Day 58 Jerry Maguire [1996]
Screenplay Cameron Crowe
Director Cameron
Crowe
Cinematography Janusz
Kamiński
Music Nancy
Wilson & Danny Bramson
Leads Tom
Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger
Production Gracie Films, Vinyl Films
IMDb 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes 83%
Having watched Risky Business (Day 8), Vanilla Sky (Day 14) and American Made (Day 47) I thought I’d continue my journey through Tom Cruise’s
career and watch Jerry Maguire. In between watching the film and writing
this I read up a bit about it and discovered that it performed well at the
Golden Globes and Academy Awards. It surprised me a little bit as I didn’t
think there was anything particularly special about this film. However, I can’t
be totally critical as I did find myself getting emotional towards the end, but
I think that’s partly to do with the sportsman in me. Jerry Maguire (Cruise) is
a successful sports agent who one day has an epiphany about the business he is
in, realising it to be incredibly personal and yet heartless industry. Everyone
is simply obsessed by money, and no-one takes into account health or family.
Maguire writes a mission statement to the company about a more personal way of
doing business and it gets him fired. Dorothy (Zellweger), an accountant at the
same sports agency, is inspired by the statement and leaves with Jerry to start
their own company. The only issue for them is that Jerry only has one client
left – Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Gooding, Jr.). Dorothy and
Jerry also start a relationship, especially as Dorothy sees Jerry being so good
with her young son. I won’t spoil the rest of the plot, but it’s a ‘happily-ever-after’
one that is fairly easy to predict. Zellweger, Cruise and Gooding, Jr. are all
good in it. Gooding, Jr. especially brings zest to the otherwise standard Rom-Com.
It’s ok, but I preferred young Tom Cruise in Risky Business and old Tom Cruise
in American Made.
Acting 3 / 4
Writing 2.5 / 4
Cinematography 2 / 4
Music 2.5 / 4
HMD
rating 2.5 / 4