But i'm certain Tom is the greatest movie star of all time...by that I mean his unparalelled sucess rate at the box office going almost 4 decades, plus his screen charisma. Dustin Hoffman once remarked that "you don't take your eyes off of him, he's a Christmas tree - lit from head to toe."
shareDifferent strokes. I've watched a couple of movies he's been in, but I find him pretty average.
With short guys, I'm more fascinated by how hard it had to have been to find people to star with him to make him look tall. When I found out how short Redford and Newman were, I thought the same thing. A lot of the biggest movie stars are short guys, and that means the #1 requirement for being a successful movie actress is being short.
Alec Baldwin was right on the money when he talked about Cruise’s star power. The guy is a movie star through and through!
That being said, he’s more than a movie star. As far as I’m concerned, he proved decades ago that he’s a grade-A actor with solid range. Magnolia, Born on the Fourth of July, Collateral, The Last Samurai, A Few Good Men, Rain Man, Tropic Thunder, Vanilla Sky... excuse me, but if the performances that he gave in these films are those of only a so-so actor with little to no range, then y’all must have some extremely high standards (it’s the internet... so of course!). And I know, there are naysayers who don’t find his work in these films all that impressive. Compare him to the real thespians of the big screen? I still see a good actor in Cruise. In fact, in a bunch of his movies he more than held his own against some of the greats.
When given the chance to show off his range, he has delivered great performances. Moreover, unlike other well-known charismatic movie stars with limited acting range, to me Cruise 100% brings more than just charisma to virtually all his roles. Granted it’s been a while since he last took a role that allowed him to really stretch his acting muscles or disappear into a character (enough for some people at any rate), although he continuously commits himself to his roles - like not many “real” actors do - and brings this sheer intensity that is palpable.
Hell, in some of the Mission Impossible films (which some unfairly write off as standard action flicks) his performances have been understated and electrifying; he gave performances that you won’t see your average action actor giving. Plays himself? Oh boy. If that were truly the case with each and every one of his roles, he nevertheless has shown shown to be capable of convincingly expressing a wide range of emotions — and to me, that matters more than changing your accent, mannerisms and appearance when it comes to acting. I’d like to say that I remain surprised by how many people still dismiss his talents as an actor, but... nah.
Anyway, he may also very well be the greatest movie star/actor to do his own stunts (and I’m not forgetting your Jackie Chans and Buster Keatons). What he has done to entertain and blow audiences away is simply next level.
He's very convincing in his roles. He always seem like Tom Cruise, but if the story is good, he isn't a distraction. I like a lot of his movies despite a lot of the gossip I hear.
shareI don't disagree with what you wrote. However, it's obviously subjective that he's as convincing in his roles as you and I think he is - there are those who think Tom's "over the top" or too intense in his roles. Although this makes me wonder whether these people have seen Rain Man, Born On The 4th Of July, A Few Good Men, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia etc.
In my opinion, Tom definitely showed far more range in the 80s and 90s. He's more of the same man in everything now.
I'll take Sean Connery over Cruise any day. Cruise however has a better argument for best movie star from the 1980s era.
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