A Feel - Good Movie That Made Me Feel Bad

Rating: 2/10 (26 February 2001)

Come on people, give me a break. Tom Cruise is a "brilliant actor", as long as his part is that of a smarmy yuppie scum bag. 'Coz that's what he is in real life. However, a drunk SYSB is already beyond him, and giving him the part of a SYSB - turned - caring - new - man, as in this movie, is almost cruel.
OK, Cuba Gooding Jr.'s acting is outstanding and genuinely funny (he got an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), and Bonnie Hunt as Dorothy's "disapproving older sister" minimises the damage done by Cruise and Zellweger somewhat. But why do so many Hollywood flicks have to be so totally devoid of suspense and plausiblity and so full of sugary fakeness and drawing - by - numbers plot?
Don't get me wrong. I like escapist stories, I fancy Renée Zellweger something rotten, and I enjoy walloping in Hollywood mainstream middle - of - the - roadness, once in a while. But "Jerry Maguire" is just shallow, sickly sweet garbage designed for people who think that "Beverly Hills 90210" is deep, meaningful and true to life.
WARNING: people with diabetes or a nervous stomach should avoid the scenes with Dorothy's child Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki) at all cost.