When you think ofTom Cruise, the first thing you probably think about is his participation in huge actionfranchises likeMission: ImpossibleandTop Gun. It’s also probably what he would want audiences to think about, considering his progression into Hollywood’s most recognizable and last movie star. There’s no one like him and his name is synonymous with billions, regardless of a few items of his personal life that are irrelevant to what you started reading.
ButTom Cruise also has a more grounded side. The sober part of his catalog of movies mostly predates his shot to stardom after becoming Ethan Hunt, one of cinema’s most important spies. Before becoming the world’s preeminent action star, Cruise went through an admirable set of non-action movies that prove he’s more than just a pretty face.
9Rain Man (1988)
Rain Manfollows Charlie Babbitt, a heartless young businessman who finds out he wasn’t the only son to the father he’s been estranged from for years and who has now passed away. Believing he’s entitled to some inheritance money, Babbitt goes searching for his “new” brother, and the ambitious and greedy man finds out Raymond is a person with autism. Eventually, Charlie finds out Ray has a special skill and tries to take advantage of his new relationship.
A Worthy Turn of Character
Cruise gives life to the slick Charlie Babbitt in what’sone of the most successful films of the 1980s. In 1988, he was still dealing with theTop Gunstereotype, andRain Manwas one of the first high-profile serious films he made in a more adult-like role.
Needless to say, his performance was very, very good, but not enough to get his name mentioned at the Academy Awards, where the film won four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman), and Best Original Screenplay.
You can streamRain Manon Tubi.
8A Few Good Men (1992)
A Few Good Men
A Few Good Menis a courtroom drama that follows the trial that two U.S. Marines go through when they’re accused of murdering a young private at Guantanamo. At first, young attorney Daniel Kaffee believes he can get a plea deal and continue with his life, but what he and fellow attorney Joanne Galloway uncover is that the murder may have followed an order from a superior who was trying to teach a young soldier a lesson.
The Definition of a Good Legal Drama
Directed by Rob Reiner, and from the superb script by a then-inexperienced Aaron Sorkin,A Few Good Menis anoutstanding political dramathat features Cruise in one of his best performances ever. He plays Kaffee opposite an ensemble cast that includes Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, J. T. Walsh, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Bacon, and Kiefer Sutherland. Again, an Oscar darling, but this time, it took no awards home.
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7Interview With the Vampire (1994)
Interview with the Vampire
InInterview With the Vampire, a San Francisco reporter gets an exclusive to interview a man who believes he’s a vampire. Louis de Pointe du Lac begins describing his life since he was bitten by Lestat de Lioncourt in the late 1700s. Eventually, he becomes Lestat’s subordinate, and then a child enters the picture. Claudia becomes their vampire daughter, but Lestat’s true nature never stops tormenting Louis, even after hisrealdeath.
Cruise gives life to Lestat in Neil Jordan’s Gothic horror icon, based on Anne Rice’s novel. The film was a groundbreaking success,not only for Cruise, but also for his co-star Brad Pitt, who was also on his way to becoming a Hollywood superstar. Nominated for two Oscars,Interview With the Vampirewas a box office hit, bringing in $223 million from a budget of $60 million (a very high budget for a horror film in the mid-1990s).
6Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama mystery directed by Stanley Kubrick centering on a Manhattan doctor who goes to unexpected lengths to please his wife after she admits she was unsatisfied and almost had an affair a year earlier. Eyes Wide Shut stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as husband and wife.
InEyes Wide Shut, Bill and Alice Harford are two socialites living in a high-class society in New York. However, the insides of the relationship aren’t exactly as perfect, as Alice reveals she fantasizes about another man. Bill decides to accept a sketchy invitation into a secret society where he will surely indulge in improbable types of physical pleasure. But he ends up going straight into a rabbit hole or murder, sex, and deceit.
An Undeniable Inside Look Into Humankind’s Darkest Limits
InStanley Kubrick’s last underrated film, Cruise plays a very disturbed family man who tries to find comfort in the darkest corner of the human condition. Based on the novelTraumnovelleby Arthur Schnitzler,Eyes Wide Shutwas filmed in 400 days (a Guinness record for the longest continuous film shoot).
