Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. (won a Best Support Actor Oscar), Renee Zellweger all shined bright in this. Super strong start that stalled about 3/4 into the movie but the ending came back strong especially Cuba. A must watch!
Movie Reviews
Much more than just another romantic comedy
Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 08/02/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Well, I'm incredibly late to the Jerry Maguire party, but I'm glad I finally made it. I thought this was just a comedy, but I should have known better because laughs alone usually don't generate the kind of success this movie enjoyed. This is a wonderful, feel-good movie with a surprisingly effective emotional payoff. Tom Cruise is great, Cuba Gooding, Jr., steals every scene he's in, and that Renee Zellweger is nothing short of perfect. They even threw in a clip of McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O and sent me away with Bob Dylan singing over the credits - in my book, that's going above and beyond the call of duty. And I never tire of seeing someone break away from the cynicism of big business and actually put some heart back into an increasingly heartless way of life.
Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is, of course, a bigshot sports agent who has it all - then loses it all. For some inexplicable reason, he develops a conscience late one night, puts together this huge "mission statement" all about reducing the number of clients and giving those remaining the genuine personal touch, and sends it to everyone in the company. With a schlep of a boss like Bob Sugar (the always annoying Jay Mohr), his days with the company are, not surprisingly, numbered. He vows to start his own company, desperately trying to hold on to the clients he has been representing - but all he ends up taking with him are outrageous Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), an accountant who was truly inspired by what he had written. It doesn't seem like much, but he really has all he will ever need - he just doesn't realize it until the end of the movie.
Life on his own is quite a struggle, especially after he breaks up with his vicious fiancée (Kelly Preston), and I know it must be truly demoralizing to be defeated time and time again by Jay Mohr. Rod Tidwell, a great player who doesn't get the notice (or money) he thinks he deserves, stays loyal to him, though, for rather inexplicable reasons - even after Maguire fails to get him the kind of big money he is looking for in a new contract. Dorothy also stays with him, and Maguire grows increasingly close to her and her little boy Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki). There's love in the air, and Maguire's famous problem with emotional intimacy makes what should be the simplest thing in the world immensely complicated. We see a lot of Maguire at his worst - double-crossed, drunk, beaten up, wallowing in self-pity. He never gives up, though, and that's what's important. I find it a little problematic that he did not apply the principles of his "mission statement" to the way he lived his life, but - in his defense - guys tend to be pretty dense about this kind of thing (and would that we all had a Dorothy to help us see the light).
There's a wonderful cast on display here, with uncommonly meaningful secondary characters: there's little Ray, of course, but Dorothy's bitter yet loving sister Laurel (Bonnie Hunt) and Rod Tidwell's wife Marcee (Regina King) really do lay claim to a commanding presence in the story. You can also make a little game of spotting all of the sports personalities that make cameos (usually silent ones, thankfully) in the film.
This isn't a comedy; it's a serious story that just happens to feature a lot of laughs. It's a commentary on the depersonalization of business, a complicated yet wonderfully sweet love story, and a movie with a surprisingly big heart. And I love Renee Zellweger. As far as I'm concerned, she - not Tom Cruise - was the star of this film."
Show Me The Extras ! ! !
Steven Wood | Newcastle, UK | 06/20/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This film is definitely what I would call a feel good movie. I came away from it feeling that there are decent people in this world and that we are not all disappearing into the obscurity of just a name on a piece of paper. The story follows Jerry Maguire, played by Tom Cruise, falling from grace working for a sports star agency when he has a flash of inspiration and takes the moral high ground on the way people should be treat within the company. His eventual rise to becoming a better person is aided from the love of woman and her son and the realization that everyone who he represents should be treated with the same respect.The person that stole the show for me was Cuba Gooding Jr. Every scene he was in made me laugh. This was the first movie I had seen him in and thought he was a terrific actor, deserved of the Oscar he won for Best Supporting Actor. The "Show Me The Money" scene will have you in stitches.This is not a DVD that is to be bought for it's technical qualities or abundance of extras. All you get is a static menu with no trailer, character biographies or other extras. In this day and age of DVD's like "Contact" and "The Matrix" I would have expected a bit more from a quality movie like this. The picture quality is good, as is the sound but it certainly won't tax your Dolby Digital amplifier, but then again it is not expected to.Jerry Maguire is a film to cuddle up to your partner with and watch on a cold rainy night. It is funny, poignant and thought provoking. Worth watching at least once.Steve."
Show Me The Movie
Thomas Magnum | NJ, USA | 02/06/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After 1992's relatively disappointing Singles, Cameron Crowe comes back strong with Jerry Maguire. The film is a romantic comedy with the underpinning of how ethics and values are treated in today's society. Tom Cruise stars as the title character who is a highly successful sports agent. After a night of heavy drinking, he types up a mission statement that is a little too much for his firm. He becomes a pariah in the company and eventually his one time protegee (Jay Mohr) tells him he's been fired. Jerry loses all of his clients except one Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, Rod (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). Renee Zellewiger is a worker at Jerry's firm and she is the only one who takes up his offer to leave with him for the agency he's starting up. She is in love with Jerry and will do anything for him. Eventually they fall in love and Jerry makes a big score for Rod. Mr. Cruise gain exudes all the boyish charm that has made him a superstar. Ms. Zellewiger has wholesome, girl next door looks and is sweet in her role. Mr. Gooding is a whirling dervish in his role. He is a ball of energy and the scene where he gets Jerry to shout "show me the money" became a major catch-phrase and part of the lexicon. Mr. Gooding won a well deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar and the film cemented Mr. Crowe as the best double threat (directing & writing) in movies this side of Woody Allen."
Show Me the Funny
Cameron Burke | Austin, TX | 06/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'll start this review off by saying Cameron Crowe is amazing. If you liked Almost Famous and/or Say Anything, then you'll love this film.Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is an unscrupulous sports agent who has an epiphany one sleepless night in a hotel, prompting him to write a mission statement that he distributes throughout his agency. Heartfelt and honest, the mission statement gets him fired and garners the respect of a lonely single mother, Dorothy Boyd (played by the charming Zellweger). He retains a sole client, the over-the-top Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), and much hilarity ensues.The acting is A+ all around. Cruise shines in the title role, earning a much-deserved Best Actor Oscar nod. He nails every expression and detail, making even Jerry the jerk likable at the beginning of the film. Cuba Gooding Jr. is fabulous, as usual. He steals every scene he's in and has amazing chemistry with both Tom Cruise and Regina King (Mrs. Tidwell). Bravo on the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Cuba. Renee Zellweger is charming in her breakthrough role as Dorothy, "the world's oldest 26 year-old". Kelly Preston surprised me as the tough-as-nails, abrasive Avery. She does an excellent job with her supporting role. The entire supporting cast really makes the film work. Jay Mohr, Regina King, Kelly Preston, Jonathan Lipnicki (absolutely adorable), Bonnie Hunt and Jerry O'Connell provide a solid framework for both the story and the main cast. Todd Louiso is my favorite supporting actor. He plays the 'nanny' and is a riot.Crowe does an excellent job of constucting a film with parallel stories, one moral and one romantic. He paints vivid, likeable characters with witty dialogue. Although predictable (What do you expect from a romantic comedy? They're all predictable.), this film is enjoyable whether you watch it for the first time or the ninety-first time.The DVD is excellent and chock full of special features. The most notable being the commentary done by Cameron Crowe, Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renee Zellweger."