I think it’s possible that Vanilla Sky is the most “Tom Cruise” Tom Cruise movie of all time. Spoiler alert:

Vanilla Sky is largely about the idea that you can have a happy, fulfilled life simply by deciding to. It is also about whether fleeting decisions and feelings you have “in the moment” are more or less real than the hard truths of everyday life.

Does this sound familiar? It should, since you’ve clearly been diligently reading and internalizing every single one of these Tom Cruise reviews. If it doesn’t, this is also the main theme of Jerry Maguire, Cruise and director Cameron Crowe’s last collaboration.

Jerry Maguire applies the idea that happiness comes not from a life of realism or from making logical, reasoned choices, but from following fleeting ambitions to the point of failure. It is a practical exploration of this theme. Depending on whether or not you want to believe in Crowe’s nihilism (I do), it is also melancholy, indicating that following these choices leads to happiness and excitement but also certain failure and pain.

Vanilla Sky takes a metaphysical look at the same worldview: What is more real? I mean, literally, what is more real? A dream that honestly portrays and fulfills your desires, or a waking life built around what is logically possible?

I get why a lot of people don’t like Vanilla Sky. It is hard to follow. It is heavy-handed. Some of the plot points don’t feel like they add up even when you’ve pieced together the twists and secrets that are revealed in the last few moments. The genre and tone change as the movie develops as well – from romantic comedy, to thriller, back to romance, to science fiction. It may be a thought-provoking experience, but I’m not sure if it’s an entertaining one.

The thing I loved about the film was the dialogue, ripe with Cameron Crowe’s signature wordy sentimentality. Like Kevin Smith and Aaron Sorkin, Crowe ignores natural human speech patterns because he wants his characters to make his points for him. Jerry Maguire was full of characters lying to one another while staring, smiling, into each other’s eyes. Vanilla Sky features characters having conversations that are really just parallel monologues, where neither listens to or cares what the other is saying. The patterns may or may not ring true but the concept feels real.

The thing I hated about Vanilla Sky was that even though the plot was rich and intense and the themes were thought-provoking and clear, I never had an understanding of who the characters were or why they did what they do. For a movie pushing two and a half hours, featuring only a few performers, I learned much less about the characters than I did in Magnolia which features way more people. For a movie that attempts to tie real-life decision making to a difficult, sci-fi plot point, this seems like a massive oversight.

So why, then, is this the most Tom Cruise movie of all time? It takes a real, sincere look at the idea of using science to extend one’s life and align one’s fantasies with reality. It implies that committing to what really, substantially, exists is preferable to the bliss of an ignorant, cerebrally-driven existence. It suggests that you have to care to be fulfilled. And even though it isn’t the best movie of all time, it sure is trying.

Next: Minority Report