Jerry Maguire 

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Cameron Crowe comes through again in this wonderful film about a multimillion dollar sports agent (Tom Cruise) who discovers a conscience and is subsequently fired. Only one player remains with him, a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) who is stuck only on the verge of greatness. Throw away all your previous conceptions of Tom Cruise except for "Risky Business," because that was the last time he was so convincing. The burgeoning friendship between him and Cuba Gooding is a high point of the script, but really, this is a film about love—Renee Zellweger deserves stardom as the secretary/single mom who sticks with Maguire and gives him a glimpse of truth and pure passion. Her kid (Jonathan Lipnick) has got to be the best under-10 screen presence since Lukas Haas in "Witness." Realistic enough to be engaging, cheesy enough to invoke tears, Cameron Crowe walks a tightrope that is convincing and inspiring.

—Ian Williams

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