Remember when Tom Cruise wanted to be a great actor and wasn’t just trying to put stunt performers out of work by leaping off every tall structure? Well, if you’re under 25, you never got a chance to see him really put in the work rather than put himself in danger. There may be no better place to start than 1996’s Jerry Maguire, the story of a sports agent who realizes that quality means more than quantity. Sadly, that message about work/life balance has never felt more timely, as his sole client (Cuba Gooding Jr.) teaches him the difference between the coin and the kwan (you’ll learn). Plus, if you want to know why your older acquaintances still burst into tears at “You had me at hello,” and why “You complete me” is more than just a meme, then writer/director Cameron Crowe’s romantic classic is unmissable. – Richard Whittaker
