The Jerry Maguire Scene Jake Gyllenhaal Can't Get Through Without Crying

We all have those scenes in movies that get us every time. The ones that hit us where it hurts and drum up emotions we didn’t know we had. For actor Jake Gyllenhaal the scene that makes him cry every time is in Jerry Maguire. Yet, it’s not the scene at the end that has all the characters crying, but rather one a few minutes before that shows how much another couple in the film is in love.

The scene takes place near the end of the film while Tom Cruise’s title character is on the sidelines of the football game with his client, Rod Tidwell, the role that won Cuba Gooding Jr. an Oscar. Tidwell takes a massive hit in the endzone which knocks him unconscious. This leads to Jerry calling Tidwell’s wife Marcee, played by Regina King, in order to keep a line of communication open and make sure that she stays calm. Only she’s not calm. She’s in hysterics because her husband may be seriously hurt. The line that puts Gyllenhaal over the edge comes here where King says, "You don’t understand. This family doesn’t work without him."

While the movie is about the budding relationship between Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger, the one portrayed by King and Gooding Jr. is a huge part of the film. The two young lovers look at King and Gooding's long marriage and see something they would both like to have for themselves one day. The love the two characters have for each other is deep and clear. This is what makes such a scene so powerful, when it looks like, if only for a moment, what they have may be gone.

In the interview with W Magazine, Gyllenhaal gets very emotional talking about the scene so you can see how it gets him worked up. He says the combination of King’s delivery along with Cruise’s attempts to keep her calm is what does it for him. Check out the interview below.

It’s an interesting choice for a scene because it’s not the one people remember. If people think of the football game at the end of the movie they don’t think about the hit, and the aftermath of it, so much as the touchdown dance that occurs immediately following the scene, once it’s discovered that Rod Tidwell is ok.

Then, of course, there is the oft-quoted scene that follows that one, where Jerry Maguire races home to try and save his own relationship.

Is Jerry Maguire one of the movies that makes you cry? Let’s get emotional in the comments below.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.