depiction on the hasty nature of humans when we experience change.  Jerry admired Dorothy's loyalty when they were fired, and since his circle of influences was lacking loyalty up until then, he quickly fell in "love."  Now of course, it is still a romantic comedy, so of course it's going to have a nice clean ending.  Normally this would be stale and repetitive.  But the fact that Tom Cruise can convincingly say "you complete me" without getting an audible laugh from the audience, and Renee Zellweger can do the same with "You had me at hello" speaks to the genuine acting that these characters were given.

Cuba Gooding Jr. stars alongside Tom Cruise as
 Arizona Cardinal Wide Receiver Rod Tidwell

Characters:
As I mentioned above, Tom Cruise acts his face off in this movie.  He breaks his usual mold of the good looking guy who beats up some henchmen and saves the day.  Instead he's the good looking guy who has a nervous breakdown, is a little bit of an a-hole, but manages to save the day even surprising himself.  In addition to his 'Show me the money scene,' the scene in Dorothy's living room when Jerry is drunk and monologging while swinging around a fire pick is a masterclass in Tom Cruise nuances. It's amazing how Tom Cruise can basically play himself in every movie, but it is always a different performance.  Cruise's chemistry with Jonathan Lipnicki is one of the best aspects of this film, as Cruise is amused but consistently creeped out by this cute and mutant-esque little boy.  Remember, the average human head weighs eight pounds!

Cuba Gooding Jr. won an Oscar for his performance as Rod Tidwell, and deservedly so.  Gooding Jr. is a straight up mad man in this movie, perfectly capturing the kind of crazy it takes to be a professional athlete and the toll that the pressures of that career can have on a man.  The best scenes with Rod were always watching him interact with either his wife or Jerry.  Tidwell's wife is equally as crazy and self-centered as him (in a lovable way), and his constant questioning of Jerry's methods is a fun character trait considering Rod trusts Jerry implicitly.

Renee Zellweger stars as Dorothy Boyd

I'll be honest, I never really liked Renee Zellweger.  I've never seen many of her movies, but of the ones I have I always just thought of her a a run of the mill, romantic second fiddle.  Renee Zellweger owns this movie, and her character is the most fun in the film.  Dorothy is sweet, down on her luck, and always feeling sorry for herself.  But she is always making fun of herself and making light of what she would describe as her own incompetence.  That's why when opportunities come along for her, she convinces herself that she deserves to capitalize on them because she has suffered long enough, which as an audience we agree.

Cinematography:
Cameron Crowe does a great job organizing and shooting this film.  The football scenes all look great, reminiscent of a true football movie like Remember the Titans or Friday Night Lights, and the interaction among the characters is all captured beautifully and intentionally.  The movie was edited well, it never drags and is always teetering between dramatic, hilarious, or grueling scenes embroiled with tension.

Jerry (Tom Cruise) explains to Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki) why
he should never say the f-word

What this movie does especially well is it plays to it's strengths.  It is unique because there had never been a movie about this cool industry, and it gives depth to it's characters who are portrayed by actors that knock it out of the park.  It's a crime that I had never seen this movie until now, as it has quickly become one of my all-time favorites.







OVERALL GRADE: 9.3/10