Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise before anyone knew he was crazy) is the eponymous tale of a 35 year old sports super agent who realizes he hates life after he finds the business has become more about money than about relationships and integrity. Maguire writes a mission statement about the future of the company (Sports Management International) and how they need to get back to the roots of the industry, which gets him fired but catches the attention of young account Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger) who joins Maguire after he is canned. The two start their own company but the future looks bleak after Maguire's top client Frank Cushman leaves him for SMI the night before the NFL draft. The movie tells the story of Maguire's relationships with his only remaining client WR Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) as well as Dorothy and he 4 year old son Ray.
Jerry Maguire was very well received when it was released earning 5 Oscar nominations highlighted by Cuba Gooding Jr.'s win for Best Supporting Actor. The film remains popular today because of it's memorable quotations ("Show me the money", '"You complete me", "Help me help you", "You had me at hello" etc.) that are still referenced in pop culture today. The movie works so well because in my opinion it is the perfect synthesis of Chick Flick and Sports Movie.
As a sports movie it does a great job of giving us a glimpse into the world of being a sports agent and features a large number of cameos by professional athletes and owners like former Patriots QB Brew Bledsoe or Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. Cuba Gooding Jr. gives a phenomenal performance in the role of an over-acheiving, under-sized NFL receiver with an attitude problem. The football action is very tasteful and well done which is helped by Gooding Jr.'s natural athleticism and flair. Even with a love story this movie would be great as a buddy-pic as Maguire and Tidwell change each other's lives and develop the kind of relationship Jerry discussed in his mission statement. The culmination of their bond happens during the final game of the season on Monday Night Football and can make almost anyone emotional.
At the end of the day however, this movie is all about the rocky relationship between Jerry and Dorothy. I don't want to give away too much about the ups and downs of the love story but even I think it is really well done. There are definite times during the movie where you clearly know you where you're watching a movie for women but you also will find you really don't care. I don't know if there's a more perfect movie to watch with a member of the opposite sex because this is really two movies in one (if there's one drawback to this movie it's the 140 minute run time). This is a movie of great acting, great writing and great action and should be a go-to choice if you and your girlfriend can't decide on what to watch.
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