A Fell Good Movie That's Undeniably Fun, But Not as Profound or Clever as it Thinks it is

Rating: 8/10 (11 April 2020)

Two good leads, Cuba Gooding Jr. yelling, and a freaking adorable little kid make this a super fun feel-good movie that is worth your time.
Tom Cruise is great as usual, and turns his charm up to 11, Renee Zellweger is good, and Cuba Gooding Jr. is great. This is a pretty excellent cast, and the movie basically coasts on the charm of its actors.
I can appreciate the premise and the movie's message; personal connections, but I don't think it ever really embraced what it had to say. Jerry has this epiphany early in the film and changes his life, but it never seemed like he really did what he was promoting, which is value people, though I guess he did with Cuba. The romance with Zellweger is cute and charming, sure, but I'd you think about it, he was terrible to her and didn't respect her at all really.
Also, yes the living room scene near the end was moving and great, but think about what changed between Cruise and Zellweger towards the end. Literally nothing. Cruise just had a great night, and channeled his circumstantial happiness into a failing relationship to somehow save it.
So yes the movie is certainly well-done and charming and hilarious and very quotable, but it's not my favorite romantic dramedy and it's message seemed muddled. It is a classic though, so it's worth at least one watch, especially for Cruise or Gooding Jr. fans.