Cruise = Reagan Era = Over?
Apologies for not taking note two days ago of a scathing Tom Cruise career-analysis piece by Slate's Stephen Metcalf. The gist is that Cruise's legend wasn't just born in the '80s but exemplifies -- is spiritually bonded to -- the Age of Reagan, and that he's now threatened by the current consensus that the Wall Street junk-bond/hedge-fund alcoholic greed splurge of the last 25 years is finally over and done with. As that spirit and attitude is tanking, Metcalf says, so is Cruise's career.
"More so than any of his contemporaries," says Metcalf, Cruise "brought to '80s cinema an aura that corresponded to the novel tonalities of Reaganism." And in order to triumph as the '80s incarnate -- here's the interesting part -- Cruise "had to kill within himself every tendency to messiness and ambivalence." And the end result of this lethal discipline, he's arguing, has left Cruise without the basic personality components that he could dig into and expand upon in middle age.
Cruise's career, he explains, "maps perfectly onto the 25-year bull market in stocks that, like Cruise, is starting to show its age. Nascent in the early '80s, emergent in 1983, dominant in the '90s, suspiciously resilient in the '00s, and, starting in 2005, increasingly prone to alarming meltdowns. For both Cruise and the Dow Jones, more and more leverage is required for less and less performance.
"Place Cruise next to Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman and Spencer Tracy , and he is a riddle. Place him next to Ronald Reagan, and he is not so confounding at all.
"A worry shadows the forthcoming Tom Cruise thriller Valkyrie," the article begins. "The worry is that, upon seeing Cruise done up in an eye patch and Nazi jackboots -- trick or treat! -- audiences will laugh. This is not a high bar for the world's biggest movie star." And yet tracking says Valkyrie will do pretty well this weekend.
"Cruise is now 46 years old, roughly midcareer for an actor of his stature; and yet the brand has fallen so far that a throwaway summer goof, his cameo as Lev Grossman , the too-Jewish super producer of Tropic Thunder , was regarded as a 'comeback.' By way of contrast, when Jack Nicholson was 46, he appeared in Terms of Endearment. Nicholson's performance as retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove won him an Oscar, but more importantly, it permitted some humanity to rise up through accumulated strata of stock deviltry, and stand forth warmly. Cruise, meanwhile, gyrates in a fat suit.
"In a cold balancing of assets and liabilities, it's hard to see how Cruise is on the verge of a silver-years renaissance of the kind that awaited Jack Nicholson or, say, Paul Newman (44 for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 48 for The Sting) or Spencer Tracy (49 for Adam's Rib, 52 for Pat and Mike).
"Cruise has that famous smile, of course, his boyish good trim, and a synthetic American normalcy that puts him over with audiences in Bhutan or Sri Lanka. Now think about what he lacks: humanitas, gravitas, carnality, whimsy -- everything, in short, that might rise up to fill a midlife smile with feeling. Even premium Cruise, the A-game actorly actor of Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia , who gears up a half-berserk lour when working with a directorly director, offers more of the same: bark, glare, seethe, repeat."
Wrong -- the best grade-A Cruise came with his turns in Jerry Maguire and Collateral. The key to a grade-A Cruise role is not playing romantic or heroic -- it's playing someone under siege, taking hits, vulnerable, hurting, flawed.
"I can't name another American icon who has been so popular," writes Metcalf, "and for so long, and yet so hard to like, and for so long.
"From the counterculture nebbishes (Hoffman, Sutherland, Gould) Cruise borrowed a certain insouciant charm. From the silent-majority fascists (Eastwood, Bronson) he borrowed a body queen's emphasis on physique. From the new Brandos (DeNiro, Pacino) he borrowed flashes of Method intensity. He measured and admixed these to create a wholly new male persona in American acting. He is the boyish hard-body, pin-neat, sleek, yip-yippily filled with self-celebration. (He is Andy Hardy, but he can beat the crap out of you.) Certain that the world will find him charming, his biggest challenge is his own dubious maturity.
"The perfect apotheosis of Cruise remains Maverick in Top Gun. But before he emerged as the '80s incarnate, Cruise had to kill within himself every tendency to messiness and ambivalence.
"How do I know? Because before he became the '80s incarnate, Cruise played Joel Goodsen, the neurotic suburban boy of Risky Business. It is a beautiful and authentic piece of acting. To watch his performance today--and you should--is to be present again, not only at the creation of Cruise, the movie star, but at the death of Cruise, an actor bounded by normal human proportion.
