Jerry Maguire (1996)

At the end of the 80s, Tom Cruise finally proved to critics that he was more than just the teen film star-turned-action hero with his role as a traumatized war veteran in Born on the Fourth of July. Halfway through the 90s, Cruise was back on critics' radars, this time for a role that was quite opposite to Ron Kovic. In Jerry Maguire, Cruise plays a high-strung, commitment-phobe sports agent in search of real friendship and love after the loss of his job. While Cruise had appeared in comedies and romance movies before, Jerry Maguire is arguably the first real romantic comedy he starred in -- and it remains one of the best outings of his career.

In full honesty, Jerry Maguire was a film I had to watch twice in order to love it. After watching it five times now, it's safe to say that there are a number of characteristics that can be off-putting to people who appreciate different ways of approaching filmmaking, even within the romantic comedy genre. While there is also a heavy dose of drama in Jerry's character arc, it's safe to say that the ultimate realization that Jerry comes to by the end of the film is a fairly surface-level reflection on the reality of human existence: namely, that loving and committing to people in your life is the most important thing you can do.

But my admitted love for Jerry Maguire isn't totally based in the relatively shallow nature of the plot. And furthermore, I don't think that Jerry Maguire needs to be especially deep to be an incredibly enjoyable film. In fact, part of the charm of the film is how it can make such a simple premise so likable. It strikes a unique balance between its drama and its comedy in that its comedy is more off-beat than the general romcom, choosing a borderline farcical approach where characters can be over-the-top and have strange lines that don't feel natural in a realistic setting without it being ultimately too distracting. If anything, the tone of the film and the way Cameron Crowe directs leaves a three-act story whose structure parallels Jerry's development as a character. While it seems only obvious that a movie's emotional drive should reflect the protagonist, I make specific note of this in defense of the quirks of Jerry Maguire that are particularly present in the first two acts. It was this sense of humor that was initially off-putting to me simply because it deviated from what I expected to see from a film nominated for multiple Oscars, but it ultimately serves as a way to enhance the relatable humanity of Jerry and make the ending all the more satisfying.

Romantic comedies are often the object of ire from critics and audience members who dismiss them as overly-sentimental schlock targeted towards women, but Jerry Maguire so wonderfully executes the point of romantic comedies as a genre. Perhaps it doesn't make a grand, sweeping statement on any particular, hard-hitting issue, but it can portray a universal commonality, namely the messy hang-ups of human relationships and why they're worth investing in. This point is further stressed through the juxtaposition of Jerry Maguire the salesman and Jerry Maguire as a genuine friend and romantic partner.

Maybe in a tongue-in-cheek way one could argue that there is an underlying criticism of corporatism, but I neither want to over- or under-credit Jerry Maguire and its purpose. It's nowhere near the most ideologically complex film in general, much less Tom Cruise's filmography, but it has enough heart and soul to make it a fun watching experience.

Of course, this is due in large part to the performances. Cuba Gooding, Jr. won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Rod Tidwell against the likes of Edward Norton in his debut role in Primal Fear, and for understandable reason. His energetic performance is absolutely crucial to both the crux of Jerry's story and the film itself, and his chemistry with Tom Cruise is what makes so many lines from this movie so memorable.

However, Cruise is the real star of the show. Whenever I'm asked about my favorite performance of his, I always respond with Jerry Maguire. While Cruise gave a number of decent dramatic performances between 1988 and 1996, it's Jerry Maguire that truly cements his incredible versatility and sincerity as an actor. I'm always saddened that he's more known as an action star than anything else because Cruise is really at the top of his game when he's in roles where he can lampoon his public image. That's not to say that Jerry is supposed to be a representation Cruise (even though there are some interesting parallels between his eventual public breakdown in 2005), but Cruise dropped the dignified, sexy demeanor for something much more vulnerable and flawed. This performance marked the beginning of a string of impressive roles before his career was marked by public controversy a decade later, and nearly 25 years later, it holds up incredibly well as one of the best in his career.

Rating: 4.25/5 - June 30, 2020