Jerry Maguire
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Jerry Maguire tells the story of professional sports agent Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise), whose crisis of faith leads him to write a mission statement that advocates better service, fewer clients, and less focus on the bottom line. However, after he distributes the mission statement to his fellow agents, he is fired from his high-profile job and loses his girlfriend in the aftermath.
On his own, Jerry decides to form his own agency but is able to persuade only one of his clients, Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a loquacious, egomaniacal football player for the Arizona Cardinals, to stay with him. Jerry manages to entice Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger), a single mother with a young son, to join his new company.
Dorothy soon becomes enamored with Jerry, much to the chagrin of her sister Laurel (Bonnie Hunt), and he begins to bond with her son Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki). Meanwhile, Jerry tries to chase after Frank Cushman (Jerry O'Connell), a promising football prospect, while ignoring the demands of Tidwell. Although Jerry tries to set up a deal with Cushman, he discovers that he has already signed with Jerry's old agency, and Tidwell is forced to take up a paltry one-year extension to his contract.
Despite this setback, Jerry and Dorothy get married, mainly as a way to consolidate their finances and save the agency. However, the stress of juggling his marriage and business causes Jerry to break down. He and Dorothy take a break from their relationship, and he scolds Tidwell into making himself less ego-driven and intimidating and more open to his fans.
Tidwell lands a multi-million-dollar contract extension to end his career with the Cardinals after a near-death experience on the field leads him to a dance in the end zone, which boosts his popularity with fans. Realizing his mistakes, Jerry soon goes back to Dorothy and apologizes to her in front of all her friends. She quickly decides to take him back, with the now memorable line "You had me at 'hello.'"
The film ends with Jerry, Dorothy, and Ray strolling in the park. A baseball lands near them, and Ray throws it back effortlessly. Dorothy tells Jerry to ignore it.
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