Line #101 Film/JerryMaguire


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0768_6.JPG]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300: Everybody loved him... Everybody disappeared. The journey is everything.]]
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4	->'''Jerry:''' I love you. You... you complete me. And I just...\
5	'''Dorothy:''' Shut up. Just... shut up. You had me at "hello."
6
7	So there's this sports agent, Jerry Maguire (Creator/TomCruise), and he's got a pretty sweet deal going on. He's great at his job and it earns him a lot of money and respect, he's engaged to hot redheaded Avery Bishop (Creator/KellyPreston) and has an admiring protege in Bob Sugar (Creator/JayMohr). Then the son of a client with a concussion tells him off. This leads to a nervous breakdown which turns to an epiphany where he realizes how disingenuous and corrupt the sports agent business is. He tries to be friends with everyone, only to see he was helping a lot of self-centered {{Jerkass}}es get away with illegal and immoral acts while making millions of dollars.
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9	He writes a manifesto on what we think but don't say, which he passes out to his entire firm. But there is a reason we don't say those things, and he is fired in short order. Losing his clients, future clients and his fiancee, his only solace is retaining a single athlete, football player Rod Tidwell (Creator/CubaGoodingJr.), and inspiring a secretary at the firm, Dorothy Boyd (Creator/ReneeZellweger), to join with him. Tidwell is a talented athlete but [[SmallNameBigEgo has a far greater ego]], making his upcoming contract re-negotiation a nail biter. Jerry and Dorothy soon fall for each other, but they wonder if it's true love or one of convenience and consideration of her young son Ray (Creator/JonathanLipnicki).
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11	Written and directed by Creator/CameronCrowe, this 1996 {{romantic comedy}}-[[{{Dramedy}} drama]] sports film is noted for its feel-good factor, placement way up on the idealistic end on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, and use of many memorable quotes like Tidwell's repeated use of '''"[[LargeHam SHOW ME THE MONEY!]]"'''.
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13	-----
14	!!''Show me the tropes!!'':
15	* AccidentalDeclarationOfLove: Jerry spends the night at Dorothy's after their first semi-romantic dinner. He overhears Dorothy and her sister having a conversation about just how deep her feelings for him are. Him being caught eavesdropping of course adds to the breakfast awkwardness.
16	* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: Jerry's "you complete me" speech is a famous example, but it's actually a downplayed one since he and Dorothy are already married at that point and it's not anguished because he's confessing out of nowhere but because he'd previously struggled to open himself up emotionally.
17	* ArtisticLicenseSports: A very minor example, but at one point the Cardinals play the Philadelphia Eagles, who on the field are dressed in the their pre-1995 Kelly green uniforms, while the team's logo in the owner's box from which Jerry is watching the game is the current one they've used since 1996, which is paired with midnight green uniforms. While the NFL would eventually allow teams to play in "throwback" uniforms using previous color schemes, this rule was not in effect at the time the movie was made.
18	* BeingGoodSucks: Jerry pays the price for sticking to his beliefs, but he soon realizes GoodFeelsGood.
19	* BetaCouple: Rod and Marcee.
20	* BettyAndVeronica: Played with in that the two don't compete directly for Jerry's affections, but Dorothy (Betty) and Avery (Veronica) fit the character types.
21	* BigGame: Downplayed. At the end of the season the Cardinals play the Cowboys in a BigGame on Monday Night Football; however, it's NOT the Super Bowl or even a playoff game, just a regular season game that, should the Cardinals win it, will qualify them for the playoffs.
22	* BitchInSheepsClothing: Jerry and Dorothy's ex co-workers praised Jerry to his face but were probably plotting behind his back.
23	* BrokenAce: Jerry is this after he's let go in the wake of releasing his "mission statement". He gets better.
24	* CallingYourOrgasms: Avery does this when she's having sex with Jerry early in the movie.
25	* TheCameo: Loads and loads of them, mostly by famous athletes, coaches, broadcasters, and other sports figures.
26	** Leigh Steinberg, the RealLife agent who loosely inspired the character of Jerry Maguire, appears near the end as Troy Aikman's agent.
27	** For non-sports figures, [[Magazine/RollingStone Jann Wenner]] plays Jerry's boss at SMI, writer Winnie Holzman (''Series/MySoCalledLife'') is one of the women in Laurel's divorced women's group, director Mark Pellington plays the director of Jerry's bachelor party video, [[Music/AliceInChains Jerry Cantrell]] plays the clerk working at Kinko's who copies Jerry's mission statement, and Creator/EricStoltz plays Ethan Vahlere (the same character he played in ''Film/SayAnything''), the host of Jerry's bachelor party.
28	* CanNotSpitItOut: Jerry, who's "great at friendship, bad at intimacy". As one of his former girlfriends says:
29	-->'''"He CAN'T say 'I love you'."'''
