Jerry Maguire [DVD] [1997]

Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is a sports agent who has a moral ephihany and ends up getting fired. Down to one client, Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), an angry and overly articulate wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, Jerry also snared single-mother Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellwegger) with his vision. Gooding got the Oscar but the performance of the film really belongs to Cruise. Bonnie Hunt as Dorothy's older and wiser sister is, as always, a joy, and it is her look at Jerry during his climatic speech that assures the audience his character has indeed earned redemption. If you look at the body of work he has produced to date, then Cameron Crowe may already be the acknowledged master of the modern romantic drama. So explain to me how "Say Anything," with one of the great romantic shots of all time, is not on AFI's list? See? #100 and already I am complaining.

If you like "Jerry Maguire," then check out these other films on AFI's list: #76 "The Quiet Man." Why? Because they both have true love coming out after the marriage ceremony.

This Collector's Edition is excellent, the extra features, the re-mastering, director's commentary and even the interactive menus are fabulous. There's also a factual and informative insert included in the pack. This is a fine addition to my DVD collection, and I anticipate watching it often.

Jerry Maguire is one of my favourite films. The director, Cameron Crowe, never fails to write realistic, heartfelt stories - couple that with the strong cast of characters, an awesome soundtrack and feel good ending make for an extremely engrossing movie.

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, put 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.