Am I the only person in the world that doesn’t get Jerry Maguire? How did this movie manage a Best Picture nomination? Now, before I go on a rant, I should concede that the film has two things going for it: the kid is cute and Cuba Gooding Junior is astounding. But that’s it. Jerry Maguire has reached such sky high status that it’s weaved its way into popular language. Almost everyone knows “you had me at hello” and “show me the money.”. But why? There are many better films filled with better lines that deserve a place in the consciousness of regular moviegoers.
My problems with Jerry Maguire are many and varied. For one, Tom Cruise’s character is not likeable. We’re told that most sports agents are crude and cut throat and we’re supposed to believe that Jerry is a Gatsby like figure; a paradigm of righteousness in a world of brutality. This idea is key to the entire movie and yet the only “proof” to back up the notion is a bizarre office memo and the opinion of a naive, lovestruck accountant. The tense final football game manages to momentarily sway the viewer onto Jerry’s side, but by that time they’ve had to sit through over two hours of his hypocrisy.
And as for the romance, it’s entirely unconvincing. This film doesn’t know if it wants to be a realistic romantic drama or a fantastical love story. On one hand you have Renee Zellweger’s character with her desperate and doomed illusions of reciprocated love and on the other you have Tom Cruise declaring “you complete me.” Because of course, everything has to work out; even a marriage literally based on a misunderstood proposal. What’s most annoying about this is that it negates one of the few endearing scenes in this film, when Zellweger’s character walks away from her marriage. All it takes is a “hello” and Jerry Maguire has her wrapped back up in the illusions that she’d finally overcome. Why should an audience cheer for the undoing of a character’s bravest moment?
Jerry Maguire is full of these questions. It requires too much of the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with happy endings but they don’t work in a movie that swings between schmaltziness and harsh honesty with no regard for continuity. Jerry Maguire is an unsuccessful patchwork, a rip-off of many better movies. It should be avoided.