5The Firm (1993)
The Firmis the story of Mitch McDeere, a young lawyer who graduates from Harvard Law School and instantly finds work in an exclusive law firm. The gig proves to be distressing for his marriage, but the perks of being the new young lawyer are plenty. That’s until Mitch finds out who the real clients of the firm are, and the problems he gets into when he goes in too deep.
Cruise’s Last Role as a “Young and Innocent Dude”
Directed by Sydney Pollack and based on John Grisham’s novel of the same name.The Firmis the other ofCruise’s exceptional and underratedlegal dramas, although this time, it morphs into more of a thriller halfway. The film was a box office hit, with a $270 million gross that proved Cruise’s presence could represent higher ticket sales. It received two nominations at the Academy Awards.
4Risky Business (1983)
Risky Business
InRisky Business, Joel Goodsen is having the time of his life. He’s a good student, and he’s aiming to become a successful young professional, following his father’s steps. But all that changes when his parents leave for a few days, and one of his friends calls a prostitute to visit Joel. His life takes a dark turn when he finds Lana has stolen a very valuable object, and Joel tries to get it back.
The Icon is Born
Made in 1983, a year when Cruise participated in four major film projects,Risky Businessput the actor in the spotlight as a young and handsome star who could also play the innocent victim of his own rotten behavior.
The film was a box office hit (nearly $64 million from a $6 million budget), and it earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination. It’s also the film that people will always remember him for because of the iconic “dance in his underwear” sequence. It’s theonly Cruise joint to get a spotin Criterion’s valued catalog.
3Magnolia (1999)
Magnoliafollows the lives of several strangers who, out of nothing but chance, get their stories mixed up in the reality of California’s San Fernando Valley. Paul Thomas Anderson’s incredible series of vignettes are about love and forgiveness, with Tom Cruise’s Frank T.J. Mackey being one of the characters forced to face the impending death of his father.
Cruise’s Best Performance by Far
The ensemble cast consisted of Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Melinda Dillon, Philip Baker Hall, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, and Jason Robards. Cruise being on the absolute top was a rarity, but his performance as the world’s randiest motivational speaker is just magnificent. It’s undoubtedly his best performance ever, and he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
You can streamMagnoliaon PlutoTV.
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2The Color of Money (1986)
The Color of Money
The Color of Moneytells the story of Eddie Felson, a former pool player who has given up his work as a hustler (the film is a sequelto 1961’sThe Hustler), but he meets a young and very talented player who reminds him of who he used to be. Vincent is taken under Eddie’s wing, who teaches him the art of hustling. Eventually, they will face each other in an Atlantic City tournament where Eddie will revisit his shady past.
One of Cruise’s Most Underrated Performances From His Early Era
The same year he madeTop Gunand consolidated his role as one of Hollywood’s most important action stars, Cruise appeared in Martin Scorsese’s sports dramaThe Color of Money, playing opposite Paul Newman. His casting as Vincent Lauria is just spotless. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, and Newman won that night in the Best Actor category.
1Jerry Maguire (1996)
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguirefollows a sports agent whose ethics are… questionable. But Maguire faces a crossroads when he gets fired and is forced to beg one of his smallest clients to keep him as an agent. Alone and facing a probable failure with his single client, Jerry is joined by a single mother in his quest to start an agency from scratch. Dorothy and her family teach Jerry that there’s more to life than a profitable client.
Cruise’s Best Attempt at the Romantic Comedy Genre
The box office hitJerry Maguirewas released the same year Cruise started his career as Ethan Hunt in theMission: Impossibleseries. It was like a goodbye wave, as he would never do films this lighthearted and sober again (unless you countRock of Ages). This isone of two of Cruise' shotsin the Best Actor category at the Academy Awards, and while the film received four more nominations, it was Cuba Gooding Jr. who took the prize that night as Best Supporting Actor.