"The '80s did for money what the '60s did for sex. They told a miraculously tempting lie about the curative powers of disinhibition. It took AIDS, feminism, and sociobiology a while to catch up to our illusions about free love. It has taken cronyism, speculation, and manic over-leveraging a while to catch up to our illusions about free money. Now that Ponzi capitalism is collapsing in on itself, the perverse disjunction, of saying 'what the fuck' and thereby securing your 'future,' is simply no longer tenable.
"Risky Business tried to be clear on the fate of the homely virtues once implied by the label 'conservative.' Thrift, patience, deferred gratification, self-reliance -- all were about to be swept aside like a cobweb, lost as pitiably as Joel's sexual innocence. But in a final irony, the logic of 'what the fuck' took over the production itself. Brickman and David Geffen, the executive producer, fought over the ending, with Brickman finally agreeing to let Joel's exploits win him, improbably, a place at Princeton. Is it any wonder we remember the Wayfarers and not the catcher's mask?
"'I was just thinking,' muses Lana in the film's penultimate scene, done up, Ralph Lauren-style, in the faked old money duds of new privilege, 'Where we might be 10 years from now.' 'You know what?,' says Joel, totally secure in his own huckster charms, 'I think we're both going to make it big.'
"Over the course of the decade, Cruise would play a pool shark, a cocktail mixer, and, of course, a cocky flyboy in a time of peace. By Top Gun, an act of pure kitsch, Cruise was wholly unshadowed by Joel Goodsen, the prudish boy of the first half of Risky Business.
"As a full co-production of Reaganism, Cruise helped synthesize a new personality type: neat, clean, personable, and lacking in either adult probity or the stray edge, for fear of pricking the surface of a giant bubble. But to live within 'what the fuck' is to die within 'what the fuck.' Jerry Maguire is Maverick's idea of an adult, just as Valkyrie's von Stauffenberg is Jerry Maguire's idea of a serious acting role. Of course audiences are tempted to laugh. The Cruise persona, like a junk bond, was never meant to reach maturity."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on December 24, 2008 at 9:37 AM
comment #1
actionman
says ...
I am SO sick of the Tom Cruise bashings. So fucking sick of it.
Even though I haven't seen it yet (but most certainly will over the next few weeks), I hope Valkyrie makes a ton of cash just so people will have an immense amount of egg all over their faces.
Posted by actionman
at December 24, 2008 9:48 AM
comment #2
DavidF
says ...
This guy has way too much time on his hands.
Cruise is just a dude who acts. Sometimes he's really good, sometimes, he's okay, a lot of the time he smiles...so what?
It'd be really easy to deconstruct the majority of the claims in that rant but I don't care about it, or Tom Cruise, enough to waste my time.
Posted by DavidF
at December 24, 2008 9:56 AM
comment #3
nola
says ...
Tom Cruise is almost 50? wow.
For me I was done after WOTW. I didn't buy him for a minute in that role. He's not an actor to me but TOM CRUISE.
In fairness to Tom Terrific, I think many young stars of the 80s and beyond have a hard time maturing on screen. It's a different era. So many American actors, even actors older than me, seem so immature.
I don't know if it's all the gossip/celebrity culture or Hollywood's quest for 4 quadrant movies. Something is wrong.
Posted by nola
at December 24, 2008 9:57 AM
comment #4
Me
says ...
The thing is, Cruise has already pointed toward the direction his career should go if he wants to continue having success -- namely, playing villains. His role in Collateral was perfect for the new persona he's creating. His bit part in Tropic Thunder works well, too, as we don't want to like Cruise any more. We want to see him as a dislikable person, and isn't it very believable when he plays those parts? If he can carry enough charm over, he could be the next Michael Douglas (pre Wonder Boys)..
Posted by Me
at December 24, 2008 10:01 AM
comment #5
AH
says ...
Articles, like this piece, are one of the main reasons why no one reads movie critics anymore.
Posted by AH
at December 24, 2008 10:13 AM
comment #6
BurmaShave
says ...
Someone should tell Metcalf that coke is also pretty Reagan Era. Yeesh.
Posted by BurmaShave
at December 24, 2008 10:27 AM
comment #7
Sabina E
says ...
@actionman: I hear you, I'm also sick of the Cruise bashing. He is a legend and he hasn't done anything wrong. So what if he's a Scientologist? People need to STFU and let him believe in whatever he wants to believe in.
I like his movies and I like his personality. He seems cheesy, sure, but he seems like a decent guy who just wants to make entertaining movies for Americans.
People need to leave him the f--k alone and just enjoy his movies.
Posted by Sabina E
at December 24, 2008 10:38 AM
comment #8
Sabina E
says ...
Also, I plan to see Valkyrie, too, and I hope it'll succeed, so Cruise can have the last laugh.
Posted by Sabina E
at December 24, 2008 10:39 AM
comment #9
actionman
says ...
