Tom Cruise's Best and Worst Romance Films Ranked
From breakout hits to critical disasters, we examine the action star's surprising romantic filmography that defined his early career before Mission: Impossible took over.
Today's audiences expect Tom Cruise to deliver high-octane action sequences and death-defying stunts. But there was an era when the Hollywood superstar built his reputation on romantic leading man roles. Most of these love stories emerged during the 1980s and 1990s, before the new millennium shifted his focus toward adrenaline-fueled blockbusters.
Many movie buffs believe Cruise could have dominated the romance genre if he'd continued pursuing these roles past 2000. Instead, he found his comfort zone in action franchises like Mission: Impossible. Here's how his romantic films stack up, from absolute classics to forgettable missteps.
The Breakout That Started Everything
Risky Business launched Cruise into stardom in 1983. This coming-of-age story about a high school senior who gets involved with a call girl named Lana became one of cinema's greatest teen films. Rebecca De Mornay played opposite Cruise in steamy scenes that generated real chemistry between the leads.
Their on-screen connection was so intense that the actors began a real relationship during filming. Cruise earned his first Golden Globe nomination for the performance. The movie made $63.5 mn against a $6.2 mn budget.
Critics loved it. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 93% score, calling it "a sharp, funny examination of teen angst that doesn't stop short of exploring dark themes." Before Cruise landed the role, Sean Penn, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, John Cusack, and Tom Hanks all auditioned for Joel Goodson.
Sports Agent Romance Done Right
Jerry Maguire delivered one of Cruise's most memorable performances in 1996. Cameron Crowe crafted a story about an NFL sports agent that included a beautiful love story between Cruise's title character and Renée Zellweger's Dorothy Boyd.
The chemistry worked perfectly. Their final scene, where Maguire confesses his love, gave us the now-famous line "You had me at 'hello.'" The Hollywood Reporter later named it one of cinema's greatest romantic quotes. Director Crowe said Zellweger was emotional wreck after filming that sequence.
The movie earned $273 mn against a $50 mn budget. It received five Oscar nominations and won Best Supporting Actor for Cuba Gooding Jr. Critics praised how Crowe mixed romance with sports, giving it an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score.
The Misunderstood Thriller
Vanilla Sky confused audiences in 2001. This remake of the Spanish film Abre los Ojos starred Cameron Diaz and Penélope Cruz, who reprised her role from the original. Cruise played a man disfigured in a car crash trying to understand his past relationships.
While Crowe's second collaboration with Cruise didn't impress initially, it gained cult status later. Diaz received praise and earned SAG and Golden Globe nominations. The film made $203.4 mn worldwide but critics weren't kind, giving it just 41% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Western Romance That Missed the Mark
Far and Away paired Cruise with then-wife Nicole Kidman in 1992. This Western adventure about Irish immigrants participating in America's Land Run of 1893 didn't connect with critics. Ron Howard directed from Bob Dolman's screenplay.
Rotten Tomatoes gave it 51% from critics, though audiences were more generous at 62%. The main complaint was the simple plot, despite beautiful cinematography of the American West. The movie earned $137.8 mn against a $60 mn budget.
The former couple later redeemed themselves with Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut seven years later.
The Critical Disaster
Cocktail stands as Cruise's worst-reviewed romance. This 1988 film about an ambitious bartender earned the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a brutal 9% rating, calling it "a shallow, dramatically inert romance" that wasted Cruise's talents.
Even Cruise admitted the movie wasn't his finest work. He played Brian Flanagan, learning bartending from Doug Coughlin (Bryan Brown) in an adaptation of Heywood Gould's novel. The film mixed romance, drama, betrayal, and comedy but failed to make any of it work.
Despite terrible reviews, Cruise's star power generated $171.5 mn at the box office from a $20 mn budget. Audiences were slightly more forgiving, giving it 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.