Ten years later, Tom Cruise had grown up, and was taking on more mature roles (well, roles for older men let’s say) but maintaining the intensity that had become his trademark. There was still this element of a boy in a man’s body to a lot of his work, though. And Magnolia harnessed this popular impression and turned it into one of the most compelling characters Cruise has ever played, an intense self-help guru who leads courses to help men be more confident and pick up women.
Watching this movie today with the knowledge of Cruise’s prominence within the Church of Scientology makes his turn as a kind of cult leader with a following of aggressive-minded men eerie just because it seems to be the image we’ve been led to believe about his religious role today. When questioned by an interviewer in Magnolia, he becomes incredibly hostile. Now, in real life it’s not for folks like me to speculate what Cruise is like when it comes to believing in whatever, but his character here is pretty cynical. He plays him with this magnetism that only a star of his caliber could harness most likely, but also reins it in when faced with the impending death of his father. There’s a ton of layers to this character and Cruise brings them out while completely inhabiting this weirdo. It’s impressive.
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