Flawed but Irresistible

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2000)

It seems that no matter what Tom Cruise touches turns to gold. He's just one of those actors that has such a commanding and irrepressible screen presence that even if a film is otherwise crap, it's still pretty good as long as he's in it. Witness Cocktail!!
Jerry Maguire however is nowhere near being that heavy piece of luggage that Cruise alone must carry to bring it salvation. It's a strong ensemble piece with accurate insights into the cynicism of the sports world and the soul searching mission of one man who must break free and live free in order to attain redemption from this world. The plot is about Jerry Maguire (Cruise) who thinks the world is his oyster and thinks that everybody loves him until he gets fired for speaking his mind about the need to start caring for his clients. Cruise loses everything except the feisty, seemingly average wide receiver Tidwell(Gooding Jr.) and a loyal employee Dorothy (Zellwegger)who embraces the same ideals as Maguire and accompanies him on this trek of redemption.
I must admit that Jerry Maguire is not an Oscar worthy picture in the cinematic sense; it is as entertaining and oftentimes as moving as anything you may have seen but 5 Oscar nominations raises a few eyebrows. I suppose every year Hollywood needs to recognize a film that lives by the credo 'Everything may seem bad at the outset but there is light at the end of the tunnel and if you are true to yourself you will invariably succeed'. Maguire lives by this credo and audiences consequently loved it because Cruise reigns supreme at the end and as always, we love the guy!
The first 1/2 of the film is particularly insightful and well presented. Cruise feels suffocated by the hypocisy of the world he lives in and needs to escape otherwise his soul will be devoured by the forces around him. We see ugly side of endorsements and promotions, the clash between money and loyalty (in fact there is no clash, money always is the bottom line!!) and greed and backstabbing that lies at the very heart of this world. Jerry Maguire is a metaphor not only resigned to the sports world, but to any competitive environment where only the fittest can survive!! Of course in the real world, the happy endings are few and far between, but what the hell!!! Cruise needs to exert real emotion into his role without tiring the audience. The movie is long and Cruise undergoes significant metamorphosis which will test the audiences patience and endurance. Some may become annoyed by Cruise who puts so much heart into this role that he sometimes completely over-acts and outdoes himself. Others will recognize that Cruise is still a young actor and is still learning, and therefore we should admire him for the committment he's given the role. And he sure is committed!!! He has to play the cold cynic, the ostracized has-been, the real nobody, the loser, the comeback kid, the romantic lover, and ultimately the victor all in one film. This is a tougher task than he may be given credit for.
Cuba Gooding Jr, who won the oscar for best supporting actor, is the money-obsessed, second-rate hot head athlete that Maguire must transform in order for him to realize his full potential. Gooding like Cruise plays the chracater with a refershingly endearing streak that does so much to keep the film moving at the proper momentum. At the heart of his character is a man also searching for his identity. We see that he's man who is passionate about his wife and children but lacks heart when it comes to performing. Cruise must help him discover this. The chemistry between the two is explosive; they are together, onboard a ship without a destination. And they must navigate the ship otherwise they will be stuck at sea forever. Their plight is very convincing because we gradually see how fragile the two men are. At the outset we are introduced to two bad-ass contenders but as developments occur, the two men's weaknesses are exposed and they must find the inner strength and power of love to keep them afloat.
Rene Zellwegger is a newcomer who is Cruises partner come love interest. Her charm and the warmth she brings to the screen cannot be ignored. She is vital to the film because she is so integral to the evolution of the central character. She need to be a good actress otherwise Cruise's performance is indirectly affected. If she cannot convince us, then Cruise's job becomes impossible. Gooding and Zellwegger are carrying Cruise on their shoulders. If they are not strong enough to sustain the weight, then the whole thing falls apart like a house of cards. Zellwegger has extra baggage in the form of her son Ray (Lipnicki), a kid with the most incredibly cute, awesome screen presence. It is so powerful that he steals each scene he is in and we are left begging for more from him. Cruise's attachment to the boy is the catalyst to the evolution of his relationship with the mother. As time goes on, we see Cruise marry Zellwegger because he doesn't want to lose the kid and not bacaue he fully loves her. This leads to an eventual painstaking conflict between the married couple who begin to fear that there is no hope for people like them. Cruise asks "What do you want from me, my soul?" to which Zellwegger replies "Why not, I desrve that!" It is a meaningful and moving scene as the two start to realize their marraige was a mistake. It is a saddening yet ironically identifiable moment. Cruise and Zellwegger are two good people in a world polluted by bad seeds. They should be perfect for one another because they both believe in the same things but the conflicts that surround them are just too apparent. It will take more than that for it to work and Cruise must search the pit of his soul to get it. His body language when he's around her exercises tremendous potential on his part as an actor. He seems so uncomfortable around her, whereas she is so keen to keep him close. It is a conflict that makes the audience feels uncomfortable. Back to Lipnicki,he needs to be convincing enough within limited screen time to turn Cruise's world upside down. And he does thereby intensifying the conflicts that envelop Cruise. Even love makes Cruise more confused. This is a strong ironic touch and we can easily identify with it. What's it's trying to tell us is even the good things in life can be detrimental if you don't fully believe in them. Cruise doesn't believe he can love so the confusion mounts.
Side characters like malicious,venom-spitting rival agent Jay Mohr and ex-fiancee Kelly Preston give sound performances which manifest the horrible face of the environment that Cruise wishes to detach from. Of course their self-interest and killer instincts run counter to Cruise and we really do hate them. This makes Cruises comeback all the more popular with us because we want him to make them look silly. Bonnie Hunt plays Zellwegger's cynical (endearingly cynical) sister who vehemently opposes her sisters relationship because she thinks to know how it's all gonna end. She has been down the road that Gooding, Zellwegger, and Cruise are experiencing now and she fears it will all end in heartbreak. She is a very good actress with good screen presence and has always proved invaluable to the films she starred in.
Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this film and although we don't get to see exceptional cinematography, his job proves very successful. The film could have been a flop had the cast been different. I say this because there are bits that go on for too long. It seems that Crowe knows where the film should have been cut but seems to have been more content to work the stretch and exhaust the audience with superfluous dialogue and scenes. His intention was to get maximum emotional effect from the audience but we often teeter on impatience and frustration. This does not ruin the film; the actors are so likeable that we are happy to bear the occasional superfluousness. Crowe, who also directed Singles, apparently considers himself a paragon in the field of relationships and he gets the thumbs up. The sentimental value is preserved throughout despite moments of cheesniness. Then again what realtionship film doesn't suffer from this????
The soundtrack was much lamented but I think that the tracks from Aimee Mann, Springsteen, and Ricki Lee Jones are excellent and complement the various emotional facets of the film.
Jerry Maguire is such an easy traget for bashing and I'm sure it's received it's fair share. But I cannot go down that road. I cannot be that cynical or else I would be in danger of having the world aroung me envelop and suffocate me. I am quick to cite the films shortcomings but I still loved it. Tom Cruise isn't the world's highest paid actor for no reason. He alone can make the film more than watchable but in this case he profits from an outstanding supporting cast that makes the job all the more easy.