Starring
Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renee Zellweger, Kelly Preston, Jerry
O'Connell, Jay Mohr, Bonnie Hunt. Directed by Cameron Crowe. (1996,
138 min).
Has
it really been 20 years since Jerry Maguire was first released? It
seems like only yesterday that I was dragged to go see it for date
night and ended up liking it more than my wife did.
A
lot has changed since then. Tom Cruise now spends most of his screen
time running from explosions; Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. has
nabbed more than his fair share of Razzie nominations; Renee
Zellweger has the Bridget Jones franchise to remind us she's still
working. It's also an anniversary of-sorts for writer/director
Cameron Crowe...15 years since his last interesting film.
 |
| "There. Are. No. Paper. Towels!" |
All
that being said, the movie itself has held up better over the years
than some of its participants. Though I personally prefer Cruise's
latter-day career, where he's given up all pretenses of being a
serious actor to focus on simply being Tom Cruise, Gooding would
never be as enjoyably brash as he is here, nor would Zellweger
achieve the same level of congenial charm. And with all due respect
to the autobiographical Almost Famous, this is Crowe's sharpest
screenplay. The obligatory love story is nothing we haven't seen in
countless other films, but what still makes Jerry Maguire crackle –
besides the performances – is its apparent insider knowledge of the
world of sports agents. At no time does the viewer ever doubt this is
how the job operates, and that Maguire himself is an anomaly in this
cut-throat, ego-stroking profession.
 |
| "Mission? What mission? What the hell are you talking about?" |
So
of course, when you throw in more celebrity cameos than one can
possibly catch with one viewing, dialogue that has become pop culture
vernacular and an irresistible resolution, Jerry Maguire has enjoyed
a lengthy shelf life, which also means a lot of folks probably
already have it on video. This Blu-Ray has many bonus features
from previous releases, but adds some new stuff that'll be hard for fans
to pass up, including a lengthy retrospective documentary and
never-before-seen deleted scenes. My favorite, however, is the
inclusion of the soundtrack CD featuring songs by the
likes of Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney.
Personally, I wish more studios would do this with their Blu-Ray
releases rather than include a DVD copy I'll likely never use.
While
it's still more amusing to watch Tom Cruise run toward the camera
like he's on fire, Jerry Maguire remains one of his most endearing
audience pleasers, one of those so-called date movies that appeals to
both sexes. Of the many home video editions out there, this is
probably the definitive one, with enough new kibbles to make
it worth double-dipping.
EXTRA
KIBBLES:
NEW:
“JERRY MAGUIRE: WE MEET AGAIN” (3 part retrospective with vintage
footage & interviews and new interviews with Tom Cruise &
writer/director Cameron Crowe).
NEW:
DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES
NEW:
PHOTO GALLERY
PICTURE-IN-PICTURE
VISUAL COMMENTARY (with Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renee Zellweger
& Cameron Crowe).
DELETED
SCENES & REHEARSAL FOOTAGE (both with commentary).
“MY
FIRST COMMERCIAL” (an amusing Reebok commercial featuring the Rod
Tidwell character)
“DREW
ROSENHAUS: HOW TO BE A SPORTS AGENT”
MAKING-OF
FEATURETTE
MUSIC
VIDEO: Bruce Springsteen's “Secret Garden”
JERRY
MAGUIRE'S “MISSION STATEMENT” (reprinted in the supplemental
booklet)
ORIGINAL
SOUNDTRACK CD
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
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