Movie Review: Jerry Maguire

by Derek Miner (posted to Usenet, 1996)

JERRY MAGUIRE begins in a place most movies would build up to. Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is one of the most successful sports agents in the business. He's got big clients and he's engaged to a beautiful woman (Kelly Preston), but he's disgusted with who he's become. One fateful night at a convention, he drafts a "mission statement" for the company, emphasizing ideals, integrity and personal attention. Unfortunately, the powers that be aren’Äôt too thrilled with Jerry’Äôs sudden realization.

Enter single mother Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), who is an accountant in the same office as Maguire. Dorothy is so inspired by Jerry's ideals, she makes the spontaneous decision to join him as he's booted from the agency. This is a Tom Cruise movie, so you can be pretty sure a romance is developing here, but it's a very well-drawn one. Jerry and Dorothy embark on a mission to succeed with Jerry's only remaining client, Ron Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), a second-tier football player with an outrageous personality and a big chip on his shoulder.

Writer/Director Cameron Crowe has built his reputation slowly, directing only three features in the last seven years. Each new film seems to indicate a maturing of sorts. SAY ANYTHING (1989) was about young love and leaving high school. SINGLES (1992) went out into the real world, with young adults who just want to meet people they can be happy with. JERRY MAGUIRE is by far Crowe's most assured work, with sharply written characters and real heart (and another director-trademark Eric Stoltz cameo). Moving on from the episodic format of SINGLES, Crowe allows his characters to drive the film with effortless balance of comedy and drama.

Cruise turns in a darn good performance as Jerry Maguire. The character is still what many could call a stock "Tom Cruise" part, but there’Äôs a lot more on display here than in some of his more charm-driven vehicles. Cuba Gooding, Jr. starts off with what could have been a one-note, over the top performance, but eventually he brings it down to earth as the interpersonal relationships of the story become more complex. Zellweger is an attractive young actress, but she is not given a great deal of substance here beyond the initial impression. It's not that her performance is bad, or that the film suffers because she isn't as well defined, but only a handful of her scenes allow her to shine. Regina King, on the other hand, makes a great impression in just a few scenes as Tidwell's wife. King’Äôs character does not have a great many things to do, but she provides an emotional core in the story.

JERRY MAGUIRE is one of the best movies of 1996, but might not be ’ÄúOscar" material. The Academy tends to ignore audience-pleasing films like this, but this year saw few "commercial" films that attempted any sort of depth with their characters (two divergent films, THE FRIGHTNERS and SWINGERS stand out in my mind). Cameron Crowe's characters develop in a way that has a measure of predictability, but they feel real and are likable. JERRY MAGUIRE has a handful of truly great scenes, and a very engaging story, making its two-hour-plus running time feel comfortable rather than groggy. JERRY MAGUIRE should please a wide-range of moviegoers, and perhaps they'll come out feeling better about themselves and their ideals as well.