OldBoy

i just wanted to take some time to acknowledge an actor that i think gets unjustly maligned due to his off-camera antics.

i know many here like him and his latest efforts while not commercial enormities have garnered stellar performances and really good accolades.

so, in honor of his latest Mission: Impossible i wanted to see the general consensus of him as an actor and maybe to a degree as a person...

RichC2

I don't think he's all that great of an actor, but he has surprisingly solid taste in movies to participate in.

Dan

I think the new M:I looks like total garbage, but I give him a pass for being so damn good in Collateral. He's a solid actor, and an iconic action star.

OldBoy

and in case you missed it...

islandclaws

I think he's one of the last true movie stars working in Hollywood, he's a solid actor, and I constantly hear he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet. Why should I give a shit what he does off screen?

Cardsfan111

Well, I own tons of films in which he has the starring role. So I guess I like him.

GoldenJCJ

I've always been a huge fan of Cruise. He's given a number of Oscar worthy performances, IMO (Born on the Fourth of July, Rain Man, Jerry Maguire, Collateral, The Firm, A Few Good Men).

His Scientology stuff is a bit odd but he seems to have reigned his off screen antics in quite a bit since his couch jumping days and Today Show appearance. I've also heard he's one of the nicer people in Hollywood and have actually heard of several cases where he's come to the rescue of people in trouble.

But mostly the guy just makes entertaining movies. They're not all winners but he chooses enough decent scripts and picks quality directors that he ends up in more good films than stinkers.

kgrogers1979

Same here.


Agreed. I will never understand why people give a crap about the personal lives of celebrities. Do they care about the personal lives of the people flipping their burgers and bagging their groceries too? Why care about the personal life of one stranger but not the other?

inri222

Even though I'm not a fan of most of his choices, mostly because he works to maintain his box office status, he has shown that he can flex acting chops when he has to.
I feel that the films below are his best acting performances though not necessarily his best films.

Collateral
Eyes Wide Shut
Magnolia
Born on the Fourth of July
The Color of Money
Interview With the Vampire
Rain Man
Tropic Thunder
Jerry Maguire
A Few Good Men

devilshalo

As crappy as the movie was, he wasn't bad in Rock of Ages. And he was pretty solid in TAPS.

fumanstan

His movies are immensely entertaining. Not much to dislike about him, in my opinion.

rocket1312

He's obviously a great movie-star, but I think he's a mediocre actor. He's capable of a good performance in the right role, but has pretty limited range. I love Eyes Wide Shut, and the M:I franchise has inexplicably gotten better with age, but there's not much else in his filmography that interests me too much.


If you don't care what he does off screen, then why does it matter that he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet?

SuperJim88

+1

He's being in an incredible amount of really decent movies. Either he's been incredibly lucky or that he's been an incredibly decent actor.

rocket1312

If the stories are true, the argument could be made that Cruise's activities in Scientology have had some pretty destructive consequences for untold numbers of people.

I'd also argue that people would be interested in the personal lives of plenty of other people if they had access to the information. The difference is that they don't write exposes about the grocery bagger in Vanity Fair.

Tom Creo

Tropic Thunder. Forget about that. Awesome performance.

islandclaws

Because in an industry where egos are as oversized as budgets, it's refreshing to hear Tom is one of the most respectable, giving persons in the rare air space which he occupies. When I say I don't care what he does off screen, I'm talking about his personal beliefs. If it was heavily known he's a huge dickbag, I'd have less respect for him. As it stands, I respect him even more for being a true A-list talent who always makes sure his fans and crew are taken care of. That says a lot about his character as a man, not just a celebrity.

hdnmickey

I own pretty much every movie he has made. Only expectations being the ones with terrible releases.

I don't give a shit about his religion or his family life. Just make more movies like Collateral, Edge of Tomorrow, and Risky Business.

jacob_b

As an actor, he's had a long career and he keeps putting out decent films. Maybe not all huge hits, but there's a movie every few years I see of his. You can't say that for many actors that have had his type of career.

E Unit

Let's honor him in the proper fashion - with the best spoof done on him.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tx8Atds3HXA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

kgrogers1979

I suppose that is true. Some people just have the "nosy neighbor" personality, constantly watching out the window to see what their neighbors are doing. Personally, I don't give a crap what they are doing, so I likewise don't give a crap what celebrities are doing.

Decker

You probably are high, Old Boy. Regardless I usually like him and most of his role choices. It helps when you're offered every male leading role for every major film for thirty years.
Have no idea then how he ended up deciding that Knight & Day was a worthwhile script.

cungar

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CW1_dUBzJV8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

majorjoe23

Has anyone seen the Lip Sync Battle with Cruise? I'm trying to find a video of it?

Count Dooku

I don't understand the people that shit on him as an actor.

I think he has proven to be an excellent actor within the parameters required by certain genres. No, he is not the equal of Daniel Day-Lewis as a dramatic chameleon. John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart were icons who presented great performances in their comfort zones.

Cruise has fairly consistently over the last 30+ years been the lead in very good and very entertaining movies. Who else can that be said about? Tom Hanks. I can't think of anyone else.

HN

^^ leo dicaprio may be too young for the 30+ year streak, but he's been solid for a good 20 years now (since titanic or back to what's eating gilbert grape).

now go check out cruise's lip sync battle if it hasn't been posted yet.