Jerry Maguire
The sports rom-com that shows us the money - and the love.
PRE GAME 💵
Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻
Thanks for all of your comments and discussion on last week’s Any Given Sunday review. It seems like I’m in the minority when it comes to that one, but that’s the beauty of communities like this - I love talking about these sports movies with all of you, whether we agree or disagree.
I’d like to know which sports movies or tv shows you’re all looking forward to in 2025. Is there anything in particular on your radar at the moment? I’ve been hearing great things about Eephus, which is currently doing the festival rounds and I really hope to be able to catch it soon. There’s also The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne Johnson, which is sure to be entertaining. Let me know what you’re looking forward to watching this year in the comments.
This week, we’re getting into a sub-genre of the sports movie that we’ve not covered yet and to which not many titles belong - the sports agent movie. I guess you could just call it a sports romcom too, but it’s quite unlike any other sports movie we’ve discussed here yet.
With that, it’s time to SHOW ME THE MONEY!
FIRST HALF 💵
When people list iconic sports movies or a list of their favourites, Jerry Maguire typically doesn’t appear often. You’ll always hear the usual picks - Rocky, Remember the Titans, Field of Dreams etc, but rarely does anyone include the one where Tom Cruise writes a mission statement, loses his job and tries to rebuild everything with one football player and a former colleague. And yet, more than 25 years later, Jerry Maguire has arguably left a bigger mark on pop culture than many of the more traditional iconic sports movies. How many times have you shouted, “Show me the money!” or said “You had me at hello”? This movie has firmly cemented itself into the cinematic lexicon with some of the most quotable lines in movie history. I had never seen it before until this review, but I’ve been familiar with these lines and several scenes in particular, that it almost felt like a rewatch. Perhaps Jerry Maguire isn’t typically named alongside other famous sports movies because it’s not really about sports in the same way that the others are - it’s more about humility, love and redemption. But it deserves to be held in the same regard as the greats.
If anyone else is like me, and was watching this for the first time this week, let’s briefly recap the plot. Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is a hotshot sports agent, who experiences something of an existential crisis after realising his whole industry lacks a soul and empathy. He writes a pretty bold mission statement that pushes for fewer clients and a more personal approach to the sports agent business and predictably, he gets fired. From here, Jerry goes on the typical sports movie underdog journey that we’re all too familiar with at this point, where he and his one remaining client, Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) try to make it all work. Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger) is the only other colleague at the company who leaves and goes with Jerry, and the two quickly form a close relationship with one another.
Cruise’s portrayal of Jerry is peak 90s Tom Cruise - he smiles (a lot), runs fast, laughs maniacally, makes strange noises and looks awkward - but somehow it’s impossible not to root for him. He’s self-absorbed and clueless at times, and there were points I was left wondering whether the moments of goofiness were intentional or just Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise - regardless, this is him at his charismatic best and he manages to pull it all together.
I actually had completely forgotten that Cuba Gooding Jr won an Oscar for his performance as Rod Tidwell. I know there’s some debate over whether Ed Norton was robbed for his role in Primal Fear, but after finally seeing this movie, I can see why Gooding Jr took the award. His performance is so much fun, in a movie that’s already got a ton of it and it still stands out. Like Jerry, he’s loud, brash and entertaining, but in a much different way. The character feels unapologetically authentic and was the film’s biggest surprise for me in terms of how much more complex he’s revealed to be as it goes on. I loved the bond and loyalty he had with Jerry, but at the same time how he’d not hesitate to keep in check. The chemistry between the two actors was fantastic, and after watching, I’m not sure it would have worked with anyone else.
Dorothy is such an important character in the movie, especially when you place her alongside Jerry and Rod. Without her, the movie would just be a lot of shouting and Tom Cruise doing Tom Cruise things. As entertaining as all of that is here, Zellweger grounds things. Her character vulnerable and feels sincere. Her chemistry with Tom Cruise is undeniable, and it’s what makes that “you had me at hello” moment so memorable. I really loved the dynamic between her and Jonathan Lipnicki, who plays her son Ray - and Ray’s relationship with Jerry in particular, which is one of the film’s sweetest elements. Side note - did anyone else find it weird that there was a little boy named Ray? I don’t know why I found that so amusing!
Cameron Crowe’s script deserves a lot of love here - and not just for the iconic lines we’re all familiar with. Apparently, he worked on the script for several years, and then spent an additional year writing with Tom Cruise. It shows. Unlike a lot of other sports movies, it never veers into schmaltzy territory but is still feel-good, heartfelt and feels genuine. The amazing soundtrack though, is another thing that really jumped out at me. I mean, how can you not love this??
