Jerry Maguire

Jerry Maguire
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Cameron Crowe
Produced by	Cameron Crowe James L. Brooks Laurence Mark Richard Sakai
Written by	Cameron Crowe
Starring	Tom Cruise Cuba Gooding, Jr. Renée Zellweger Kelly Preston Jerry O'Connell Jay Mohr Regina King Bonnie Hunt
Music by	Nancy Wilson
Cinematography	Janusz Kamiński
Editing by	Joe Hutshing
Studio	Gracie Films Vinyl Films
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	December 13, 1996 (1996-12-13)
Running time	139 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$50 million
Box office	$273,552,592

Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama sports film starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Renée Zellweger. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe. The film was inspired by sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who acted as Technical Consultant on the crew. It was released in North American theaters on December 13, 1996, distributed by Gracie Films and TriStar Pictures.

The film received very positive reviews, praising the performances of Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Renee Zellweger and the screenplay. The film was a financial success, bringing in more than $270 million worldwide, against its $50 million budget. It is the ninth top-grossing film of 1996.

The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. For his portrayal as Rod Tidwell, Cuba Gooding, Jr. won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Tom Cruise won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance as Jerry Maguire, while being nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards.

The film also received nominations for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Gooding, Jr. and the film itself was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Plot

Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is a glossy 35-year-old sports agent working for Sports Management International (SMI). After suffering a nervous breakdown as a result of stress and a guilty conscience, he writes a mission statement about perceived dishonesty in the sports management business and how he believes that the business should be operated. He distributes copies of it, entitled "The Things We Think and Do Not Say: The Future of Our Business". His co-workers are touched by his honesty and greet him with applause, but the management sends Bob Sugar (Jay Mohr), Maguire's protégé, to fire him. Jerry and Sugar call all of Jerry's clients to try to convince them not to hire the services of the other. Jerry speaks to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), one of his clients who is disgruntled with his contract. Rod tests Jerry's resolve through a very long telephone conversation, which culminates in the famed "Show me the money!" scene. Meanwhile, Sugar secures most of Jerry's previous clients. Frank "Cush" Cushman (Jerry O'Connell), a superstar quarterback prospect from Southern Methodist University expected to be #1 in the NFL Draft, also stays with Jerry after he makes a visit to the Cushman home. Leaving the office, Jerry announces he will start his own agency and asks if anyone is willing to join him, to which only 26-year-old single mother Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger) agrees. The two had previously bumped into each other in the airport and Boyd had told Maguire personally how inspiring she found his "memo."

Jerry travels to the NFL Draft with Cush and convinces Rod to come too, to meet representatives of other NFL teams. Though Rod at first feels neglected compared to the superstar Cush, Sugar contacts Matt Cushman (Beau Bridges), Cush's dad, while Jerry is in the lobby with Rod and re-signs Cush to SMI. Jerry is devastated and turns to his fiancée Avery (Kelly Preston) for support, but she rebukes him and he breaks up with her. He then turns to Dorothy, becoming closer to her young son, Ray, and eventually starts a relationship with her. However, Dorothy contemplates moving to San Diego as she has a secure job offer there. Jerry concentrates all his efforts on Rod, now his only client, who turns out to be very difficult to satisfy. Over the next several months, the two direct harsh criticism towards each other with Rod claiming that Jerry is not trying hard enough to get him a contract while Jerry claims that Rod is not proving himself worthy of the money for which he asks. Jerry marries Dorothy to help them both stay afloat financially and to keep her from moving away. He is emotionally and physically distant during the marriage, but is clearly invested in becoming a father to Ray. Although Dorothy is in love, she breaks up with him because she believes he does not love her.

Before the start of a Monday Night Football game between the Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys, Sugar attempts to steal Rod, but is rebuked by Rod and Jerry. The two reconcile soon after. Rod plays well but appears to receive a serious injury when catching a touchdown. He recovers, however, and dances for the crowd, which cheers wildly. Afterwards, Jerry and Rod embrace in front of other athletes and sports agents and show how their relationship has progressed from a strictly business one to a close personal one, which was one of the points Jerry made in his mission statement. Jerry then flies back home to meet Dorothy. He walks in and, in front of her friends, says "Hello." He then speaks for several minutes, telling her that he loves her and wants her in his life, ending with the statement, "You complete me." Dorothy's reply to Jerry is, "You had me at 'hello'." Rod later appears on Roy Firestone's sports show. Unbeknownst to him, Jerry has secured him an $11.2 million contract with the Cardinals that will allow him to finish his pro football career in Arizona. The visibly emotional Rod proceeds to thank everyone and extends warm gratitude to Jerry. Jerry speaks with several other pro athletes, some of whom have read his earlier mission statement and respect his work with Rod. The film ends with Jerry, Dorothy and Ray walking in the park and stumbling across a Little League baseball game. When the ball lands near them, Ray throws it back; a surprised Jerry then comments on his natural throwing ability (and possible future in sports), much to Dorothy's dismay.

