Jerry Maguire

Customer Reviews:

• A Modern Classic: I love this movie so much! I saw it when I was in high school, and was really surprised at how much I loved it. I've never been a Tom Cruise fan, and at the time Renee was an unknown. Also, I'm not a sporty girl, why would I care about the life of a sport's agent? I don't know if it was the acting, the writing, great casting, wonderful settings, great editing, I just know that it all came together and will become a classic in the future.
• 4.5; one of the biggest hits of the 90's: Apparently, it can be very easy for an album or a film to take the world by storm and everyone gets to raving and talking about it and the success of the film almost seems bigger than the film itself. However, just because you're the biggest at the time, does that mean you were the best or just simply the most visible? Compare "Jerry Maguire", Cameron Crowe's first huge film to make massive business after the so-so successes of "Singles" and "Say Anything", to "Almost Famous", long considered Crowe's best work yet barely got any box office attention. But here we have the one that put him on the map and while some parts don't fit well, the overall film is quite solid after all these years.
  
  Jerry Maguire is a sports agent that works behind the scenes that makes sure his clients get the best contracts in sports as well as top product endorsements. But over time, he realizes it's becoming more about the money and lying to clients and writes a "mission statement" which details his ideas to better the relationships between clients. While emotionally it makes sense, to everyone else it's absolutely ridiculous and he's promptly fired. But with help of Dorothy Boyd, a fellow co-worker moved by his writing and Rod Tidwell, a football player who believes he's not getting the life or respect he deserves, Jerry changes into what he wrote about but never acted on ever.
  
  One of the most successful films and certainly one of the most quotable, it's easy to see Jerry Maguire being a success. Equal parts drama with many comedic moments, actor and character showcases as well as stuff romantics will gush over, it does have everything (well, there's no action scene to speak of but that's nothing). But it's kind of unfair since many would find overrated and a bit overexposed thanks to several lines of dialogue, its box office success or the fact its a Tom Cruise movie. It's not really the most flawless film since for every scene that feels just right, there's other parts where it doesn't really drag so much as they're just "there".
  
  Acting-wise Tom Cruise has always been a curious case since not only his celebrity status but his press and behavior after awhile kind of overshadowed his acting talents. While I'll admit that some performances aren't the greatest, when he does shine he kind of pulls out the stops and Jerry's probably his most layered performance after Magnolia. We also have Renee Zellweger who's finally not annoying (Cold Mountain) or just used as a superstar than an actress (Bridget Jones). We get Cuba Gooding Jr. as the very loud and charismatic Tidwell and also roles by Kelly Preston, Jerry O'Connell, and Jay Mohr.
  
  The director's cut of Almost Famous entitled ironically "Untitled" is probably the best thing Crowe has his name attached to. The second would naturally be Jerry Maguire and while people might've gotten a little sick of the film, if you revisit after not seeing it for awhile like I have, you find the perfect date movie, or even just a movie for yourself.
• Jerry Maguire: This is probably one of the best performances I have seen by Tom Cruise. He portrays Jerry McGuire, a sought after sports agent, that gets a wake up call causing him to reevaluates his priorities in life. Renee Zellweger is cast as his partner and wife. She is delightful and always a joy to watch. Cuba Gooding Jr. commands attention in every scene he is in. He was very impressive in this film. Who couldn't be in love with little Jonathan Lipnicki!
  
• A muddled film.: Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise didn't blow me away like everyone else. Yes there are some remarkable performances such as Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Renee Zellweger (in her breakthrough role) but the plot is so in your face and contrived. Cameron Crowe's films tend to disappoint even though fans and critics adore him. Zellweger's funny and touching performance as lonely single mom, Dorothy is the main reason to watch this film, I remember watching her performance and thinking - she is going to be a huge star back in 1996, she is such a natural. Cruise isn't too shabby either but his character is so smug, it's hard to believe this guy actually has a good heart underneath. Love it or hate it, Jerry Maguire is over-rated.
• Tom Cruse and Renee Zellwigger are a great combination: Good movie! Rent it first because it may not be a movie you want in your collection but I like the way these too work together. Great combination-comedy and drama.