Probably deserves its classic status...

Rating: 5/10 (12 October 2009)

Watching Jerry Maguire again recently, I can understand its status as a (cult) classic of the 90s but the movie did not have such a strong effect on me.
We follow Jerry Maguire on his transformation from cynical, go-getter player agent to a less materialistic, better grounded person. Here's the first reason I had problems getting immersed: we only get but a glimpse of his former, superficial life and jump right into the "epiphany" portion where he longs for change. From a dramatic point of view, it makes the character's transition less lifelike and we lose the impact of such a transformation. Not to mention all the comedy moment we probably miss out (cynical characters lend themselves well to comedy and good setups that can be exploited later on).
As much as the central figure is Jerry Maguire, two other characters go through transformations themselves: Dorothy Boyd is Maguire's love interest. A young single mother in a precarious situation (fringe job, living with her sister and longing for partner to complete her family). Rod Tidwell is the typical feisty but underrated player at a critical juncture of his short football career, looking for a big payoff in his next (and likely last) contract.
Tom Cruise is excellent in a role that fits him like a glove. He is right in his comfort zone in this role which makes it easy effortless to become Jerry Maguire. As much as sometimes we find him clueless and want to punch him, we greatly enjoy the ride. Renée Zellweger was probably put on the bigger Hollywood map thanks to her role as Dorothy Boyd. Zellweger, much like Cruise, is perfectly cast here. These roles as quirky, vulnerable, romantic interest are almost a speciality for her (think Bridget Jones, Me Myself and Irene, Nurse Betty) and she is immediately endearing and she makes people around her shine in scenes. A good actress with a good feel for chemistry and synergy. And lastly is Cuba Gooding Jr. as the sometimes hilarious, sometimes obnoxious Rod Tidwell. Gooding sometimes overreaches to the point where the character is nothing more than a caricature, and none of it is as well done as, say, the various weird, over-the-top characters that populate The Big Lebowski, for instance.
The famous "show me the money scene" probably deserves its cult status but loses a lot of impact the second time around. You wish the script was a little tighter in some places, that more context was provided. The mix of drama and comedy often feels a bit awkward.
The peripheral characters are lacking. Particularly Dorothy's kid, Ray... who ends up annoying most viewers and is not endearing at all. Dorothy's sister and Tidwell's wife (both acting as catalysts to push Dorothy and Tidwell to bigger and better things) are also equally annoying.
The direction is unremarkable. The cinematography is sub par. Every memorable scenes (there are few) is driven by acting and a lot of the quotes sound rather cheesy and corny for a movie from the 90s. "You had me at hello" is what one might expect from a 50s movie, not the 90s.
But through it all, Cameron Crowe manages to never sink completely into happy-happy Hollywood crapola, making Maguire a flawed and somewhat believable character. If only the lines had been refined. The writing is too self-conscious at times and the movie doesn't expand enough on the "old Maguire" to make the journey he takes truly remarkable.
It's still a good movie and deserves at least one viewing. Especially worth it for the great chemistry between the three actors, a very strong and engaging premise and some memorable scenes.
I can totally see why it's a classic but it just didn't do it for me enough to buy a DVD.