Cast

• Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire
• Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Rod Tidwell
• Renée Zellweger as Dorothy Boyd
• Kelly Preston as Avery Bishop
• Jerry O'Connell as Frank "Cush" Cushman
• Jay Mohr as Bob Sugar
• Regina King as Marcee Tidwell
• Bonnie Hunt as Laurel Boyd
• Jonathan Lipnicki as Ray Boyd
• Todd Louiso as Chad the Nanny
• Jeremy Suarez as Tyson Tidwell
• Aries Spears as Teepee Tidwell
• Mark Pellington as Bill Dooler
• Jared Jussim as Dicky Fox
• Glenn Frey as Dennis Wilburn
• Drake Bell as Jesse Remo
• Christina Cavanaugh as Mrs. Remo
• Toby Huss as Steve Remo
• Eric Stoltz as Ethan Valhere
• Beau Bridges as Matt Cushman
• Ingrid Beer as Anne-Louise
• Roy Firestone as Himself

Cameos

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., former NFL quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe, Troy Aikman, and Warren Moon, German ice skater Katarina Witt, then-current Dallas Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer, and former Detroit Lions coach Wayne Fontes play themselves in the film.

Other NFL players that make cameos as themselves are Tim McDonald, Johnnie Morton, Rick Mirer, Rob Moore, Ki-Jana Carter, Herman Moore, Art Monk, Kerry Collins, and Dean Biasucci.

Sportscasters Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Roy Firestone, Mike Tirico, and Dan Dierdorf also make cameos.

Former NBA basketball player Brent Barry is featured in the film as an athlete who refuses to sign an autograph for a young boy.

Actresses portraying ex-girlfriends of Maguire include Lucy Liu, Ivana Milicevic, Alison Armitage, Emily Procter, and Stacey Williams. Reagan Gomez-Preston also had a minor role in the film as part of the Tidwell family.

Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell makes a brief appearance in the film as a copier store clerk.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay makes a cameo as Jerry Maguire's boss.

Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner is seen briefly as an SMI CEO as Maguire departs the company.

Product placement

Tristar received merchandise and marketing services of over $1.5 million from Reebok in exchange for incorporating a commercial into the film and depicting the Reebok brand within certain agreed-upon standards; when the film was theatrically released, the commercial had been left out and a tirade including "broadsides against Reebok" was included. When the film aired on television, the Reebok commercial had been embedded into the film as originally agreed.

Release

Box office

The film debuted at number one. It earned $17,084,296 its opening weekend, and eventually grossed $153,952,592 in North American box office and approximately $119.6 million overseas for a $273,552,592 worldwide total, on a budget of $50 million. It is the ninth top grossing film of 1996 and the fourth highest-grossing romantic drama film of all time.

Critical response

The film received critical acclaim, with a 85% positive reviews on the film-critics aggregate Rotten Tomatoes. Its critical consensus states: "Anchored by dazzling performances from Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renée Zellweger, as well as Cameron Crowe's tender direction, Jerry Maguire meshes romance and sports with panache." Cuba Gooding, Jr. won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Rod Tidwell, the Arizona Cardinals football player who sticks with Maguire. Cruise was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the movie marked Renée Zellweger's breakout role. The film itself was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and crew members on the film were nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Film Editing awards.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3/4 stars, writing that there "are so many subplots that Jerry Maguire seems too full" and also commented that the film "starts out looking cynical and quickly becomes a heartwarmer." He concluded that the film "is often a delight" and "is about transformation: About two men who learn how to value something more important than money, and about two women who always knew." Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote "An exceptionally tasty contempo comedic romance, Jerry Maguire runs an unusual pattern on its way to scoring an unexpected number of emotional, social and entertaining points. Smartly written and boasting a sensational cast, Cameron Crowe's shrewdly observed third feature also gives Tom Cruise one of his very best roles..." In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named Jerry Maguire one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years.

