5 Top Tom Cruise movies

[ForeverAutumn]

Tom Cruise is one of those guys, IMO, who doesn't get the respect as an actor that he deserves. He seems like a total idiot on a personal level, and he's done some mediocre movies, but when he's good, he's excellent. I thought that he was brilliant in Magnolia.

I got this article off of Yahoo. I would replace Jerry McGuire with Rain Man. And Risky Business with Vanilla Sky. Risky Business was a great movie, but I'm not sure that it was Tom Cruise that made it great.


5 best Tom Cruise performances
By Christy Lemire, The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - This may come as a surprise, but I've come to praise Tom Cruise, not to bury him.

Before all the couch-jumping and creepy laughter in leaked Scientology videos, before public spats with Matt Lauer and Brooke Shields, Cruise wasn't just THE A-lister among all Hollywood A-listers, he was also an actor who could really act.

In recent years, his off-screen antics have overshadowed his on-screen talent. "Knight and Day," coming out this week, should turn that around: Cruise is at his charismatic best here, equally adept with the stunts in the action sequences as he is with the banter with co-star Cameron Diaz.

So it's a good opportunity to look back at his strongest performances — the ones that made Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise:

— "Magnolia" (1999): Pretty much universally recognized as his best work ever, it earned him the third of his three Oscar nominations, this time for supporting actor. As cocky self-help speaker Frank T. J. Mackey, Cruise electrified Paul Thomas Anderson's opus about intertwined lives - and falling frogs — over one day in Los Angeles. He was totally commanding in his arrogance on stage, yet also laid himself bare watching the death of his father (Jason Robards) and struggling with the conflicting emotions it stirred.

— "Jerry Maguire" (1996): OK, so maybe the "You complete me" scene is more than a little cheesy in retrospect. Still, his performance as a sports agent trying to rebuild his career and his personal life allowed him to show the full range of highs and lows within him. And that line from Cameron Crowe's film remains famous largely because he's the one who says it — just like the movie's catchphrase, "Show me the money!" ("Jerry Maguire" also earned Cruise one of his two best-actor Oscar nominations.)

— "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989): Here's where Cruise showed his ability to dig deep, and do more than just charm us by flashing that sexy smile of his and working his high-energy, verbal magic. He'd had plenty of dramatic scenes in "The Color of Money" and "Rain Man," but in Oliver Stone's searing film about Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, who returned from the war partially paralyzed and fully disillusioned, the transformation in Cruise occurred not just superficially but internally, as well. (This was his first Oscar nomination for best actor.)

— "Minority Report" (2002): Sure, the visuals and the bold ideas are what you probably remember from Steven Spielberg's darkly thrilling sci-fi drama, based on the short story by Philip K. Dick. But Cruise is at the centre, holding it all together confidently as the straight man in a fantastic, futuristic world, even as his detective character, John Anderton, goes on the run for a crime he hasn't yet committed. Delivering a rare understated performance really works for him here.

— "Risky Business" (1983): Of course, the movie that made him a star in the first place. In retrospect, it's a classic Tom Cruise role, the prototype: a young guy who has it all and thinks he has all the answers, only to experience a comeuppance and learn more than he bargained for. It's a performance that solidified his place in pop culture; nearly 30 years later, the scene in which he dances around in his undies to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" is still being parodied.

Cruise has had so many of those in his career, though, how do you choose just five? Sometimes, you just gotta say, what the ... well, you know.

[Hyfi]

I am gonna say Born on the 4th of July is his best work that I have seen. One of the most believable parts he ever played and the overall movie was fantastic.

I have only seen Risky Business and 4th from this list.

Overall, I do not like TC at all and am tired of seeing his face......but not as bad as Tom Hanks though.

[bobsticks]

This is some of my favorite work of his. Note the maleable arms denoting, along with the palsied expression, his ability to climb within the role of Xenon the thetan with an intrinsically good, omniscient, non-material core capable of unlimited creativity. And look at Oprah convey the tremulous recognition of a spirituality beyond her understanding. Amazing how Cruise can bring out the best of any taught-faced thespian.

okay...I liked him Top Gun...

[bfalls]

It's that one where he runs a lot. Oh wait a minute, that's all of them.

[dean_martin]

1. As Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder
2. As Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder
3. As Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder
4. As Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder
5. As Austin Powers in Goldmember (he flies in, you see him, he says a few lines, the opening credits are over, you turn off the rest of the movie)

Seriously though, I thought he was good as the gung-ho character in Taps, but as it turned out, he just kept playing an older version of this character. I recently picked up a cheap copy of Legend to revisit at some point.

