The Pitch: Can
Tom Cruise's movie star charisma sustain an entire movie? I think it can, but
just in case, here's some Cuba Gooding Jr. charisma too.
Here's the thing about Jerry Maguire. It's a
great movie that people should stop recommending to other people. You see, the
magic trick of Cameron Crowe movies when they work is that they are unassuming.
On paper, there isn't much to Jerry Maguire. It's an overlong 2h19m
romantic comedy with a silly plot, a hastily developed romance, and somehow, an
R rating. What works about it is the stuff that's hard to put on a poster. It's
Tom Cruise's most movie star performance. Rene Zellweger has an incredible star
turn. Cuba Gooding Jr. is lightning in a bottle. Regina King is there to remind
you that she's actually been this great for a quarter of a century. Jonathan
Lipnicki gives one of the great child performances by actually not even trying
to give a performance. Honestly, it's like they had a little kid on set and
just decided to shoot a movie while letting him run rampant over the set. Crowe
has a way with building moments, whether it's "Show me the money",
"You had me at hello", or Rod Tidwell savoring his big moment on
national TV when everyone thought he was horribly injured.
What works against Jerry Maguire at times is
that it's a low key charmer that somehow became a cultural touchstone. It's a
movie that should be discovered accidentally. The moment that someone
recommends it or builds it up, it's going to disappoint. Because, it's not a
movie that should be hyped. Look at the dialogue, for instance. This is a
massively quotable movie. That's because it has great dialogue. It's not the
movie's fault that its lines have been reappropriated to the point that even 20
years later, I'm a little tired of them.
I don't know what to say. I forgot how much I loved
this movie. Cameron Crowe magic works on me.
Verdict: Strongly Recommend
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