30	* CelebrityResemblance: While Rod is looking with dismay at Cushman's huge fan turnout, he sees two kids approach him... because, as a tall, stocky, light-skinned black man with a beard, wearing grungy clothes and a trucker hat, he accidentally looks a little like [[Music/HootieAndTheBlowfish Darius Rucker]]. He tells him with much annoyance that he is ''not'' "Hootie".
31	* CharacterDevelopment: Each of the main characters gets some:
32	** Jerry starts off "great at friendship, bad at intimacy", but learns to open up emotionally as the film goes on, to the point where [[spoiler: he gives a heartfelt [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove love confession]] in front of an entire room full of strangers at the end of the movie]].
33	** Dorothy initially prioritizes simply having a responsible man in her life, and is happy to have someone like Jerry even interested in her, but she eventually realizes and asserts her need for more than that.
34	** Rod's initial self-absorption and focus on his contract and endorsement opportunities wane and he becomes less of a "paycheck player" as the movie goes on, partially as a result of Jerry's advice to him.
35	* CheerfulChild: Ray always manages to make Jerry and/or Dorothy smile.
36	* DavidVersusGoliath: The Cardinals are a perennial loser; the BigGame at the climax of the film is against the Dallas Cowboys, at the time the movie was made a powerhouse coming off of winning three Super Bowl championships in four years.[[note]]Ironically, the Cowboys have never reached the Super Bowl since with many concluding their astonishing success was only due to legendary coach Tom Landry, while the Cardinals have, albeit only once, and they lost.[[/note]]
37	* DeadpanSnarker: Dorothy's sister Laurel is this to a tee, as she's never without a sarcastic comment about her sister's life or Dorothy and Jerry's relationship.
38	* DescriptionCut: After a brief encounter with Jerry in the airport, Dorothy says to Ray "whoever snagged him must be one classy babe." Cut to Jerry and Avery having wild sex, with the latter very loudly [[CallingYourOrgasms talking dirty]].
39	* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: When Jerry breaks up with Avery, she responds by punching him twice in the face. While not exactly PlayedForLaughs, the abuse is trivialised and this trope is presumably the reason Jerry does not slap her with assault charges. She becomes a KarmaHoudini for the stunt too. To a lesser extent, Marcee assaults Rod's brother when she gets annoyed at his nasty attitude during the final game.
40	* DreadfulMusician:
41	** Turns out Rod is a better football player than he is a singer.
42	** Also, Frank Cushman is shown playing Music/{{Nirvana}}'s "Something in the Way" extremely poorly in one scene.
43	* DrowningMySorrows: Jerry, after he's fired by Bob Sugar.
44	* EarnYourHappyEnding: Jerry and Dorothy both go through such hardships that, when they finally have the happy ending, it's impossible not to come out with a grin the size of Texas on your face.
45	* EurekaMoment: Dorothy realizes Jerry married her for the wrong reason when during an attempt at a serious talk about their marriage, he lets Ray interrupt by joining them in bed. As she puts it, Jerry "really loves my son...and he ''really likes'' me."
46	* EverythingIsBigInTexas: The Cushmans, a stereotypical Texas family if ever there was one.
47	* EvilCounterpart: Bob Sugar is this to Jerry, as he embraces the "shark in a suit" approach to the agent business Jerry rejects.
48	* ExperimentedInCollege: Avery says that if Jerry wanted to, she would 'totally' do the [[AThreesomeIsHot two girl thing]] for him, like she did in college.
49	* {{Fanservice}}: For both genders - Tom Cruise, Kelly Preston, and Cuba Gooding Jr. all get naked at one point or another.
50	* FieryRedhead: Avery Bishop is a wild and passionate redhead. Her response to Jerry breaking up with her is to ''punch him in the face''.
51	* FourthDateMarriage: Seemingly deconstructed at first - Jerry and Dorothy do seem to fall in love and marry awfully quickly, but [[spoiler:it proves to be the bad idea that it is RealLife when their relationship falls apart after they've tied the knot]]. Eventually reconstructed when [[spoiler: they reconcile after Jerry's big "you complete me" speech at the end of the movie]].
52	* FromTheMouthsOfBabes: After a drunken Jerry blurts out the f-word in front of Ray
53	-->'''Ray''': You said 'fuck'.\
54	'''Jerry''': I know, I'm--\
55	'''Ray''': I won't tell.
56	** Tyson, after Rod makes a big play, yells out, "That's my mo-fo!"
57	-->'''Marcee:''' Why don't you be the first man in your family not to use that word, and then we'll let you live.
58	* GilliganCut: When Dorothy first meets Jerry, she says that the woman who is with him must be "a classy broad". Cut to Jerry and Avery having very ''non'' classy sex up against the wall.
