This is the power of Hollywood

Rating: 8/10 (2 April 2020)

"Jerry Maguire" I watched in 2020 for the first time, and I was absolutely captivated by the insanely quality acting by part of Tom Cruise and the many supporting roles in this film; the beautiful/funny/iconic cinematography; the witty/perfectly timed dialogue (I loved the au pair); and the internal/interpersonal conflict that drives forward oh-so-well the plot in a way that never bores. Did I mention the incredible acting? You don't find quality of acting with a similar depth of expression these days. The development of Jerry's relationship with his client over the film, as well as the fantastically dynamic change of pace in Jerry's character (excited, fast, over-the-top to mellow, sensual, and thoughtful) aged like fine wine over those 2 hours. The way in which they finally achieve their goal is unique, hilarious, and tearjerking too. This film made me feel a LOT of things, and I was hooked from the beginning and now attached to it for good, for better or worse.
Sure, this film has its downsides too (it is Hollywood, after all).
-Renee Zellweger's character predominantly plays the role of the typical, head-over-heels woman who falls for the guy literally every single time he makes even a half-assed attempt to win her back. Clearly she gets what she wants, but not having learned a damn thing about herself even by the end of the film (not a good female role model - that's Hollywood for ya). Not blaming Renee - she was fantastic - but the ones who created the persona of her character fatally missed the vital interesting ingredient: true female empowerment.
-I felt like the blah, typical happily-ever-after dramatic scene in the living room truly took away from the brilliance of this film, which succeeded in making this story come to life from so many different facets.
-Tom Cruise is so attractive that it is mortifyingly distracting (maybe not the worst negative to a film, but worth mentioning nonetheless).
All in all, although I gripe with the lack of substance behind Renee's character, I can't help but preach that this film is brilliant and one that truly had me at hello.