Jerry Maguire: Show me the money

I love movies, I have always loved movies. I said when I grow up I will buy a TV and watch as many movies as I can. But it never happened because of time and resources. I do not even afford a TV now.

So I grew up in the countryside where a TV owner was considered a king. We as kids worshipped them. We worked for them fetching water, taking firewood, and even making jokes to make the son of the TV owner laugh. Our job was to entertain him, but when your joke no longer made him laugh you never got a free ticket for movie time.

It was 5 people who owned TVs as I remember. They made money out of it and the room was always full. 100 to 200 Ar was the price of the ticket. At that time, this money was very scarce to find, parents would not have it to give to you and there was no available job for kids to earn money. When we did not have money we sneaked through a gap in the plank wall and watched from there. Some kids even sold firewood to go watch movies.

We had many action movies we watched growing up, we watched them dozens of times and never got bored. For example, we did not know the titles but we distinguished movies by their iconic characters and remarkable scenes. Commando by Arnold—we called it “Arnold Mangala i Zanany” [Arnold where he searched for his daughter], Double Van-Dam, Rambo II… When those 80’s movies were played the room was always full.

But as we grew up, we no longer had time to watch movies even though they became easier to find. My love for watching movies never changed, but I stopped watching too many action movies. I just like to watch inspiring movies, movies based on true events or stories. I am interested in movies where you can be inspired and learn from the story. I want to learn English by imitating the best lines they say in movies. Some movies are just so inspiring and you can learn as much as you can from them.

Lately, I watched many good movies, but Jerry Maguire stood out to me. So here are some lessons I learned from it:

1 – Taking risks is uncomfortable but rewarding

Jerry Maguire [Tom Cruise] was fired from a sports management agency. He was very disappointed when he heard the news. He was devastated but not hopeless. He took the news as a starting point for his career and absorbed it as a life lesson. He asked his coworkers to join him but none responded except a young lady. So he decided to start his own agency and tried to retain a client. His journey was not easy. Of course, like happens to everybody, being fired from a job has never been an easy start. He promised Dorothy they would be fine and she believed in him and worked hard for him.

Maguire stood for his values and took risks which few people would dare to do. He gave us the lesson that risk can lead to professional and personal growth.

2 – Perseverance is the key to success

Jerry faced several challenges both personal and professional but perseverance and determination ultimately led him to success. He did not give up. He stayed focused on his goal and committed to achieving it. There was a time he could not secure a client he tried to recruit, then nearly lost another one. His relationship with his first girlfriend ended. The girl even punched him physically. Then he dated Dorothy but their relationship met various challenges despite being very in love.

Those challenges would have stopped regular people from achieving their goals, but Maguire did not give up. He had passion and commitment for what he wanted to achieve in life: success. So for me, we can learn from him. Many times we face several challenges, roads are full of roadblocks that prevent us from reaching our goals. But we should not give up.

3 – A supportive partner is important

Do you think Maguire would be successful as a sports agent if Dorothy was not there for him or if she was another person? I do not think so. Having an intimate relationship supporting what you do in life is a blessing. I wish my girlfriend would support me with what I do. I tried to show her this movie and watch it together, but we did not yet finish it as I am always maybe busy and sometimes I forget about it. But from now I will make it a priority to watch it with her once I come to Antalaha.

So Dorothy played a huge role in Maguire’s success. It is proven by science that women can push men to tremendous success more than anything else. People with high love and passion can become more successful than others. Even in regular context, I have seen men do whatever they can to please their woman by making money. Also, I have read something like in the early age, men would not come back home until they brought animals as food. Hunting was a sign of masculinity back then, women loved the best hunters. It has not changed much today—women love successful men and they are very important in making men successful.

Dorothy was there to defend Maguire when debating with his client. She was there when he was broke. Her sister even doubted her relationship with him but she firmly believed in him and stayed loyal. “I have never worked in something I ever truly believed in than this”—she said. She was very in love. That alone is very important—when you do not have to worry whether your wife or girlfriend really loves you or not, or if she might betray you. Most men need peace to succeed.

4 – Balancing personal and professional life

As we saw in the movie, Jerry’s success was not by accident or chance—he faced setbacks, heartbreak, and challenges. But he did not give up. When heartbreak and challenges occurred, sometimes he forgot to be there intimately with his wife. He traveled a lot. His wife needed him but he was cold as success was not yet present. Then Dorothy decided to declare a pause in their relationship so Maguire could focus on final success. It was hard for them both.

We learned that even though two people are in love, even married, that does not mean it is enough for a relationship. Maguire and Dorothy were in love the first time they met at the airport. It was love at first sight for both of them. But it is true what people say—once you get married the number of times you have sex decreases. There are many reasons for that but it truly affects long-term relationships and happiness.

Sometimes I forget to reply to my girlfriend’s message for two days. Once I reply I just ask about my daughter. Now I know it is a mistake. There should be time for meaningful conversation with a partner. Very important to talk intimacy and romance if you are in a distant relationship like me.

I am glad at the end of the movie, they could make it and they got together. Their relationship is genuine and beautiful.

5 – You complete me

When Dorothy decided to follow Jerry and work with him, you could predict that they were a perfect match. After his breakup with his first woman, Jerry was vulnerable and Dorothy was there to comfort him. I think it was good for Maguire because he was a happy man. The iconic “you complete me” was very profound. If you meet a girl who is a good match for you, it is a blessing. Sometimes you need to be lucky to find one, and Jerry was a lucky man to have Dorothy.

Also, it is very important to share your success with your loved ones—the people who were always there for you in the rain or sunshine. Do not forget who was there in your ups and downs. For Jerry, he could not celebrate his success without Dorothy. He rushed home and searched for her, that was very romantic and touching. She could not handle her tears and asked him to stop: “You had me at hello.”

That is so special—when you had a girl at the first hello. But love and relationships need patience and presence for each other, and that is what we can learn from this movie.

6 – Money can’t buy happiness

I believe money plays an important role in life. It makes the world go around. Without money, life would be incomplete—but that does not mean it is everything. There is an essential piece we need to live a meaningful life. One of them is a relationship with family or loved ones.

Jerry and his player became best friends. Despite disagreements and intense conversations sometimes, they remained close. Jerry sometimes talked directly to his player with honesty. He even offered him advice about his relationship with Dorothy.

I think when a relationship you have with someone becomes a friendship, do the best you can to maintain it—because we are not islands. We need bonds and friendships. Happiness at the end is the ultimate goal.

Despite fewer clients and less money, Jerry was a happy man alongside his player. His opponents had better resources and more clients, but their relationships with clients were only based on money and contracts. For Jerry’s player, the fans loved him. He became popular despite a lower contract. He rushed to find Jerry and hugged him. Their bond was profound. That cannot be bought by money.

Whatever you work on, make sure it leads to success. That is exactly what we learned from this movie. Happiness at the end is the ultimate goal.

Like I said, this blog is passion to me. I would like to write as much as I can. I cover different topics. I did not expect to write anything about movies today, but I am glad I found time to finish it. There are many lessons I personally learned from Jerry Maguire. I have watched it four times and I am still not bored. If you never watched it, I recommend it. But if you have, please share with me your perspective—I want to hear and learn from you too.

I do not expect this blog has readers, but if you are one—thank you.