Hey, guess what? Sumner Redstone watches Oprah! Or maybe the Viacom CEO had some other way of finding out about Tom Cruise’s year of wacktastic performance art — I hear he has a couple of media holdings. Anyhoo, he didn’t like what he saw on the 43,000 Matrix-ish screens in his office on the 376th floor*: Not Cruise’s “recent conduct,” not the underperforming grosses on Paramount’s Mission: Impossible 3, and, ultimately, not the sweet production deal Cruise has maintained with the Viacom-owned ‘Mount for 14 years. Redstone says he didn’t renew Cruise’s contract; Cruise (via producing partner Paula Wagner) says he left willingly to set up independent financing, a longtime goal. (Gosh, isn’t it everybody’s longtime goal to abandon a guaranteed stream of seed money for an ad-hoc consortium of as-yet-unnamed hedge funds?)
Of course, maybe it’s all been by-design. Face plants are funny, and (as you’ll see in the link above) Cruise may now be going the comedy route with Judd Apatow, writer-director of The 40-Year Old Virgin. Maybe he’s just been rehearsing for The 44-Year-Old Out-of-Work Actor. Maybe he’s having a Jerry Maguire moment.
But when the dust clears, a few questions remain: Was ol’ Sumner right to bring the hammer down? Did Cruise’s behavior affect your choices at the box office this summer? Did you avoid the best-made blockbuster of the summer (in this blogger’s opinion) because you found Cruise suddenly distasteful and didn’t want to line his pockets? And most important, is that attitude permanent? Or, given a period of Cruise quietude, will you return to loving his outer Cruise-ness and dismissing his inner kwaziness?
(*accessible only by man-eating pterodactyl; do not attempt to visit)
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Plain and simple: Tom Cruise killed his own air of mystery.
People weren’t jumping for joy with him because they felt assaulted by this classic case of Too Much Information. It was too much Katie, too much Scientology, and too many Science lessons (“Matt, Matt… you’re glib.”)
Truth is, Tom deserves the success and acclaim he’s garnered thus far. But I think for a moment he felt invincible and, as he’s finding out, that’s definitely not the case.
By the way, M:I:3 was goooooood.
I’ve never understood the Cruise appeal. I’ve seen several of his films, tho, and usually because he selects the top filmmakers to work with. I saw RAINMAN for Dustin Hoffman, MI3 for JJ Abrams, etc. I’ve never totally suspended my disbelief when watching him play a character because his skills alternate on 2 gears: pseudo serious and pseudo cocky. And now Apatow is hailing Cruise’s comic abilities? Geez…his attempts in JERRY MAGUIRE were embarrassing. I want Hollywood to get away from the Cruise types and once again make great movies with great actors. Is that too much to ask? Maybe Paramount is on to something.
There was a recent view that the biggest names in Hollywood were Tom, Tom and Julia. Are we down to just Tom now?
Cruise’s behavior had gotten a little out of wack lately, and the Mission Impossible movies were looking more and more narcissistic as he went on. Still, who fires an actor who brings in $100 million for a movie that performs “poorly”? There must have been more behind that than Cruise’s erratic behavior. Maybe the backlash against the “church” of Scientology has begun?
Haven’t seen MI:3 but to be fair I didn’t like the first two MIs so it wasn’t going to happen anyway. Nonetheless, I’m TomKat’ed out and won’t be watching anything he does. Kinda sucks because I used to enjoy Top Gun and now I can’t watch it.
See, in my opinion, Cruise really does have all the right moves. Pour me a cocktail, Mr. Cruise. Your collateral’s worth at least another $100 million. Mine might be the minority report, but in my experience, Hollywood’s always looking for a few good men. Some might think you’re losin’ it, but being one of the outsiders won’t make you forget the color of money. Trust me, man.
I’ve never liked Tom Cruise. Sure I liked Rainman, but that was in spite of him. I usually find the guy unpalatable and I didn’t go to MI:3 because he was in it. Although my sister really recommended the movie, I just couldn’t stand to give him $10 when he thinks he knows more about psychology than the experts, more about birthing than women, and won’t tolerate people who think differently. What a pig!
You can’t blame Paramount for dumping him. They have to watch the bottom line for the sake of their other, non-crazy employees. Protecting Tom Cruise’s ego is not a responsible way to do business.