[Rich-n-Texas]

This is some of my favorite work of his. Note the maleable arms denoting, along with the palsied expression, his ability to climb within the role of Xenon the thetan with an intrinsically good, omniscient, non-material core capable of unlimited creativity. And look at Oprah convey the tremulous recognition of a spirituality beyond her understanding. Amazing how Cruise can bring out the best of any taught-faced thespian.

okay...I liked him Top Gun...

Despite all the political crap that's constantly brought up, and pixelthis, THIS is a big reason why I come back to this board. 'sticks, I think you and I should change user titles, because, YOU are out there! And I mean that in a good way.

I liked "Jerry Maguire", but it was more because I liked Cuba Gooding's character and how well he played it. "Top Gun" was good; the sound track kicked ass, and I liked "Minority Report", because of, yeah, cool gadgets. I think TC is just one of those people where you either love him or hate him.

So, what was the question?

[ForeverAutumn]

I think TC is just one of those people where you either love him or hate him.

Perhaps. But I don't love or hate him. I think that in his personal life he's probably a total dumbass who has always managed to get by on his looks...although I've never thought him to be particularly good looking. But, as an actor, I do feel that he deserves respect for some of his roles.

Brad Pitt falls into this category for me too. I never really got why people think that he's so sexy. But he kicks butt in films like 12 Monkeys and Kalifornia.

[Hyfi]

I think TC is just one of those people where you either love him or hate him.

As Men on Films would say in unison, "Hated It!"

[dean_martin]

Brad Pitt falls into this category for me too. I never really got why people think that he's so sexy. But he kicks butt in films like 12 Monkeys and Kalifornia.

Yeah, I respect these guys more as artists when they abandon the prettyboy roles and go for something different. Pitt's character's looks and mannerisms in Kalifornia reminded me of some guys around my home town. I also like his stoner guy in True Romance. I didn't care for Patrick Swayze at all until he pulled off the self-help guru/child pornographer in Donnie Darko.

[Rich-n-Texas]

So, everybody is going to go see his latest movie: "Knight & Day" with Cameron Diaz, RIGHT?

[ForeverAutumn]

So, everybody is going to go see his latest movie: "Knight & Day" with Cameron Diaz, RIGHT?

Could be decent renter perhaps. Cameron Diaz is cute and can make me laugh. Without having seen it, I suspect that one would be filed in that "mediocre" category that I mentioned.

[Smokey]

5 best Tom Cruise performances
By Christy Lemire, The Associated Press

— "Magnolia" (1999): Pretty much universally recognized as his best work ever, it earned him the third of his three Oscar nominations, this time for supporting actor. As cocky self-help speaker Frank T. J. Mackey, Cruise electrified Paul Thomas Anderson's opus about intertwined lives - and falling frogs — over one day in Los Angeles. He was totally commanding in his arrogance on stage, yet also laid himself bare watching the death of his father (Jason Robards) and struggling with the conflicting emotions it stirred.

— "Jerry Maguire" (1996): OK, so maybe the "You complete me" scene is more than a little cheesy in retrospect. Still, his performance as a sports agent trying to rebuild his career and his personal life allowed him to show the full range of highs and lows within him. And that line from Cameron Crowe's film remains famous largely because he's the one who says it — just like the movie's catchphrase, "Show me the money!" ("Jerry Maguire" also earned Cruise one of his two best-actor Oscar nominations.)

— "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989): Here's where Cruise showed his ability to dig deep, and do more than just charm us by flashing that sexy smile of his and working his high-energy, verbal magic. He'd had plenty of dramatic scenes in "The Color of Money" and "Rain Man," but in Oliver Stone's searing film about Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, who returned from the war partially paralyzed and fully disillusioned, the transformation in Cruise occurred not just superficially but internally, as well. (This was his first Oscar nomination for best actor.)

— "Minority Report" (2002): Sure, the visuals and the bold ideas are what you probably remember from Steven Spielberg's darkly thrilling sci-fi drama, based on the short story by Philip K. Dick. But Cruise is at the centre, holding it all together confidently as the straight man in a fantastic, futuristic world, even as his detective character, John Anderton, goes on the run for a crime he hasn't yet committed. Delivering a rare understated performance really works for him here.

