This movie being eponymous with the character played by Tom Cruise, is a 35 years old rising and shining sports agent who works for a Sports Management company. People in this profession works on behalf of his star players-clients, who negotiates and sign the contract with the club, to whom his/her player will play for. The main catch as a sports agent here is to finalize the contract with best possible deal for his players, and of-course Sale’s commission has got a percentage in the contract. Same is for Jerry here, who has got 72 players or say client in his hands, whom he can trade-off with any sports club where he can get the best bid. Jerry always push for high bid for his player, and he is pretty good at this, and so successful in his professional career undoubtedly. He is always appreciated for his clever negotiation strategy, squeezing and putting the money on plate. He is very successful for anyone around him, but only in professional life, not in personal relationship with others. Soon one day, this revelation set him awake all that night. But really why? Because even after achieving everything in his life such as money(most important that we consider), a condo to live in, beautiful fiancé(successful Sales person also), top players in his pocket with a little fame in his profession, still he finds his life incomplete. Lack of integrity and inspiration seems to be reason behind this, that finally shakes him off at one night, hitting him hard to his core.
That one night, he wanted to talk, really talk to someone close to whom he could express his guilt feelings, like a confession. But in the midnight, there is no-one to hear his words and so he decides to write, but what? Jerry knew that he is not the same person now, that he used to aspire from his adult days. So that night, he decides to express the actual mission of his life, whose job is not only to close the best deal for his clients with the reputed clubs, but to also take care of his clients well being, listen to them more like a friend than an agent, during difficult times. Treat them more like a human being than an ATM card to which he can cash any amount he desires, and leave them when he/she becomes worthless, because he knew one thing for sure- this is not what inspires people. That’s why Jerry came up with an idea of “less clients, more attention“, and at that night, he actually wrote it down as a mission statement for his company to be printed and send it off to every person related to this. And he is pretty nervous and excited about this before doing this. But soon he realizes that his idealism is next to impossible to implement in this money driven competitive business, where companionship for clients is not on their priority list.
After returning to his company, Jerry receives a warm welcome from his colleagues on the course of reading his printed mission statements. He is excited that finally he have the guts to express his thoughts to what he truly believe in it, which is clearly unique and challenges the ongoing market perception for this business. In between all these things, Jerry also met a lady name Dorothy Boyd(played by outstanding actress Renee Zellweger) in the airport. A single mother with a boy child, Dorothy works as an accountant in same company, where Jerry works. When she read the Jerry’s mission statement, she actually got inspired by his thoughts and ideas, and somehow began to imagine him as a heartthrob to whom she could only ideally dream of, to be with. During their first meeting at airport, both had a good acquaintance, Jerry got the pleasure of Dorothy and her son and Dorothy met her dream man, and express her genuine feelings towards his thought.
But except her, everyone in the office is sort of considering Jerry’s ideology as a joke or non-idealistic. Someone in the office also notices that his idea may ruin the company’s considerable profit making business from his large number of clients. Seeing as a threat for company’s future, at last Jerry got fired from the company, due to his idealistic thoughts. Of course with job, Jerry looses all his clients except only one client- Rod Tidwell.
Rod Tidwell is an another interesting character here, who is a professional Rugby player under a club. No doubt, Rod is among the best performing players in his club, but in addition Rod has got a precious thing in his life, whom anyone will always desire of- a beautiful family with a sweetheart caring wife and a boy child, to whom he give his heart to live with. So a good player with a beautiful family on his back- seems everything he got in his life, right…. But it is a big No!! On the opposite, he is always after the money behind his game, always complaining about why he can’t be one among those rich & famous players like his peers. Players in his field always try to cash out money out of his game, as much they can, as their game last for average 7-10 years depending on their fitness and thus performance level. That what makes Rod anxious about him and his family, as how he would take care of his family once his game comes to an end, if he doesn’t earn pretty wild income from his game and contract. But somehow, this attitude has let him too far from loving his game, and instead he starts to put blame on others for his miserable situation, which has also taken a great toll on his performance. Guess the victim out here for Rod complaints – Jerry Maguire his agent.