Yes, 100 million dollars is a lot of gross for an average movie but for one that had a budget of about that much not to mention the astonomical budget for marketing (jumping out of planes, trains and automobiles), it was disappointing to say the least. Plus him throwing out threats of not doing publicity if they didn’t pull that episode of SouthPark mocking him and scientology (hilarious by the way) probably didn’t sit well with them either. I guess they figured they woudl make him and his increasing bizarre behavior someone else’s problem.
I pretty much saw MI3 because of J.J. Abrams. Tom Cruise, who was once so calm, cool and collected has turned out to be an ultimate wack job.
He should have never left Nicole Kidman. I swear to god, that was the turning point where he started to slide downhill.
Yes, I’ve found that I can’t sit still and watch Tom Cruise (and others, like Russell Crowe) who have made such public spectacles of themselves in offensive (and in Crowe’s case violent) ways. I know one is supposed to separate “art” from “artist,” but I cannot bring myself to spend money on these people who appear to have forgotten how to behave, and treat others, in public. How many of us would get fired for exhibiting Cruise’s behavior? Shouldn’t celebrities be held to the same standards as us “regular people?”
lots of celebs are weird- why should that affect our ability to be entertained by them? mission impossible III was just plain.old-fashioned entertaining. it was actually the best of the 3 MI movies. what’s not to like about explosions, chase scenes, and good vs. evil? unless you are just plain anti-entertainment.
He looks like his cousin (aka creepy Ethan) in that picture.
I just find him creepy, after the whole TomKat/mystery baby thing, and his views on psychology and anti-depressants are downright offensive.
I was watching War of the Worlds on cable the other night, and every time Tom’s character snapped, I just kept thinking, “That’s not acting! He really is crazy!”
I’m glad Paramount dumped him! For one thing, we’ll probably get to see more hilariously desperate/crazy publicity stunts. No doubt the folks of late night comedy will have a field day with this!
MI:3 I didn’t see it, didn’t want to see it. Why, you ask? Two words: Tom.kat. All props to Sumner Redstone who, instead of bowing to The Actor Previously Known As Tom Cruise’s pressure (Comedy Channel re:”South Park” anyone?)he’s lowered the boom, instead. Hit ‘em where it hurts, baby, right in the mighty cash stream.
And, BTW, I very much want to drop in on 376th floor. I say damn the man-eating pterodon (no longer pterodactyl, Scott, per the Museum of Natural History), full speed ahead!
That picture is HORRIFYING! He looks completely deranged. I love it.
I am sadly disappointed about Tom. I think he is an incredible actor, who has made the mistake thinking everyone cares to hear what he think about Kate, post-baby depression, religion, and whatever else he feels like rambling on about. I love seeing Tom on screen and miss the “old” Tom. What a shame, after all this and then Mel, are there any guys left in Hollywood we can call “classic” movie stars. I agree with Jakeem, I’ll go with the other Tom……….
Is it too late to re-cast Heath Ledger’s role in the new Batman Begins sequel??
Anyhoo, Lauren talks about how she can’t watch people that make spectacles of themselves in offensive ways, then goes on to compare Cruise to Russell Crowe, for example. Now, i’m not here to tell anybody how they should feel about certain performers, or what they’re supposed to find “offensive”. For the record, acting like a jackass in public, strikes me as a little silly, and I shake my head at Cruise’s couch-jumping and psychiatry-hating…but I would hardly call it offensive…unless you’re a psychiatrist.
Last i looked, Tom Cruise didn’t drive drunk and go on an (allegedly) hateful tirade. Nor did he assault another human being with a telephone.
I just don’t understand what people get all bent out of shape about. So Tom Cruise is running around acting like a fool…he’s only embarrassing himself, he’s not offending me. As far as I can see, he hasn’t really hurt anyone but himself (unless you believe the Katie = zombie stories.)
Those unnamed hedge-funds probably have some sort of relationship to Scientology, considering members of said “religion” are fairly wealthy. By the way, I have no idea why Summer Redstone is making this decision sound like it has anything to do with Cruise’s latest box-office performance or Paramount’s past financial performance. MI3 did descent business and is #6 overall this summer, beating both Cars and Superman Returns. I believe 7 out of 8 of Cruise’s past movies have made $200 million world-wide. I think the only thing financial about dissolving this relationship is that Paramount doesn’t believe Cruise can maintain his box-office clout in the future.