Jerry Maguire oddly feels overlooked, even though key moments from the movie have entered into our cinematic lexicon. It’s heartfelt without ever being cheesy, and it’s consistently funny, while always feeling genuine. The three central performances are fantastic, and have already left me wanting to do a rewatch. There’s not much actual sports action throughout, but to me this is every bit a great sports movie as it is a romcom. It did indeed have me at hello.
Jerry Maguire is available to purchase on most digital platforms.
HALFTIME 💵
Let’s take a break for halftime.
Here’s what else I’ve been watching this week:
Red Rooms
Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms is a film that I’d seen talked about a lot over the last few weeks, and saw it appear on many end of year movie lists. After watching, I can certainly see why. The plot focuses on a high profile court case involving a serial killer, and a woman who is obsessed with it all. It’s best to go in knowing as little as possible, but all I’ll say is that this was dark, utterly grim viewing - and it was also gripping, edge-of-your-seat stuff. There’s absolutely no gore or violence here, but the film is full of extremely disturbing and unsettling material that will cause you to feel a real sense of dread throughout. It’s got a lot of interesting things to say about our desensitisation to shocking events, our media consumption and perpetual connectedness too. A really powerful film.
Available to purchase via most digital platforms.
The Traitors (UK version)
Nothing gets rid of the gloomy January blues quite like a new series of The Traitors, and the latest offering from the BBC is no exception. In its third series, it’s as good as it’s ever been with plenty of twists, turns and drama. I never got on board with any of the other versions from other countries at all, and the U.K. version remains by far the most superior.
Airing on BBC in the U.K. and available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
A Real Pain
Can we please just give Kieran Culkin an Oscar for this already? Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, both give incredible performances as two cousins reuniting on a trip to Poland to honour and remember their late grandmother - but it’s Culkin’s performance that will stay with me. The movie is funny, sharp and poignant and there’s a few truly hard hitting moments before too. Absolutely brilliant.
Available to rent or buy on most digital platforms and currently in theatres in the UK.
As usual, let me know what you’re watching or what you’re planning to go see. Let’s get back to Jerry Maguire.
SECOND HALF 💵
Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.
BEST SCENE 🏆
I mentioned earlier that so many parts of this movie have become part of the movie lexicon at this point, and this scene is probably the best example of that.
Honourable mention to ‘show me the money’, which we’ll get to below - and also to this scene featuring a very funny and sweet moment between Jerry and Ray talking with Rod on the phone.
BEST LINE 🏆
There’s so many to choose from, and as much as feel that the above scene is the best in the film, I can’t not go with “show me the money” here.
MVP AWARD 🏆
I love Cuba Gooding Jr here, but Tom Cruise is the MVP of the movie for me. His unique brand of wackiness is on full display, but he reins it in when it matters and always remains likeable. He does really go for it at points though!
TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆
Per IMDb:
Jonathan Lipnicki showed up on the set one day telling everyone that "the human head weighs eight pounds". Writer, producer, and director Cameron Crowe liked it so much he wrote it into the script.
BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆
I did also think this briefly while watching…
BONUS FEATURE 💿
Here’s Tom Cruise in 2016 talking about making the film, and writing the script with Cameron Crowe for a year prior to filming.
POST-GAME 💵
Next week, John Lees will join us once again to step into the ring with Rocky V. We’re well into our Rocky review series now, and you can catch up in the archives if you’ve missed any.
This week, we sadly lost an icon of cinema and one of the biggest influences on my love of film, with the passing of David Lynch. I don’t quite have the words to truly convey what an impact his work has had on me over the years. I still remember watching Eraserhead for the first time at a midnight showing and being totally mesmerised by it. Truly one of a kind, and a master of his craft.
I’ll leave you with this little gem:
~James
Loved the movie then and now. Recently was asked to make a list of my top 20 movies. It made the list.
Have to respectfully disagree with Henny. Jerry was a self-absorbed ass but the point of the movie is that he had an awakening and was trying, as best he could, to redeem himself.
As an ass often will, he did it the wrong way and not always for the right reasons. But the continuing attempt at growth, at being a better human being in spite of himself, just worked for me.
I’m not a jerk but I’ve been one at times. I’ve screwed up at life enough to identify with the idea that, with effort, there can be a sort of personal redemption. I think that was some of what Cameron Crowe was trying to show in Jerry Maguire.
Of course I’m running on four hours of sleep and am in horrific pain from sciatica, so what do I know?
BTW, the emotion of Jerry and Dorothy’s reunion and the happy ending/positive message made it stick with me long after “Show me the money!” had faded away.
Loved this synopsis, disliked the movie then & now. To me, Jerry comes off as an ass and his relationship with Renee seems unlikely at best. Seeing as how sweet she was, and again, what an ass he was.