The movie ‘Jerry Maguire’ is a 1997 masterpiece by director Cameron Crowe, capturing the success story of sports agency manager Jerry Maguire. Feeling disillusioned with treating athletes as mere money-making tools, Jerry drafts a heartfelt mission statement one night, suggesting genuine care and friendship with athletes. But, this leads to his firing, and with his single ally, fellow colleague Dorothy Boyd, he starts a new agency – which is essentially a two-person show. And so, the journey begins.
While watching a clip of Tom Cruise’s filmography on YouTube, I realized I hadn’t seen this film yet. Why did I think it was a legal drama? Not that it matters. Anyway, this led me to watch the movie, which turned out to be an ordinary human drama. Not insanely entertaining, but incredibly charming nonetheless.
The leading lady of this film is Renée Zellweger. Personally, I’ve always thought she looked a bit older than her age. (Too honest?) Of course, some foreign actors do have that mature look. In the middle of the movie, she tells her sister,
Look at me. I’m the oldest 26-year-old in the world
Look at me. I might just be the oldest-looking 26-year-old ever.
That scene made her seem more immersed in her role. (She was 28 during filming.)
Since we’re on the topic of lines, let’s dive a bit deeper. This film is packed with famous quotes. The phrase ‘Show me the money’, which has become the title of a successful domestic music show up to season 9, was shouted by Jerry’s only client, the football player Rod Tidwell, while negotiating for a high contract fee. At the movie’s end, Jerry’s line to Dorothy, ‘You complete me’, is something most people know, even if they haven’t seen the movie. Though they might not know its origin… Alongside Jerry’s rambling apology, there’s Dorothy’s famous line, ‘You had me at hello’.
When you walked in and said ‘Hello,’ I was already disarmed…
Maybe my interpretation is a bit cheesy? Back to the movie, in that scene where Jerry rambles on and she’s just silently watching him, her expression is gold. It was a look of ‘This is nice, but what on earth is he doing?’, and for the first time, I saw a glimpse of her girlish side. Whether it was her expressive face or the hint of her slender waist during the hug with Jerry, I’m not sure.
If you’re a fan of Tom Cruise or Renée Zellweger and haven’t seen this film yet, I quietly recommend adding it to your cozy stay-at-home plans.
Leave a Reply