Jerry Maguire

Composite Score: 83.14

Starring: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston, Jerry O’Connell, Jay Mohr, Bonnie Hunt, Regina King, Jonathan Lipnicki, Todd Louiso, and Jeremy Suarez

Director: Cameron Crowe

Writer: Cameron Crowe

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sport

MPAA Rating: R for language and sexuality

Box Office: $273.55 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Jerry Maguire is Cameron Crowe’s film about a sports agent who suddenly decides to consider the morality of his profession and must then live with the consequences of his actions. It stars Tom Cruise as the titular Jerry Maguire, Renée Zellweger as his partner and love interest Dorothy Boyd, and Cuba Gooding Jr. in an Oscar-winning performance as Maguire’s only remaining client Rod Tidwell. The film’s unique love story and relationship dramedy has made it into an all-time classic, complete with a plethora of iconic movie quotes (at least three big ones that I can name off the top of my head) and lovable characters that make it a peak “feel-good” film.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                In hindsight, Jerry Maguire’s exploration of the corrupt nature of sports agents and professional athletics might not go quite far enough, specifically in its treatment of the NFL and its protection (or lack thereof) of the league’s athletes. Rod Tidwell is an aging, but talented slot receiver in the NFL with at least a small history of neurological injuries. The film does its best to highlight the ways that sports agencies and team executives have placed minimal emphasis on his personal safety in favor of making money and winning football games (an admirable sentiment). However, the film’s climactic moment comes toward the end of Tidwell’s contract season in a Sunday night football game against the Dallas Cowboys when Tidwell is seemingly knocked unconscious after making a clutch reception. After a few tense moments, Tidwell wakes up and dances his way to the sidelines and the evening culminates in celebration by his family and his agent Jerry Maguire. The film wraps up without ever really revisiting Tidwell’s injury and any lasting issues that such an injury might have caused. On the whole, the film downplays and at times makes light of the very serious trauma caused by certain injuries to professional athletes. Now, the film was made before most of our discoveries about concussions and other neurological injuries had become common knowledge, so I’m willing to give it some benefit of the doubt, but it definitely feels aged in that light and might be hard to watch for some who may have been impacted by such injuries.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                For starters, Cameron Crowe has again delivered a masterclass of a screenplay, full of iconic lines and a story that feels truly original despite its familiarity. Few films can boast quite so many quotable lines as Jerry Maguire, and each of its big three lines hits at a pivotal film moment and informs the character development taking place in the scene. Cuba Gooding Jr.’s delivery of the iconic “Show me the money!” over the phone to Jerry in the midst of the chaos of Jerry’s last day at SMI lets the audience know immediately what type of client Rod is going to be, and Tom’s repetition of the line back shows an initiation of the chaotic friendship that eventually sprouts between the two men – foreshadowing Maguire’s ultimate satisfaction with the work that he inadvertently forced upon himself. Tom Cruise’s and Renée Zellweger’s deliveries of their lines in the film’s romantic climax after Jerry returns home remains one of the most iconic make-up scenes in film history. Jerry telling Dorothy, “You complete me,” into her response of “You had me at ‘Hello’” is a brilliant bit of writing that brings a healthier culmination to their story than I ever expected at the film’s start. Crowe’s script contains romance, friendship, drama, and comedy in volumes I’m not sure I believed possible before watching this film, creating a truly over-the-top feel-good film that the audience can’t help but love.

                Obviously, Cruise and Zellweger give quality performances in this film, and I’d even go so far as to call this one of Cruise’s top-3 performances in his career, giving so much as the film’s driving character that you hate to love, love to hate, and eventually love to love as well. That being said, Cuba Gooding Jr. was on another planet when he played Rod Tidwell in this film. Every moment he spends on screen (or on other end of the phone line), he dominates the scene, giving an over-the-top performance to match the fullness of the film. The character’s heart for his family, passion for the game, desperation for the contract, and care for his friends all come through in a fashion that feels equally genuine and borderline manic in what might be one of the best supporting performances of all time. I applaud Regina King for holding her own as Rod’s wife Marcee because there are not many performers who could be on screen with such a performance and still be memorable in their own right, but she manages to pull the feat off.

                A film that is incredibly big on heart, full of iconic movie quotes, and bursting with standout performances, headlined by Cuba Gooding Jr., Jerry Maguire stands the test of time and remains one of the best romances, best sports movies, best feel-good movies, and all-around best films of all time. Though modern medical knowledge might decry its light treatment of athletic injuries, the film holds up incredibly well in its other departments and is an undeniable must-watch if you haven’t already seen it. It is currently available to stream on Netflix if you’re looking to give it a shot.