— "Risky Business" (1983): Of course, the movie that made him a star in the first place. In retrospect, it's a classic Tom Cruise role, the prototype: a young guy who has it all and thinks he has all the answers, only to experience a comeuppance and learn more than he bargained for. It's a performance that solidified his place in pop culture; nearly 30 years later, the scene in which he dances around in his undies to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" is still being parodied.

I am surprise The Firm is not on that list. IMO that is probably his best movie. Jerry Maguire was also pretty good, but as Rich from Texas said it was mostly due to Cuba's performance.

[3LB]

I liked when Tom Cruise played a Nazi. He used his own wardrobe.

Tom Cruise is a cult hero - he's also a member...and he's a wife beater.

I liked when he played that forrest nymph dude in Legend. Again, he used his own wardrobe.

Tom Cruise is a Nazi-fuktard.

[Ajani]

My favs are:

Vanilla Sky
Collateral
Minority Report

[Feanor]

Tom Cruise is one of those guys, IMO, who doesn't get the respect as an actor that he deserves. He seems like a total idiot on a personal level, and he's done some mediocre movies, but when he's good, he's excellent. I thought that he was brilliant in Magnolia.
....

Cruise is a more than decent actor. Too bad about his personal quirks; most egregious to me his association with that pseudo-religious scam, Scientology.

[luvtolisten]

My favorite was "Rain Man", but I think Dustin Hoffman stole the show.
My second choice would have been "A Few Good Men", but Nicholson stole that one too.
(That's if you can "handle the truth!")

[recoveryone]

Tom's ability as an Actor is what it is, but I can say this. He knows how to choose a good script for the most part. There have been so many films he has been in over the last 25 years and the one thing you can say, the movie made him not him make the movie. And that is good in some opinions for he does not over Shadow the other roles/actors or the story line. I can give him an applause today for being able to make fun of himself and the roles he has played in the past which is making him more marketable.

[RGA]

Cruise is a more than decent actor. Too bad about his personal quirks; most egregious to me his association with that pseudo-religious scam, Scientology.

Scientology is nutty but then again it's a bit of a double standard since all the rest of them are nutty - they just have more members. I enjoyed Boston Legal's quick explanation of Scientology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPBiGtVmir4

[Auricauricle]

First of all, it's good to see a few familiar faces here! I have missed being here, in spite of being somewhere else, where the mood is always in good humor and the discourse is beyond reproach....Right....

I would vote for Magnolia as one TC's best works. In that movie, I could forget, at least for a couple of seconds or so, that TC was in the film, a quality that alas plagues most of the rest of his work. Like it or not, Cruise has a presence that cannot be easily wiped away, making the roles he plays transparent and (IMO) uninteresting. With his antics he has become more visible, a problem that will make the disappearing act on screen more difficult.

Other work:

Minority Report
Rain Man
The Color of Money
Risky Business

[Rich-n-Texas]

I just got the urge to watch "The Big Lebowski" again.

Screw Tom Cruise.

[JohnMichael]

I liked when Tom Cruise played a Nazi. He used his own wardrobe.

Tom Cruise is a cult hero - he's also a member...and he's a wife beater.

I liked when he played that forrest nymph dude in Legend. Again, he used his own wardrobe.

Tom Cruise is a Nazi-fuktard.

I dislike Tom Cruise so much I was not even going to read this thread even though I usually read everything by ForeverAutumn and have her on a bit of a pedestal. I am so glad I finally read it just for 3LB's response. You have earned greenies.

[Troy]

I just got the urge to watch "The Big Lebowski" again.

Screw Tom Cruise.

A-freekin-men, dude.

[JohnMichael]

Screw Tom Cruise.

No! Just no interest. Of course he does have the purttiest mouth I ever seen. Thanks "Deliverance".

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

No! Just no interest. Of course he does have the purttiest mouth I ever seen. Thanks "Deliverance".

Shame on you for looking at his mouth lustfully. Now you will have to say fifteen hail Scientology's to be forgiven for your lustful trespass.

[ForeverAutumn]

I liked when Tom Cruise played a Nazi. He used his own wardrobe.

Tom Cruise is a cult hero - he's also a member...and he's a wife beater.

I liked when he played that forrest nymph dude in Legend. Again, he used his own wardrobe.

Tom Cruise is a Nazi-fuktard.

I dislike Tom Cruise so much I was not even going to read this thread even though I usually read everything by ForeverAutumn and have her on a bit of a pedestal. I am so glad I finally read it just for 3LB's response. You have earned greenies.

LMAO! I don't know how I missed 3LBs post. That was hilarious!

John, I don't deserve that, but the feeling is entirely mutual my friend.