Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Renée Zellweger. It was written and directed by Cameron Crowe.
Plot
Jerry Maguire (Cruise) works for Sports Management International, a company that manages the careers of present and future professional athletes. Much of his job involves "spinning" negative publicity surrounding his clients, encouraging them to continue playing even at the expense of their health and families, and even turning autograph sessions into money-making enterprises.
One day in his hotel room, Jerry suffers a nervous breakdown as the result of his pent-up stress from confronting his conscience. He decides on a whim to write a "mission statement" about what he dreams his company should be. Though mission statements are generally brief in nature, his reaches 25 pages in length. He takes the finished product, called "The Things We Think and Do Not Say: The Future of our Business" to a copy store and runs off enough bound copies for his co-workers, ordering his secretary to send them out.
However, after a cooling-off period the following day, he calls the office to see if the mission statement went out, which it has. He goes into the office and is greeted with wild applause from his co-workers, all of whom have a copy of his words in their possession.
Later in the week, Jerry is invited to lunch with Bob Sugar (Jay Mohr) one of his less scrupulous co-workers who has been given the order to fire him while at the restaurant. Jerry is upset, but Sugar tells him he brought it on himself. Jerry abruptly ends their lunch meeting and returns to clean out his desk and convince his clients to come to his new company. Sugar, knowing what his former mentor is up to, immediately gets on the phone to keep Jerry's clients with SMI, degrading his reputation along the way.
Cruise as Jerry MaguireJerry gets through to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), one of his clients who is disgruntled by his contract that he believes to be far inferior than that of his teammates. Meanwhile, Maguire's phone is jammed with clients on hold. Rod tests Jerry's resolve by keeping him on the line and having him "dance", as proof that he will work harder to get Rod the contract he deserves, uttering the phrase "Show me the Money!", which eventually became part of 90's pop culture. After the conversation, the clients on hold are no longer there.
In a dramatic scene, Jerry leaves SMI, asking "Who's coming with me?" after announcing he's forming his own company. Only one shows enough faith, and that's Dorothy Boyd (Zellweger), whom Jerry met on a junket before his breakdown. Jerry's fiancee Avery (Kelly Preston), another sports agent, tells him not to lose faith, that between Tidwell and Frank "Cush" Cushman, a college football star considered one of the top prospects, he should have enough business to get him started.
Cushman's father Matt (Beau Bridges) tells Jerry that he doesn't do contracts, but that Jerry has his word, which is "stronger than oak". Jerry goes to the NFL draft, where he meets Tidwell and introduces them to prospective endorsement sponsors, and all goes well. Rod, however, feels abandoned when Jerry, feeling nervous, leaves him momentarily to get Cush on paper to keep Sugar from stealing him away. Unfortunately, he's too late...Matt, falling prey to a lie about Jerry told to him by Sugar, unwittingly inks a deal with SMI...and Sugar.
Jerry seeks solace in an unsympathetic Avery, who says she loves him but refuses to nurse his bruised pride. Knowing that he'll never be happy with Avery, Jerry breaks their engagement, and she manages to deliver three closed-fist blows to land him on the floor. With only one shot at success, Jerry resigns himself to Rod, which proves to be a constant problem because of his attitude, which makes him a thorn in the side of team executive Dennis Wilburn (Glenn Frey). Meanwhile, Jerry enters a marriage of convenience with Dorothy.
The souring relationship between Jerry and Rod comes to a head after Jerry receives an offer of $1.7 million for three years, which Rod's wife Marcee (Regina King) readily refuses. Unable to tolerate Marcee's abuse of her husband anymore, Dorothy unloads on Marcee, telling him that Jerry is continuing to hustle for Rod despite the fact that he's broke and on the brink of financial ruin. Marcee finally shuts up, but Jerry, despite Rod's shortcomings, is convinced they can do better. Jerry finally tells Rod that he's a "paycheck player", who needs to prove his love of the game in order to inspire people, and inspiration is what drives success in the professional sports industry. Do that, Jerry says, and "I will show you the kwan", a term Rod uses earlier in the movie to describe the whole package...money, prestige, and respect.
Hurt at Jerry's words, Rod angrily climbs on the bus, proclaiming "I'm ALL heart" as he's doing so. Meanwhile, Dorothy offers to let Jerry out their marriage so they can both start over fresh. Not long afterwards, Rod proves himself, working harder than ever before, and then gradually earns the respect of fans...and the interest of SMI, who showed little interest earlier.
