The key to this business is personal relationships.

Rating: 8/10 (2 February 2009)

Jerry Maguire is a sports agent at the top of his game working for Sports Management International. They handle the lives of hundreds of athletes and negotiate the big bucks deals that get them everything they want. However, after a bad TV dinner in a hotel room, Jerry realises that this molly-coddling, not-telling-them-like-it approach, that the agents industry has put out their over such a long time might not be what's best for his clients, and decides to speak his mind with disastrous consequences. Armed with only one client who would stick with him, and the one assistant from his old firm who would stick by him, with the help of her ever-so-cute son, Jerry has to re-build his shattered life and reputation from scratch.
The most apt description ever of this film is that it is a chick-flick for guys. Everything about this film screams chick flick, but because men folk are thick, because it has sports in it, we think it's for us. We're easily fooled! This for me was Tom Cruise's big breakthrough film, far from the confident, cocky, brash Tom Cruise we had seen before here was a different side, a human side, and it is his portrayal of Jerry, a man brought to his knees by an industry that doesn't care, that really sucks us in. You know that in spite of all the things that get thrown at him, he is a good person, and while he may have approached things the wrong way, his heart's in the right place, and it is inspired casting by Cameron Crowe and his team to get Tom in this role.
The rest of the cast fill out their rolls superbly well, and Renee Zellwegger, Bonnie Hunt, Jay Mohr and Jonathan Lipnicki (Apologies for spelling folks) all are great in the rolls as assistant, assistant's sister, rival agent and assistant's son. However the big turn on the film other than Tom is Cuba Gooding Jnr as the under-rated Rod Tidwell, whose un-noticed form helps carry his team to greater things. So convincing is his portrayal, by the time you're midway through it you almost feel like your watching some fly on the wall documentary.
The direction in this film is superb and this, along with "Say Anything" are arguably his best work. The script is one of the best I've seen out on the big screen and itnever lets you settle in you seat. But in spite of all the ups and downs of Jerry and the motley crew that gather round him of course this is a feel good film, and if you're not humming "Shelter from the storm" a few minutes after watching this film then you can show me the money.
Nuff said.