In total agreement, TrashPunk. You hit it right on the money.
And by the way -- I checked out your site -- damn you have some provocative stuff on there.
Posted by actionman
at December 24, 2008 10:51 AM
comment #10
iamjoe
says ...
"Wrong -- the best grade-A Cruise came with his turns in Jerry Maguire and Collateral." And Magnolia in my opinion.
Actually, I believe EyeWideShut, Magnolia and Minority Report to be his trilogy of almost personal movies...maybe where he is doing penance for bits of his life he considers he's failed at: EWS for being vapid stardom and the reaction to it. Magnolia obviously for the lifelong rift with his father. And Minority Report mourning the demise of his familly with Kidman and adopted children.
Cruise has one of the strongest careers out there when you look at his work, and is a very generous actor. He enhances his costars performances and inspires them to shine; he never feels like he has to overact them. He's just vulnerable to hatchet job pieces like this because of the last few years of foot-in-the-mouth blunders; that does NOT change his body of work.
Posted by iamjoe
at December 24, 2008 10:56 AM
comment #11
Josh Massey
says ...
In the past 20 (and a half) years, Cruise has made exactly TWO terrible movies. Two. That's it. Cocktail. Lions for Lambs.
Did he make a string of "just OK" films? Yes, but even his Last Samurais and Far and Aways weren't boring. The guy chooses his scripts better than anybody else out there. (For a quick example, compare his career to Will Smith's, a guy with all the talent in the world except the ability to pick great projects).
That's an amazing streak, and I wish he received more respect for it. I don't care what he does off-screen; I just hope his career continues with the same success it has seen.
Posted by Josh Massey
at December 24, 2008 11:03 AM
comment #12
actionman
says ...
Cocktail was indeed garbage. But I didn't think Lions for Lambs was "terrible."
But Josh, you're absolutely right about his ability to pick the best scripts.
Posted by actionman
at December 24, 2008 11:06 AM
comment #13
NotImpressed1Yet
says ...
Massey's right. Cruise is a pro whose movies almost always are a cut above in one or more aspects. He (and Mann'e direction) elevated Collateral from ridiculous bullshit to a lean violent thriller. The guy just flat out brings it everytime.
Posted by NotImpressed1Yet
at December 24, 2008 11:54 AM
comment #14
theultimatebiu
says ...
Sorry but WHAT???? Cruise has dun nothing of greatness in a long time. Mission Impossible 2 +3 were dire, Minority Report is 2/3rds a good movie, WOTW is dire, Lions for Lambs is shit, Vanilla Sky...bleurgh. I know everyone wants to defend Cruise because he gets attacked alot but the guy fucked himself over. It's not as if someone told him to say 'Nazi's created medicine' etc....
Posted by theultimatebiu
at December 24, 2008 1:04 PM
comment #15
Phatang!
says ...
Comparing Tom Cruise to Jack Nicholson is like comparing Christy Brinkley to Meryl Streep. OF COURSE he's going to come off poorly. You don't have to see where they are at 46, you can see where they were at any age. But if you compare Tom Cruise to Christy Brinkley, he starts looking pretty good!
Those are my thoughts this Christmas Eve.
Posted by Phatang!
at December 24, 2008 1:28 PM
comment #16
Josh Massey
says ...
Sorry, I did forget Mission: Impossible 2.
I will defend Minority Report and Vanilla Sky as legitmately great movies, however.
Posted by Josh Massey
at December 24, 2008 1:34 PM
comment #17
BurmaShave
says ...
Massey is right, and furthermore LIONS FOR LAMBS is not awful because of Cruise, he's basically the only good thing in it. And COCKTAIL is worthwhile for how drop dead gorgeous Elizabeth Shue is in it.
Posted by BurmaShave
at December 24, 2008 2:25 PM
comment #18
NotImpressed1Yet
says ...
MI2 was pretty terrible but parts are so bad they're fun to watch. If I remember right, at one point Cruise does a front flip into a leg drop a la Hulk Hogan. It's absurd!
Posted by NotImpressed1Yet
at December 24, 2008 3:33 PM
comment #19
dangovich
says ...
C'mon Josh, the "Sam the Explainer" resolution of Vanilla Sky was brutal. Certainly not Cruise's fault, but still brutal.
Posted by dangovich
at December 24, 2008 4:02 PM
comment #20
iamjoe
says ...
No, way! Vanilla Sky IS a very great movie and one of my favorites: for its themes, its direction, its music, for its disguise as a thought out sci-fi story, for the performances, for its non-linear and non-passive approach, for all it's easter eggs, for Kurt Fuckin' Russel's ending exclamation, for its youthful dream of love and redemption, and for having the balls to be Un-PC and KEEP THE TWIN TOWERS in it.