Jerry starts his own company and Dorothy joins him, as first employee. Dorothy always admired Jerry, of what he wanted to become in his life, that’s why she left her current paid salary job to go with him, even if she is a single mother with a boy child, having no backup financial background. But she was content with her choice to go with something to which she truly believes in, instead of following the crowds, and Jerry was the one who shares the same thought. Both has got only one client – Rod Tidwell. It seems that all three need each other badly, and it is going to work, only if Rod can get a good contract, which Jerry is trying to do it desperately to get some commission for him and Dorothy, but found no success in it. During this, Jerry and Dorothy also got pretty close to each other. Dorothy already liked Jerry, but how Jerry got into her. After losing his job, his girlfriend dumped him, labelled him as a loser like everyone else, except Dorothy. This makes Jerry all alone with only Dorothy to stand by him. Jerry knows very well that a single mother is working for him to help him, his new born company remain float in the market, and Jerry feels his responsibility to take care of her wellbeing, his singular ideology to everything it is all about.
But with no success in having good contract for Rod, Dorothy decides to move out to support her family – for her only son she cares about. She has taken that bold step of leaving his old company to help Jerry accomplish what he truly believes in, and Dorothy know that she is finally in right direction to do something inspirational, but she also can’t ignore the responsibility towards her only son- who is surely a whole world to her life. Jerry knows her and his company situation very well, and feels completely helpless to help her stay with him.
When Dorothy meet Jerry before her departure, Dorothy tried to hide her emotions for leaving Jerry, on back of his glasses. Feeling completely obligated to help her, Jerry impulsely proposes her to marry him. Hearing that magical words out of Jerry “Will you marry me….” , her emotions bursts into tears out of happiness. It is like a dream come true for Dorothy to marry her love she always admired and dreamt of. No doubt her son likes Jerry so much, and made a pact to visit zoo with him. Both Jerry and Dorothy had a lovely marriage with all their belongings, with Rod entertaining the guests in this happy occasion with his annoying song. But sadly, soon she realizes the truth that this love is one sided only, and Jerry has to marry her, more due to his responsibility to support her, instead of true love like she has for Jerry. Due to this, Dorothy feels guilty, getting a bitter feeling that along with her son, she has emotionally taken advantage of his moral values towards them. And she is not build to live like that. So she finally broke up with him, with a very painful separation for both of them, and releasing Jerry of his obligations. But of course Jerry liked both of them, and promised to take her son to the zoo.
So we have a situation here, where Dorothy and Jerry are separated, and Jerry still has not find his true purpose of fighting all alone for his one client only, who is itself irritating, annoying and self complaining about all the things that he has not got in his life. But there is an irony here, Rod has got a beautiful family, who is always waiting for him to return home everyday, which Jerry has don’t(and surely he missed it), and Jerry has got a piece of wisdom which Rod really need to implement in his life, to get out of his vicious loop of self pitying about his life and instead enjoy the game with his heart, because this is what that inspires people. It is upto you now, to find out how everything got sorted out well at the end.
Family is a precious thing to preserve, and nurture them. No matter how hectic the life is for us, but you know that there is someone waiting for you at home, and only because of that, almost everyone got the spirit to fight the hell out of his life, so as to return home and take care of their family, whether he is husband or she is wife. And finally, whatever the profession we chose, that becomes a sole identity of our life, and within that journey whatever the ups and down we face in it to keep our dependants afloat, we should always stick to this point of wisdom – Never lose yourself in this journey, never forget who you are. Because if we are far from that, then we will never be content with our life, and will be trapped ourselves in materialistic never-ending loop of “trying to get happiness” out of nothing. So finally, I would like you to rest your eyes from this blog(hope it adds any value to your life), by reading this quote from someone in the movie that I really don’t know, but deserves an ending statement here:
“Hey I don’t have all the answers. In life to be honest, I’ve failed as much as I have succeeded. But I love my wife, I love my life…. and I wish you my kind of success“
Hast la vista, my friend…
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