The-Reel-McCoy -- Jerry Maguire

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	Jerry Maguire

	Rated: R
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It sure must be fun to be Tom Cruise. He gets to be a fighter pilot (Top Gun), a race car driver (Days of Thunder), a secret agent (Mission Impossible), and now a sports agent. He also always gets a beautiful babe. But whatever he is doing, he is always entertaining and making us believe that his character is real.

Jerry Maguire is a movie not unlike Forrest Gump. First of all, the title is the name of the main character. Also, the movie seems to teach us a lesson about life by telling us a story about a man who most of us could never be yet a man whom we all seem to like. But enough of this comparison! On to the next paragraph!

Jerry Maguire, as performed by Mr. Cruise, is not perfect. Neither is anyone else in the movie. Everyone seems to slip up and reveal some of the flaws in their character. Whether it be money or power or sex or a trip to the zoo, everyone is willing to degrade themselves in order to achieve it. Sadly, this is what life is really about and what makes Jerry Maguire so personal.

Perhaps what is so compelling about this movie is that it actually deals with love in the way that it should be dealt with. A distinction is made between lust, companionship, and true love. This is quite refreshing in today's films and society.

Tom Cruise was very good in this movie. Some believe that he is just a good-looking guy that is in movies but I see some real talent there. And I am not alone in this; Cruise won a Golden Globe award for best actor for this movie. I was also pleased with the performance of Cuba Gooding, Jr. as the wannabe football legend, Rod Tidwell. And Renee Zellweger as Dorothy Boyd simply stole my heart. I say this metaphorically (I don't want any letters from heart donors, lawyers, or surgeons).

So why didn't I give this movie 5 stars? Well, I did not like the completely one-sided character who was Jerry's original fiancée. I also felt that many of the scenes in this movie could have been left out with no affect on the storyline or the emotional quality that this film possesses. I also felt that the language was at times excessive.

This movie came highly regarded to me by my brother, Brennan. I am glad that I finally got around to seeing it. If you have not yet seen this movie, then I advise that you make the effort.