Accolades

Academy Awards Best Actor (Cruise, nominated) Best Editing (Hutshing, nominated) Best Picture (nominated) Best Screenplay – Original (Crowe, nominated) Best Supporting Actor (Gooding Jr., won) Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor (Gooding Jr., won) Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directing – Motion Pictures (Crowe, nominated) Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Cruise, won) Best Film – Musical or Comedy (nominated) Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (Gooding Jr., nominated)

Image Awards Outstanding Actor – Motion Picture (Gooding Jr., nominated) Satellite Awards Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Cruise, won) Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Gooding Jr., won) Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Zellweger, nominated) Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Actor – Motion Picture (Cruise, nominated) Outstanding Supporting Actor (Gooding Jr., won) Outstanding Supporting Actress (Zellweger, nominated) Writers Guild of America Best Screenplay – Original (Crowe, nominated)

Home media

The film was first released onto DVD on December 13, 1996 in both a standard edition and a two-disc "Special Edition." While the standard edition contains no special features, the two-disc edition primarily includes deleted scenes, commentary tracks, featurettes, and a music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Secret Garden." The film was later released onto Blu-ray on September 9, 2008, with the same special features found on the second disc of the DVD "Special Edition."

Legacy

Jerry Maguire spawned several popular quotations, including "Show me the money!" (shouted repeatedly in a phone exchange between Rod Tidwell and Jerry Maguire), "You complete me," "Help me help you," and "You had me at 'hello'" (said by Renée Zellweger's Dorothy Boyd after a lengthy romantic plea by Jerry Maguire), and "Kwan," a word used by Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s Tidwell meaning love, respect, community, and money (also spelled "quan" and "quawn") to illustrate the difference between himself and other football players: "Other football players may have the coin, but they won't have the 'Kwan'." These lines are largely attributed to Cameron Crowe, director and screenwriter of the film. Zellweger said of filming the famous "hello" line, "Cameron had me say it a few different ways. It's so funny, because when I read it, I didn't get it — I thought it was a typo somehow. I kept looking at it. It was the one thing in the script that I was looking at going, 'Is that right? Can that be right? How is that right?' I thought, 'Is there a better way to say that? Am I not getting it? I just don't know how to do it.'"

A video blog "Everything is Terrible!" is running a campaign to salvage remaining VHS copies of the movie.

In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Jerry Maguire was acknowledged as the tenth best film in the sports genre. It was also voted by AFI as #100 on its list of 100 Passions. The quotes "Show me the money!" and "You had me at 'hello'" were also ranked by AFI on its list of 100 Movie Quotes, ranked #25 and #52 respectively.

American Film Institute Lists

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – #100
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
  • Secret Garden – Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • "Show me the money!" – #25
  • "You had me at "hello."" – #52
  • "You complete me." – Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated
• AFI's 10 Top 10 – #10 Sports Film (also nominated Romantic Comedy)

Soundtrack

The movie soundtrack includes:

• The Durutti Column – "Requiem Again"
• Rickie Lee Jones – "The Horses"
• The Replacements – "I'll Be You"
• Paul McCartney – "Momma Miss America"
• Paul McCartney – "Singalong Junk"
• Elvis Presley – "Pocket Full of Rainbows"
• Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – "The Lonely Bull"
• Merrilee Rush – "Angel of the Morning"
• The Who – "Magic Bus" and "Getting in Tune"
• Nirvana – "Something in the Way"
• AC/DC – "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"
• Tom Petty – "Free Fallin'"
• Neil Young – "World on a String"
• Bob Dylan – "Shelter from the Storm"
• Bruce Springsteen – "Secret Garden"
• The Rolling Stones - "Bitch"
• Aimee Mann – "Wise Up"
• a clip of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Charles Mingus performing (Mingus' piece is "Haitian Fight Song")

"Secret Garden", originally a Springsteen track from 1995, was re-released in 1997 after its exposure in the film and on the soundtrack, and peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.^{[citation needed]}

The film was scored by director Crowe's then-wife, Nancy Wilson, who was a member of the rock band Heart.

External links

• Jerry Maguire at the Internet Movie Database
• Jerry Maguire at Metacritic
• The Jerry Maguire Journal, a log kept by Crowe during the film's production and published in Rolling Stone in December 1996.
• "Things we think and do not say", the memo that led Maguire to establish his own agency
• Jerry Maguire, film script (text document)