Cruise and Crowe chose and shown brightly in the love-it-or-hate-it-there-is-no-middle-ground VANILLA SKY. I love that film for all those things and more.
I'm out, Merry Christmas Eve all.
-J
Posted by iamjoe
at December 24, 2008 8:00 PM
comment #21
D.Z.
says ...
"And in order to triumph as the '80s incarnate -- here's the interesting part -- Cruise "had to kill within himself every tendency to messiness and ambivalence." And the end result of this lethal discipline, he's arguing, has left Cruise without the basic personality components that he could dig into and expand upon in middle age."
That was the result of living in the 90s, not the 80s.
"Cruise is now 46 years old, roughly midcareer for an actor of his stature; and yet the brand has fallen so far that a throwaway summer goof, his cameo as Lev Grossman , the too-Jewish super producer of Tropic Thunder , was regarded as a 'comeback.' By way of contrast, when Jack Nicholson was 46, he appeared in Terms of Endearment. "
Yeah, but Nicholson was still below the radar when he did that flick. He didn't hit the big time until Batman. Cruise has been playing himself for a while now, while Jack had to play more subdued everyman roles.
"Now think about what he lacks: humanitas, gravitas, carnality, whimsy -- everything, in short, that might rise up to fill a midlife smile with feeling. Even premium Cruise, the A-game actorly actor of Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia , who gears up a half-berserk lour when working with a directorly director, offers more of the same: bark, glare, seethe, repeat."
Someone hasn't seen Vanilla Sky.
Also, MI2 was a helluva lot better than "Let's rip off Tarantino's rip-offs and insert random religious references in the film" MI1.
Posted by D.Z.
at December 24, 2008 8:16 PM
comment #22
arturobandini2
says ...
Vanilla Sky was a needless shot-for-shot remake of Abre Los Ojos, one of the great modern masterpieces of Spanish cinema. There was simply no logical reason to remake it -- especially with its original leading lady intact! -- except as a rub'n'tug for Tom Cruise's ginormous ego. Eduardo Noriega brought so many levels to the role, it was hard to watch Cruise flail around like a fish on a dock. PLEASE somebody stick a fork in this guy. He's done.
Posted by arturobandini2
at December 24, 2008 8:49 PM
comment #23
iamjoe
says ...
@arturobandini2
Sometimes when a singer covers a song, its just a same tone version of the original. And sometimes it adds new layers, improves on and widens the scope of the original.
To say that Vanilla Sky does the latter is an understatement.
Good to see all of us regulars here on Xmas Eve; we're going to have to org a meet up some day. Now, for real, I'm out. Peace.
Posted by iamjoe
at December 24, 2008 9:04 PM
comment #24
sumo-pop
says ...
Oh let's see, Coppala, Ridley Scott, Scorsese, Levinson, Oliver Stone, Rob Reiner, Pollack, Neil Jordan, Depalma, Cameron Crowe, Kubrick, PT Anderson, Spielberg, Michael Mann, JJ Abrams, and Brian Singer all chose to work with this guy but he's worthless? REally? It's time for some backlash for the backlash. What did he do? Hurt Matt Lauer's Feelings? Who fucking cares? Polanski rapes a 13 year old and gets an Oscar. Which is fine with me because The Pianist is a good movie. Which brings me to my point, can the guy act? are his movies any good? The answer (most of the time) is yes. Furthermore, his point about America being over medicated was at least half right and besides if Brooke Shields can forgive him (the only person with a right to be personally offended, and who went to his wedding post controversy) why the hell can't the rest of us. Please put a moratorium on this shit.
Posted by sumo-pop
at December 24, 2008 9:36 PM
comment #25
shanana
says ...
I can't stand Cruise. Other than "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Risky Business," I find his films to be a horrendous affront to honest, intellectual filmmaking - all of them - including "Collateral" and especially "Jerry Maguire." An awful film that tries so desperately to be both a drama and a comedy and failing spectacularly at both. I'm glad people are wising up to his utter lameness,and his complete cardboard cutout acting and personality. The perfect generic white guy, akin to Will Smith's perfect generic black guy. The schtick is so stale. Although, I doubt if it will do him in, He'll still be around making terrible "dramas" like "The Last Samurai" for years to come, and the apologists will still come out to defend him.
Posted by shanana
at December 25, 2008 12:58 AM
comment #26
D.Z.
says ...
arturo: You might have a point, as I still need to see the original film. But I will give Cruise credit for taking that kind of risk.
sumo: She forgave him, 'cus he apologized.
shanana: I think McConaughey comes off more like a cardboard cut-out, but that's just me.
Posted by D.Z.
at December 25, 2008 1:54 AM
comment #27
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