Danielle Clark returns to EN to discuss about a man who, despite the controversies in his 25 years in film, has always brought the box office in his films: Tom Cruise
Lets start on a positive, the man does continue to deliver the entertainment. War of the Worlds (2005), in blockbuster terms didn’t disappoint, and even though Mission Impossible: 3 (2006) failed to meet the Hollywood studio chiefs expectations, it still pulled in a rather nice $47.7 million in its opening weekend. So I think it’s fair to say he is still most definitely bringing home the bacon. However, somebody should really tell Tom Cruise to stick to the day the job, because his current and sadly long running, off-screen show, ‘TomKat’, that sees him snatching headline after headline for making gaffe after gaffe, is only earning him, well lets see… he was named the #1 “Celebrity Meltdown Ever” by TV Guide Magazine. Congratulations Tom. I didn’t think you had it in you.
Nobody needs reminding of the rather unnerving appearance the man in question made on ’The Oprah Winfrey Show’
in May 2005. Tip: never jump up and down on a couch declaring your love. The cynics will hate you for obvious reasons and the romantics, damn even most of them have their limits.Since then Cruise’s career has been on a downward trajectory. The once notoriously guarded star suddenly decided to do away with his oral filter and publicly extinguish a whole lot of verbal diarrhoea, that seems to just keep on coming. Mainly regarding his passion for Scientology, according to the word of Cruise, when you drive past an accident as a Scientologist, it’s “not like anyone else … you know you’re the only one that can help”. Take heed Cruise, modesty is a virtue. The public like the modesty.
However, with the release of Tropic Thunder (2008) next month, which has already earned Cruise praise for an apparent knock-out of a cameo. And the buzz surrounding his upcoming world war two flick Valkyrie (2008), scheduled to be released later this year, there is hope that the star will once again be recognized for something more than a man who jumps on Oprah’s couch, buys sonogram machines and criticizes Brooke Shield’s for taking anti-depressants.
Confession: despite all the blunders, and sure there has been a few of late, I still think ole Tom deserves his props for being an A-list actor. And here are just 10 reasons why.
Risky Business(1983)
Rain Man(1988)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
A Few Good Men (1992)
The Firm (1993)
Interview with the Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Mission Impossible (1996)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Magnolia (1999)
Collateral (2004)
Lets hope the list continues to grow. Or at the very least the next Tom Cruise graduates from acting school soon.
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