With so much bad criticism hitting Tom Cruise these days, I thought it'd be best to remember the reasons why Tom Cruise is so famous. He's acted in successful movies - maybe because of his acting or maybe not; but, his films are enjoyable, and his films have earned buttloads of money.
1. Magnolia (1999) - Paul Thomas Anderson directs this epic movie about life and relationships. Magnolia's many characters interweave throughout the movie's many subplots to create cohesion where once incohesion existed. Tom Cruise plays Frank T.J. Mackey, a male sex guru, who is crude, fake and frank. This is his best performance as an actor because his character might just be the most "real" person that he's ever played.
2. A Few Good Men (1992) - Rob Reiner's best film (other than Stand By Me) tells the tale of two marine cadets charged for the murder of a fellow marine. Tom Cruise is a hot-shot attorney assigned to defend the marine cadets. This movie is good, but is probably more well-known for Jack Nicholson's protrayal of Col. Nathan R. Jessep.
3. Collateral (2004) - Michael Mann's ode to Los Angeles was one of the best films of 2004. Tom Cruise plays a hitman, Vincent, who uses a cab driver (Jamie Foxx) to drive him to his killing destinations. Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx have tremendous chemistry, and it shows with their conversations on life and work.
4. Top Gun (1986) - The action scenes in this movie are terrific. I'm not praising Cruise's acting in this movie, but I'm praising the movie's entertainment value. The dialogue is cheesy, but fun. It helps create the standard for a guy film.
5. Minority Report (2002) - Tom Cruise's first duet with Steven Spielberg is one of the best science-fiction films of the new millenium. Top-notch special effects and probably Spielberg's best recent directing effort make for one entertaining and intellectual film.
Honorable mention: Born On The Fourth Of July (1989), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Interview With The Vampire (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), Rain Man (1988)
When Tom Cruise was sprayed in the face during the London premiere of War Of The Worlds (2005), he said that he was upset because he doesn't deserve being ridiculed when he "works so hard to make people feel good." His statement was correct. Entertainers work hard to entertain us. Cruise works hard to make people feel good, and at the very least, we should cut him some slack.
I always quote from Top Gun because I'm always looking for a new wingman.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Phillip Winn
No Risky Business? A list of Tom Cruise's greatest film performances, and you left off Risky Business? Oh, man, what happened?
Brooke Shields works hard to make people feel good, too.
2 - Tan The Man
I didn't like Risky Business that much.
3 - Gina
I just watched Top Gun for the first time in years just last week, and it reminded me why I loved Tom Cruise. He just really annoys me now though.
4 - visualsimplicity
Jerry Macguire?
5 - -E
Rain Man is the best one of his films! Eyes Wide Shut got an honorable mention? EWWW haha.
In other words, I guess I don't agree with your list.
6 - rbp0554
1) Rainman (Cruise play hot tempered spoiled little brat)
2) The Color of Money (Cruise plays hot tempered spoiled little brat)
3) Interview With A Vampire (Cruise plays hot tempered spoiled little blood sucker)
4) Cocktail (Actually... this movie sucked donkey dicks... but guess what??? Cruise played a hot headed spoiled little brat)
5) The Matt Lauer Incident (Actually this wasn't a movie... but Tom Cruise was a hot tempered spoiled little brat)
- RBP
7 - Eric Berlin
People who hate Cruise have to admit that he's been in some fine films.
Vanilla Sky is brilliant -- one of the most underrated Hollywood films of ever.
Samurai was pretty damned good, a hell of an entertaining movie.
8 - rbp0554
It is possible for a person to simultaneously admire an artist and think that the artist is a scumbag.
My point is that Tom plays a really good spoiled little brat b/c it's not a stretch.
- RBP
9 - -E
Vanilla Sky was alright until the last 30 minutes. A really bad ending can ruin a film for me.
But I agree, one can find an actor entertaining while not liking them at the same time.
10 - Mickey
The reviewer is way off mark..
My top-5 Tom Cruise movies are >
1.The Last Samurai
2.Jerry Mcguire
3.Mission Impossible
4.Born on 4th of July
5.Magnolia
.....and I have probably seen all TC movies...grew up on those....
11 - Ronald C McKito
Last samurai, that was a good film
12 - Tan The Man
You're off that mark....
... except with Mission Impossible, Born on 4th of July and Magnolia. Although Magnolia should be higher on your list.
13 - omaha
We do need to remember Tom for all the good movies he has given us. Thank you, for your positive article.
14 - lizzyleita
Tom Cruise is incredibly enjoyable to watch. He IS a perfectionist in his roll-playing. He's handsome and has a wholesomeness that is great to see in today's grundge-world of movie sleeze.
Not only that, I like that Tom expresses his love for Katie openly. I don't like today's "burn-em-and-turn-em" trite handling of love these. Tom has depth of character where a lot of actors don't.
15 - Brent McKee
I'm a fan of A Few Good Men primarily because, while you remember Nicholson, the whole cast is doing some of their best work, including a pre-augmentation Demi Moore, and Kevin Pollack, who can be an excellent dramatic actor (better than he is in a lot of comedies).
16 - Chris Evans
Uh...I have...two words...
Jerry...Maguire.
It is arguably Tom's best performance and furthermore, film. With the constant box-office blockbuster crap Tom continues to spit out of his 4 foot ass, Jerry Maguire still stands as Tom's most tender and emotional performance, and quite frankly my favorite. How you could even list Minority Report is beyond me.
17 - Taloran
How about that one where he's a high school football player in a Pennsylvania coal mining town? I forget the name of the film, but thought it was one of his more credible performances.
18 - Eric Berlin
All the Right Moves, I believe that was? Yeah, that was pretty good.
And wasn't Cruise (and half the planet) in The Outsiders? Great flick.
19 - Tan The Man
He was only in the Outsiders for like 5 min...
20 - eXtreme caffeine
Tom Cruise is an engaging, likeable actor who brings to his various roles a lot of earnest and serious dedication. But he underscores everything with a common personality trait--he's a jerk, but he knows he can get away with it because he knows he's a rare breed. He knows he's a jerk you can like with a little effort.
One further note, Cruise in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut is one of the greatest films ever made. The film's slow pacing is retro-1940's and pays homage to that style.
21 - Victor Plenty
What!? No love for Far And Away or Legend?!
22 - Tan The Man
I remember being too freaked out as a 10 year old when I first watched Legend.
23 - Paul Roy
Rain Man is certainly top three.
24 - visualsimplicity
I dug Far and Away too. As a kid, that was like one of my favorite films.
And I'm going to sit with Tan on Minority Report. That was a good film. It had a giant hole in the logic but the overall idea made for good discussion among friends post-watching.
25 - celebcraze
Thanks you for the article. It's about time someone writes a good thing about Tom Cruise, that is his achievement in making great movies. I've seen all his movies and like most of them because each one is unique and different. If I want to see a touch of romance-Jerry McGuire; a dashing military pilot-Top Gun; a creepy vampire-Interview WTV; a villain-Collateral. The list goes on and on. He's also a wonderful person and I wish him a long last career.
love story that is beautifulis still my favorite movie. It has a strong charactersaw it so many times