erry Maguire is a grown-up romantic comedy because the love story isn't even the most important part of the plot. First and foremost, it's a character study. Cruise plays the lead role of a high-powered sports agent who has a late-night crisis of conscience. In a fit of inspiration, he writes, copies, and distributes a memo to everyone at his company, proposing that they cut down on clients and revenue in order to be a little more like people and less like sharks. Jerry is promptly fired by his smug former protege and then heads out on his own, retaining just two clients: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Gooding Jr.) and superstar college quarterback Frank Cushman (Jerry O'Connell). He's not completely alone in this endeavor, however. Jerry is joined at his fledgling "firm" by Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), an accountant who was moved by his rash declarations and, to be honest, a little dazzled by his smile.