59	* HamToHamCombat: Jerry and Rod's usual interactions involve them losing their shit at each other. One of the best examples is their, "Help me, help you" conversation.
60	* HappilyMarried: Rod and Marcee, and later, [[EarnYourHappyEnding Jerry and Dorothy]].
61	* HeelRealization: Jerry has one after Jesse, the son of one of his clients (a hockey player with a concussion) tells him off.
62	-->'''Jesse''': ''[[PrecisionFStrike Fuck you!]]''
63	** Jesse also ends up FlippingTheBird at Jerry.
64	* {{Homage}}: According to WordOfGod, the scene of Jerry and Dorothy looking at each other from across the street right before they go out to dinner is an homage to the pilot of ''Series/MySoCalledLife'' when Angela and Brian are looking across the street from one another.
65	** Also, Jerry and Dorothy making out on her porch is an homage to a similar scene in ''Film/TheMoreTheMerrier'' between Creator/JeanArthur and Joel [=McCrea=].
66	* HonestCorporateExecutive: Jerry. He has an epiphany about how immoral and corrupt his industry can be, and writes a manifesto that he hopes will spark real change. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome He is fired for his trouble]].
67	* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Dorothy's sister gives Jerry a warning of this sort.
68	-->'''Laurel:''' [[PrecisionFStrike You fuck this up, I'll kill you]].\
69	'''Jerry:''' I'm glad we had this talk.
70	* IGaveMyWord: Cushman's father; unfortunately he doesn't mean it.
71	* TheImmodestOrgasm: Avery is very loud when having sex with Jerry.
72	* InsistentTerminology:
73	** Call Chad an ''au pair'' or a ''child care technician'' if you like, but ''don't'' call him a nanny.
74	** And it's not a memo. It's a ''mission statement''.
75	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Rod comes off as a stereotypical spoiled, self-centered, and greedy JerkJock at first, but he's actually fiercely loyal, upstanding, honest, and deeply devoted to his family.
76	* JustPlaneWrong: The next time you're flying coach like Dorothy is, see if you can hear anyone talking in first class like Dorothy does.
77	* KitschyLocalCommercial: At one point Rod walks off the set of an ad he's shooting for a local car dealership (Kammel's Chevrolet) because the owner wants him to ride a camel in addition to wearing a turban.
78	* LargeHam: An Oscar-winning piece served up by Cuba Gooding Jr., with Tom Cruise providing a second helping as the title character.
79	* LittleBlackDress: Dorothy decides to wear one on her first date with Jerry.
80	-->'''Jerry''': That's not a dress, that's an Creator/AudreyHepburn movie.
81	* LousyLoversAreLosers: Despite Avery being a wild and vigorous lover, this doesn't make her a SexGoddess as Jerry finds her too rough and she often runs him ragged, clearly only caring about her own needs.
82	* MeaningfulEcho: The line "you complete me", which is said early in the movie by a deaf couple Jerry and Dorothy encounter on the elevator, and later on [[spoiler: by Jerry as he tries to reconcile with Dorothy at the end of the movie]].
83	* MoralityPet: Ray acts as one towards Jerry at times.
84	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Jerry has one of these moments after sending out his mission statement. It's punctuated by a bomb going off in the episode of ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'' he's watching with a well-timed "boom."
85	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Jerry was based on real-life sports superagent Leigh Steinberg (who appears near the end of the film AsHimself).
86	* NoodleIncident: "... your brother loses his leg in a tragic bass fishing accident ..."
87	* OhCrap: Dorothy when she realizes Jerry was in the hallway as she was telling Laurel she loved him.
88	* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Rod and Marcee are being SickeninglySweethearts while at lunch with Jerry and Dorothy. Then the heavily pregnant Marcee starts to notice something:
89	-->'''Marcee:''' Oh, baby.\
90	'''Rod:''' Baby!\
91	'''Marcee:''' Baby.\
92	'''Rod:''' [[OhCrap Oh! Baby!]]
93	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Everyone calls star quarterback Frank Cushman "Cush", and he even calls himself this, answering the phone with, "This is Cush."
94	* PanickyExpectantFather: Rod, when Marcee goes into labor in the middle of dinner at a restaurant.
95	* ParentalSubstitute: That Jerry is becoming this for Ray is {{Lampshade}}d by Dorothy; it's one of the reasons she breaks up with him as she doesn't want their marriage to be solely about Jerry's relationship with her son.
96	* PopStarComposer: Cameron Crowe's then-wife [[Music/{{Heart\|Band}} Nancy Wilson]] did the score and added an original piece to the soundtrack.
97	* PosthumousCharacter: Jerry's mentor, the late, great Dicky Fox.
