|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
Stuck in a hotel on a particularly wet and soul-less evening, Maguire is drunkenly inspired to tap out a "Mission Statement" on his computer. Initially a way to blow off steam, what starts out as a few paragraphs grows into a many page document which examines how SMI has become too monolithic and impersonal. The problem is that, in the heat of the moment, Maguire has copies distributed to everyone in the company. It's a decision instantly regretted as soon as he walks through the door the following morning, even though a standing-ovation awaits. As you might expect in such a back-stabbing business, people are quite capable of seeming to support you while simultaneously plotting your downfall. Hence Maguire's sacking a week later, in a crowded restaurant, by Sugar, is hardly unexpected.
Now thoroughly disgusted at his despicable treatment and the lack of common decency which runs like a tapeworm through SMI, Maguire valiantly tries to retain his clients before he packs his bags. All but one make their excuses, on various pretexts, leaving Maguire with just second-string football player Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr) to promote. Luckily, Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), another SMI employee, agrees to leave with him to form their own company (such was the power of his inspirational memo). Together they deal with Rod and his protective wife Marcee (Regina King), while Maguire also goes after star player Frank Cushman (Jerry O'Connell). The situation seems to stabilise, with Dorothy's son Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki) charming Jerry, at least until Cushman walks away and Jerry's girlfriend Avery Bishop (Kelly Preston) breaks up with him. Never before has Jerry been so low and it hurts.
At heart, Jerry Maguire is a combination of two films; a melodrama where the winner who loses everything, learns a hard lesson and regains it all, and a romantic comedy of two mixed-up, previously hurt individuals finding love. That this unwieldy union mostly works is a credit to Cameron Crowe's directorial and literal skills. The movie has a keen eye for its characters, feeds them some reasonable dialogue and even features some unexpected plot twists. It's true that it all results in a well-worn Hollywood happy ending yet even that has a subtext which suggests clouds on the horizon. Ultimately Jerry Maguire is quite unmanipulative for a big-budget movie with a message, even if it doesn't have the courage to follow through on its convictions. There is a definite irony here though, with Hollywood praising the virtues of not being motivated by money!
Much has been said about how Cruise finally proves that he can act in Jerry Maguire. This, sadly, is not the case. Throughout you will him to perform, to convince and to break free of his shackles but it just never happens. Less wooden than usual, Cruise fails to emote and winds up overshadowed by the excellent supporting cast. Zellweger is terrific as his partner-lover, at times desperate and unsure yet convinced that she's making the right decisions, even if the immediate future is gloomy. Sadly what she loves is a mission statement, something that Jerry scrawled down when he was inebriated and depressed, a personal exorcism that should never have seen the light of day. In return, Jerry loves Ray rather than her. However, his affection is confined to a couple of touchy-feely scenes of supposed male bonding (i.e. cynical executive rediscovers joy of life through innocent child). Fortunately Lipnicki steals these moments with an admirable lack of cuteness; he may be a star in the making.
The most beautiful relationship in Jerry Maguire is that of Rod and Marcee though. In a pair of superb performances, Gooding and King capture the love, passion, heat, joy and thousand little things that cement a marriage (a bond that is far more than mere loyalty, which is how Jerry sees it). Around the edges there are a number of smaller roles which add to the texture of the film, such as Laurel (Bonnie Hunt), Dorothy's concerned yet pleased sister, and the ever-present divorced women's group. The latter don't actually do anything (a squandered opportunity) but at least they're presented in an unusually favourable light.
You don't have to know a lot about the National Football League to enjoy Jerry Maguire, though a fair amount of jargon is bandied about. What you do need is patience for a fairly uninvolving start, which includes a lot of shouting and avarice, before the picture warms up. Even more than this, a certain suspension of disbelief is required to envisage Cruise as a loser, a bottom-feeder (especially when it's obvious that he's a success underneath and will inevitably bounce back). This basic conflict between Cruise's image and that of his character doesn't exactly upset the movie but it does make it harder to buy into his redemption. Overall, Jerry Maguire is fine as a light comedy but it fails to go as far as it obviously wanted to on a dramatic level.
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources