Quick story: it was early 1997, past the time that "Jerry Maguire"
had come out, and I was listening to the radio. Suddenly, they started
playing the song "Secret Garden" by Bruce Springsteen. So
I stopped to listen. I soon noticed that it was the version of the
song with the movie lyrics added in, which I found interesting. Before
this, I'd had little desire to see the movie. I hadn't disliked the
look of it, I just hadn't been particularly moved to see it. By the
end of the song, by the combination of Cameron Crowe's beautiful,
poetic prose spoken beautifully by the actors and Bruce Springsteen's
soulful rendition of the tune, I had tears in my eyes. I rented it
the very day that it came out and have loved the film ever since.
But, for some reason, I watched it again tonight. I bought it on DVD
yesterday, probably prompted by the fact that I have watched nothing
but "Almost Famous"
all this past week and wanted more Crowe. I have always loved the
movie but tonight, for no apparent reason, the film rubbed me raw
all over again. I saw it as though seeing it for the very first time,
not in the sense that I experienced some kind of amnesia and had no
idea what was going to happen. I knew what was going to happen. It
was just that the movie hit me in a more emotional way than it ever
has before.
This is as close to perfect as romantic films get. The writing is
utterly beyond reproach. There are so many perfectly scripted scenes
that I cannot possibly mention them all here. In fact, each scene
is perfectly scripted. There is not a line of dialogue that does not
work on more than one level. There is not a line of dialogue that
is not as wonderful and sweet and poetic as the lyric of a marvelous
song.
And the actors invest each line with such remarkable passion and stirring
emotion that you cannot help but be sucked in. Tom Cruise is simply
a revelation here. I read that this role was originally written with
Tom Hanks in mind, but Tom Cruise takes it and makes it so much his
own that it is simply impossible to see anyone else doing as well
with it: even the esteemed Mr. Gump. Cruise has never been better
on film to date, even though he was awesome in "Magnolia".
He is brilliant here: somehow managing to convey both the emotional
coldness and the odd heart beating in the man. It is a complex and
superbly written role and Cruise inhabits it fully. It is amazing.
Renee Zellweger is also wonderful. She is truly enchanting here, which
again leads me to call her this generation's answer to Audrey Hepburn.
She isn't always this great (then again, what was she supposed to
do with her thankless role in "Me,
Myself and Irene") but when she is in top form, as in this
and "Nurse Betty",
well, there have rarely been any actresses this enchanting in the
history of all film. Yes, I know that is a grand statement. But she
is worthy of it. Cuba Gooding Jr. is also quite good here. He did
earn his Oscar, if only because he hasn't shown this kind of spunk
and talent in any of his other films.
In short, this film is nothing short of miraculous. I have always
liked it, and liked it a lot, but there is something about this movie
that I have just now realized. What it is, I'm not sure, but
I do have a theory: Soul. It is an uncompromising movie about principles
and loyalty and the true nature of Love. We have seen a lot of love
stories, but we rarely see one that tries to get to the true bottom
of what love really is the way that this one does. Someday, I wish
I love a woman enough to pour my heart out to her as Tom does to Renee
at the end of this movie. I someday wish to meet a woman that I cannot
live without who, in turn, cannot live without me.
Until then, I can simply watch "Jerry Maguire", cry my eyes
out, and dream.