Cruise and NO Paramount? There goes his career or lack of anyway.
MI3 was great, much better than the first two. Tom being in it didn’t affect whether I would see it or not, but I have to admit, I did skip War Of The Worlds because of his antics, I guess it was fresher in my mind then.
I’ll keep seeing his movies as long as he leaves people alone about the medicine they take. Sorry Tom, but reading some pamphlets at Scientology headquarters isn’t “research”.
No matter what anyone says, Tom Cruise is a brilliant actor. I could care less what people say about his outside behavior or his different beliefs. You can’t hate, depise, or mock other people based on their religious beliefs. Maybe Scientology is a load of baloney, but, in the end, who knows who or what is right? I may be mistaken, but was it not religious hatred that caused the 9/11 attacks? Leave the man alone. He is one of the world’s greatest actors, a man who brings charm and gravitas to every role he portrays. I’m sure that if the modern tabloid media were to put your private life and beliefs under the intense public microscope, they’d find something equally as controversial.
And Tom is right: Matt Lauer is glib.
It is no surprise to me at all that Cruise cracked, because, let’s face it – he was never real to begin with, he was just a persona, and the protective barrier of star persona seems to be crumbling these days – not just for Cruise, either. Watching celebrity interviews and appearances these days feels more like watching reality television: “My Life on the A-List” (without Kathy Griffin’s wit). Cruise’s fatal mistake was not acting crazy, but remaining so defensively arrogant while the world laughed at him. THAT is what I will have a difficult time seeing past, and what will keep me out of the movie theatre. I can never again see one of his films and think ‘wow, he’s so cool’ – rather, I will be thinking ‘what gives YOU the right to be up there on that screen, you cocky little cult worshipping egomaniac?’.
MI:3 stunk more than pee in a hot New York City subway car.
I got a headache watching that crap.
Cruise when will u come out of the closet and you and Katie can go your separate ways. We know there is no baby, its all made up.
frankly, i could care less how weird a person is in their personal life. if they make entertaining movies i’m going to watch them. tom cruise makes some pretty entertaining movies. as long as he makes movies that entertain, i’m going to keep watching them. when i’m watching a movie i’m not thinking about what that actor as person is about, i’m concentrating on the movie.
I have to admit, how someone behaves in public does affect how I feel about watching their performances – in some cases considerably more than others. My interest in Tom had been waning for a while because his movies just weren’t entertaining me as much as they used to. Then the whole way he handled his breakup with Nicole honestly pissed me off – especially the fact that in December, he went through with a renewal of their vows for their 10th anniversary, then in February told her he was divorcing her and tried to convince the court that the marriage had, for all intents and purposes, ended *before* their 10th anniversary so that they wouldn’t fall under the community proprety laws of the state of California and he wouldn’t have to give her as much. By the time he got into all the couch-jumping, Scientology-sprouting, anti-depressant-basing stuff, I was just sick of him – and it makes it that much harder for me to enjoy him in a movie simply because *seeing* him reminds me of who he has shown himself to be in public and what he has done. It may not be fair or right, but it’s just how I am. Oh well.
Uh-uh. Tom Cruise has done so much for the film industry and has delivered time and again to his fanbase. Not only is it illogical to fire him (since he makes hundreds of millions FOR the studio), but it’s morally reprehensible. Cruise has performed an invaluable service to Hollywood; it just shows that Paramount is headed up by an unintelligent ingrate who should be fired immediately for cutting loose an asset like Tom Cruise.
I have loved Tom since my first R rated movie- Risky Business (my sister sneaked me in with her). He is a great actor and deserved an Oscar for Jerry Maguire. Yet, even as a fan, I think his behavior has been off-putting and strange. I think the mid-life crises bug got him and he just let loose. Live and let live. His career will be just fine.
Ooooh, he should avoid making that face. It looks kind of CRAZY.
Fortunately for Tom, Mel has taken center stage in the ongoing extravaganza “Foolish Celebrities.” Tom can probably salvage his career to a certain extent.
Hey, Scott, now that I’ve read your piece again, I’m thinking it should be titled: The Cruise Caning (!)