One game, Rod gets hurt on the field after a touchdown and doesn't get up. A frantic Marcee calls Jerry and tearfully apologizes for everything bad she said about him and please bring her husband home safely. Jerry tells Marcee he'll keep her posted.
A trainer tries to revive Rod, who finally regains consciousness. The trainer calls for a stretcher, but Rod says "No...I want to enjoy this." While the camera stays on him, he can be seen slowly rising to his feet. Once standing, he removes his helmet and waves it to the cheering crowd. Doing a handstand and jumping up to the stands to even more applause, the fans even become more wild. After the game ends, Jerry and Rod embrace among a throng of reporters, prompting another player to ask Sugar "How come we don't have that kind of relationship?" Sugar goes to put his arms around the player, who pushes him back.
Jerry is then approached by Wilburn, who gives him a thumbs-up and a smile. Jerry gestures towards him that it's time to talk about serious money. Wilburn says "I know" and leaves. Jerry flies back home to Dorothy, claiming that they had "a very big, big night", and tells her "you complete me" before she tells him "Just shut up...you had me at hello" and takes him back.
The movie ends with Rod on an ESPN interview show with Roy Firestone, known for its touchy-feely interviews that make athletes cry. Rod, saying in advance "I'm not gonna cry, Roy", doesn't know that he has a new deal on the table (which Jerry planned). Firestone tells him he has an $11 million deal that will allow him to finish his pro football career in Arizona. Shocked by this sudden revelation, Rod lets out a whoop and breaks down in tears, thanking everyone from his teammates to his family, a direct contrast to what he was at the beginning of the movie.
Jerry, who is also on the set of the show, speaks with several other pro athletes, some of whom have read his earlier mission statement and express their enjoyment of it, possibly opening even more doors for Maguire, though that's not fully determined.
Reception
Jerry Maguire remains famous due to memorable quotes, including "Show me the money!" (shouted repeatedly in a phone exchange between Rod Tidwell and Jerry Maguire) and "You had me at 'hello'" (said by Dorothy Boyd after a lengthy romantic plea by Jerry Maguire), and "Kwan" (a word used by Rod Tidwell to mean love, respect, community and money) mentioned by Tidwell to illustrate the difference between himself and other football players. ("Other football players can have money, but they won't have the "Kwan""). These lines are largely attributed to Cameron Crowe, director and screenwriter of the movie.
The film was well received, with Cuba Gooding Jr. winning 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 although Renée Zellweger missed out on a nomination for her portrayal of Dorothy Boyd, it was 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.
Cast
Tom Cruise ... Jerry Maguire
Cuba Gooding Jr. ... Rod Tidwell
Renée Zellweger ... Dorothy Boyd
Kelly Preston ... Avery Bishop
Jerry O'Connell ... Frank Cushman
Jay Mohr ... Bob Sugar
Bonnie Hunt ... Laurel, Dorothy's sister
Regina King ... Marcee Tidwell
Jonathan Lipnicki... Ray Boyd
Todd Louiso ... Chad the Nanny
Mark Pellington ... Bill Dooler
Jeremy Suarez... Tyson Tidwell
Jared Jussim ... Dicky Fox
Benjamin Kimball Smith ... Keith Cushman
Ingrid Beer ... Anne-Louise
Glenn Frey ... GM\Coach
Jeff Foxworthy ... Bill
Themes
The film tackles a range of themes and attempts to critique the modern capitalist society and its emphasis on financial and professional success at the expense of personal relationships. The "voice of reason" throughout the film is that of Dickie Fox (Jared Jussim), Jerry Maguire's mentor, who comments at the very end of the film that, "I don't have all the answers. In life, to be honest, I've failed as much as I've succeeded. But I love my wife. I love my life. I wish you my kind of success." Cameron Crowe suggests reaching out to the people around us is the key to professional as well as personal success. The famous "show me the money!" scene, featuring Rod Tidwell demanding Jerry scream his "family motto" back to him over the phone, epitomizes the empty values of those around Jerry, yet somewhat paradoxically it is Rod who serves as a role-model for the family values and personal attention that Jerry seeks. Crowe's point is that the pursuit of financial success need not be incompatible with family values or personal relationships, simply that it should take second place to them
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