98	* PrecisionFStrike: Laurel while giving her IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer speech.
99	* PunctuatedForEmphasis: Avery when [[WallBangHer having sex with Jerry]] in her first scene.
100	-->''DON'T! EVER! STOP! FUCKING ME!''
101	* RaceForYourLove: Jerry runs through a (curiously empty) airport to catch a plane so he can try to win Dorothy back at the end of the movie.
102	* RousingSpeech: A few of them, though mostly played for laughs.
103	* SassyBlackWoman: Marcee is a mild example. Her sass manifests as extreme loyalty to her husband, but she's easily the more level-headed of the two.
104	* SceneryCensor: When Jerry and Avery are having a post-coital lunch in the kitchen, their naughty bits are hidden due to the way their bodies are positioned, as well as some [[ShouldersUpNudity above the waist]] shots.
105	* SexualKarma: Jerry's sex with Avery is seen as being [[LousyLoversAreLosers exhausting and unfulfilling]], whereas he and Dorothy enjoy themselves.
106	* ShakingHerHairLoose: Dorothy wears her hair up for the dinner date with Jerry, and shakes it free just before they have sex.
107	* ShirtlessScene: Cuba Gooding Jr., who [[DyeingForYourArt got into extremely good shape for his role]], has a few.
108	* ShownTheirWork: According to this article [[http://americanaejournal.hu/vol10jazz/gabbard here]] about the jazz that plays when Jerry and Dorothy have sex. Almost seems like Cameron knew what he was doing when writing that scene.
109	* SickeninglySweethearts: Rod and Marcee, which makes Jerry and Dorothy uncomfortable at times since their marriage lacks that kind of closeness.
110	* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Dorothy, who [[{{Lampshade}} identifies herself as such]] a few times.
111	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Noted for being ''very'' idealistic despite portraying professional sports as a rather sleazy business.
112	* SmallNameBigEgo: Rod, at first - as the movie goes on however he begins to play up to his opinion of himself.
113	* SmugSnake: Bob Sugar, Jerry's former protege, who fires Jerry at the beginning of the movie but turns out not to be as good at the agent game as he thinks.
114	* SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein: Jerry has some trouble finding a song to sing along to on the radio.
115	* StepfordSmiler: Jerry while watching Avery's film at his bachelor party. Also, when, while pretending to be Cush on the phone, he finds out Bob Sugar has signed with Cush (through Matt) behind his back.
116	* TheStoner: Oddly enough, uptight Laurel, shown toking up in her kitchen.
117	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Jerry writes a manifesto appealing for his colleagues to care less about money and focus more on interpersonal relationships and caring about their clients as friends. Many of his fellow agents and clients think he's gone mad and he is fired shortly afterwards.
118	* ToplessnessFromTheBack: When Avery and Jerry are having sex, the camera is positioned to only show her bare back and some {{Sideboob}} as she rides him. When she gets out of bed to pick up food from the fridge, she also keeps her back to the camera
119	* {{Tsundere}}: Marcee is fiery and temperamental but also deeply affectionate with Rod.
120	* UncomfortableElevatorMoment: While riding the elevator together, Jerry and Dorothy observe a deaf couple signing to each other. When Jerry wonders what they were saying, Dorothy, who knows sign language because her aunt was hearing impaired, tells him that the guy told his girlfriend "you complete me". As there is already a bit of UnresolvedSexualTension between the two of them, much awkwardness ensues.
121	* UnusualEuphemism: "Shoplifting the pooty."
122	-->'''Jerry:''' I didn't shoplift the pooty! (''Rod just looks at him'') [[ByNoIMeanYes All right! I shoplifted the pooty!]]
123	* VitriolicBestBuds: Rod and Jerry frequently yell at each other but are genuinely close in addition to being business partners.
124	* WhatHaveIBecome: Almost word for word:
125	--> '''Jerry: "What had I become - just another shark in a suit?"'''
126	* WinningOverTheKids: Jerry actually does this too well; when their marriage is falling apart, Dorothy says that she can't stay with a guy "who loves my son....and he ''really likes'' me."
127	* WithDueRespect: After Rod [[SmallNameBigEgo claims he's better than NFL superstar wide receivers like Jerry Rice, Andre Reed and Cris Carter]]:
128	-->'''Jerry:''' Uh, listen, Rod, I-I say this with great respect for you. But those players you mentioned, Rod, they're marquee players (''Rod turns around and gives Jerry a DeathGlare''), and this deal...we're, you know, we-\
129	'''Rod:''' ''Marquee''?!
130	----
131	->''[[Music/BruceSpringsteen She's got a secret garden\
132	Where everything you want\
133	Where everything you need\
134	Will always stay\

Context Film / JerryMaguire