Tom Cruise the actor (ie forget all the Scientology freak stuff, his intensely annoying public personality, his plastic looks, etc): classic or dud?

works really well as a sociopath... not so much where caring or warmth is required

I think he is actually a good actor, and almost all of his films are worth watching. I think people are maybe prejudiced against his Scientological beliefs which I don't pay much attention to, he does a lot of films with intrigue, I mean COME ON he was in Eyes Wide Shut. Like are you going to have some boring indie method guy doing that? What do you people WANT? Jerry Maguire is good too.

i usually just treat him/look at him like a special effect in a movie. he might as well be cgi. i liked him in war of the worlds though. he almost seemed human. would have probably loved that movie no matter who was in it though.

That trailer looks pretty cool actually. The part where he is hanging on the car in sunglasses akin to risky business cruise. The part where he falls off the car. The lolz when he walks into the diner as Diaz is telling her story to the unbeliever.

The only part of that trailer I hated was RILEY FINN.

I liked that trailer a lot too.

I would probably watch this movie, it does look like fun (except for Riley, argh).

Tom Cruise can do determination, passion etc. really well, but sometimes things get funny when he tries to pull off affection and the lighter moments in a relationship.

He's good in Collateral.

wow gabbneb on this thread is just... urgh blech

My brother recently told me that Christian Bale based his American Psycho character on Cruise after seeing him on Letterman one night

and here it is: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/22/christian-bales-american_n_329874.html

To be honest I don't want to see him in the "lighter moments in a relationship". He is a Scientologist.

Boy it must have been a real chore for Christian Bale to find a role model to base the crazy on.

name me an 'average man' Tom Cruise has played

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, December 29, 2005 7:40 PM

war of the worlds

He was actually really funny in Tropic Thunder, although I didn't realise it was him till the end credits.

He is excellent in Magnolia and Tropic Thunder

He was v good in Risky Business IIRC

everything else he's ever done can be balled up into one soggy wad and fired into the sun imo

tbh ive like like 80-90% of the movies hes been in so i cant hate the dude that much

*liked

like hes probably a creep in real life but hes got pretty good taste in projects, better than a lot of actors who seem like theyd be cool to hang out with in real life

He is excellent in Magnolia and Tropic Thunder

Fair enough, but he was bascially playing himself or the phone-in version he now uses. Not bad, excellently cast, but hardly a stretch, acting-wise.

When I say "lighter moments" I mean, for example, there are scenes in his movies where his son will say something like "thanks for taking me to the park, Dad!" and Tom Cruise will look at kid with the most intense, passionate look a man can make, force that weird Cruise laugh, and then in that solemn voice of his say: "I love you so much."

A simple "no problem, sport" response to his son would've worked, but no.

he can't help it, he's fucking passionate man

I remember thinking how great he was in Magnolia.

He was good in Minority Report as well.

Weird question: does anyone know where exactly "American Pie" is used in Born on the Fourth of July? It'll save me watching the whole film again.

Also: has their never been a Tom Cruise poll on ILX?

there was this one:

THOMAS CRUISE MAPOTHER IV: HIS ŒUVRE

Ah, that's why I couldn't find it.