Feature Movie of the Week: Jerry Maguire

"The most important thing to remember is this: to be ready at any moment to give up what you are for what you might become." 

- W. E. B. Du Bois

Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire is probably my favourite one of his films (sorry Almost Famous, you are a close second). It follows the story of successful sports agent Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) who appears to 'have it all', until one night he has a sort of existential epiphany, questioning who he is and what he does for a living. 

"Who had I become? Just another shark in a suit?...

I couldn't escape one simple thought: I hated myself. No, no, no, here's what it was: I hated my place in the world. I had so much to say and no one to listen."

Due to Jerry's contrarian views and blatant critique of the business he works in, he is fired and decides to start his own agency. One other person from his previous agency takes the risk and joins him, single mother Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), and he only has one client, footballer Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr). But it is through his relationships with Dorothy and Rod that Jerry is forced to really contemplate the kind of man he is and wants to be.

Crowe's clever, witty script with some of the most memorable movie lines ever also manages to examine the themes of human connection, intimacy and the difference between loyalty and love with more than a few tear-jerking and heartwarming moments along the way. 

  Standout performances:

• Tom Cruise: Love or hate Tom Cruise, his portrayal of Jerry Maguire is pretty spectacular. There are several times in this film where he brought me to tears with what I refer to as 'almost-crying' (a difficult acting technique which involves glossy eyes and tears welling up, looking like you're just about to cry but trying to supress it)

• Renee Zellweger: In her breakthrough role she plays Dorothy with the perfect balance of charm, grace and innocence. 

 

• Bonnie Hunt: As Dorothy's sister Laurel she is her usual awesome self, she can be sassy but you know that he she loves her sister and only wants the best for her.

 

• Cuba Gooding Jr.: This is Cuba Gooding Jr. at his best, he is crazy and spends 90% of this film yelling but you can't help but love him.

• Jonathan Lipnicki: But the real performance that steals the show is 5 year old Jonathan Lipnicki, a little cutie pie who will make your heart melt (especially in the scene when he hugs Jerry).

Memorable scenes:

• When Jerry leaves his job in a less than subtle manner after being fired. And when Dorothy impulsively joins him and the two leave the office in a perfectly awkward and uncertain way.
• "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" (Need I say more?)
• Jerry's grand gesture to Dorothy towards the end of the film; in front of a group of her friends he struggles to find the words to win her back, but he eventually pours his heart out and let's be honest, says exactly what every person in a serious relationship wants to hear: "You complete me...", and Dorothy's perfect reply, "You had me at hello..."

Music moments:

• Free Fallin'- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

• Secret Garden- Bruce Springsteen

Feature Movie of the Week: Celeste and Jesse Forever

“To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose is the next best.” 
- William Makepeace Thackeray

Celeste and Jesse Forever is an absolute indie gem written by Rashida Jones and friend Will McCormack and it tells the story of Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg), best friends who married young, are now separated, getting divorced and still just as much best friends as they were when they were a couple. Sound strange? Yes, it is a highly unusual situation, a separated couple who have remained great friends isn't something you see in films and TV shows very often, but that is what makes this film so great. 

 

Celeste and Jesse both start dating new people with the naive notion that they can move on without it having any impact on their relationship, but this of course is not the case. And when Jesse quickly decides to settle down with someone new, Celeste realises that, despite the fact that they have been separated for 6 months, perhaps she isn't quite as ready to move on as she thought. 
 

Jesse

"What did you want me to do? 

 Wait for you to meet someone first? 

Is that how you saw it happening?"

The supporting characters also deserve recognition as they are very entertaining and provide much comedic relief; including Emma Roberts as pop star Riley Banks, Elijah Wood as Celeste's business partner Scott, and Celeste and Jesse's mutual friends Skillz (Will McCormack), Beth (Ari Graynor) and Tucker (Eric Christian Olsen).

Celeste and Jesse Forever sublimely explores the themes of love, friendship, being alone and what it means to move on, even if you're not ready to.

 

 Standout performances:

•  Rashida Jones: You can tell she wrote this film because this part is perfect for her. The perfect balance of neurotic, charming, vulnerable and sometimes just downright sad. Celeste is a character that is proud of the fact that, in comparison to Jesse, she has it together; she has a stable job, a house, a car, her life is "right". Therefore, she finds it incredibly difficult to deal with Jesse moving on first and her being seemingly left behind, and I have to applaud Rashida for both writing and playing this very realistically flawed female character, a rarity in film.

• Andy Samberg: He is one of those comedic actors (much like Seth Rogen) who can play very hilarious, often gross characters and also much more serious, sensitive and vulnerable ones. He really shines in this film.

•  Chris Messina: I've said it before and I'll say it again, I feel like this guy steals whatever film or TV show he appears in. For some reason his performances always stick with me, no matter how minor his part is, and Celeste and Jesse Forever is no exception.

Memorable scenes:

• The reception following Tucker and Beth's wedding, Celeste simply stands outside the tent and watches everyone dancing and having fun and it is heartbreaking.
• Celeste and Jesse's fight in the street after she asks him if there is any chance they could get back together, then followed by Celeste's sad walk home which gets interrupted by a person in a bear suit giving her a resisted but well needed hug
• One of the final scenes in the film when Celeste and Jesse are signing divorce papers at their lawyers office, Celeste says, "I like that tie... is it made out of organic mung beans?" to which Jesse replies, "No, actually I found it digging through your trash" (inside jokes you would have to watch the whole film to understand) and then, much to the confusion of their lawyers, the two start laughing. It is incredibly bittersweet and a perfect note for them to end their marriage on. 

Music moments:

• Baby- Donnie and Joe Emerson

 

• No Other Plans- Sunny Levine

• Rescue Song (RAC Remix)- Mr. Little Jeans

Why I Love The Mindy Project

The Mindy Project is one of my favourite comedies on television right now. It is fun, witty and the brainchild of one of the coolest ladies ever/my spirit animal Mindy Kaling who also writes and stars in the show. 

So I figured what better way to profess my love for The Mindy Project than a GIF filled list of 12 of the many reasons why I love this show.  

1. Chris Messina 

(yes he gets his own section)

 THAT FACE

THAT SMILE

 

THOSE EYES

 

THAT JAWLINE

(I could literally write a blog post purely based around why I love Chris Messina)

2. Mindy loves Tina Fey as much as I do  

(which is a lot)

3. The show has a killer range of guest stars 

 4. Mindy understands the importance of food 

5. Kisses like this happen 

6. And dancing like this happens 

For more information on the above video please see this informative Buzzfeed article

7. The show has an awesome cast of supporting characters who never fail to crack me up 

 

8. Mindy and I have similar attitudes when it comes to exercise 

9. Oh and speaking of body image issues, moments like this happen, forever ruining all real life men  

10.Even though it's a comedy, it still has it's dramatic/heartbreaking moments, and does them superbly  

 

11. Mindy goes through her share of forever alone/cat lady phases, which I think is fair to say is an accurate representation of most women 

12. It contains an abundance of pop culture references 

So in summary, if you haven't watched The Mindy Project... WATCH IT NOW!