Thursday 28 March 2013

FILM: Jerry Maguire (8/10)

Why did I watch it?
I was lent this by a friend at work. It had always been a film that for some reason I had never known much about despite knowing its popularity.

What's it all about?
A Tom Cruise vehicle, Jerry Maguire is a sports agent at a lucrative firm, who suffers a crisis of conscience over the money first, clients second approach of the firm and finds himself fired for it. Broke and having lost his client roster, Maguire persuades idealist assistant and single mother Dororthy (Renee Zellwegger) to join his new firm. While trying to succeed with one client, the loyal but strong willed and eccentric footballer Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Dorothy falls for Maguire's charms.

Should you watch it?
Sitting down to watch Jerry Maguire I didn't know what to expect. I was aware it dealt with a sports agency firm, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn't know it was part sports film, part comedy and part romance, and a pleasing combination of all three. Neither did I know that Gooding Jr. won a richly deserved Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Tidwell. Not short on referenceable lines or highlights owing to director Cameron Crowe's script, Gooding Jr. was the film's main highlight for me. His charismatic and boisterous character stole the majority of scenes he appeared in, be it dancing around his kitchen or tenderly showing his affection for his wife.

Crowe also encourages Cruise and Zellwegger to turn in excellent performances, Cruise's slightly unhinged and borderline OTT portrayal of Maguire being one of the best I have seen him give, teeth and shades and all. He also achieves a genuine tenderness in the scenes he shares with Dorothy's son.

Show you my WHAT?
The ending may have been a little too sugar coated, mainly in the sense of Tidwell's new contract value rather than Maguire and Dorothy's relationship, but all in all Jerry Maguire is an enjoyable feel good romantic drama that has stood the test of time so far and one that is definitely worth checking out if, like me, you haven't yet seen it. 


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