He's just what we wanted in Risky Business and The Firm. He choked us senseless with crap in Legend and Days of Thunder. And, yes, he showed us a glimpse or two of star quality in Mission Impossible, confusing the bejesus out of us, but making such a show of catching sweat droplets, who really cared? Indeed, it was smothered with the finest of big-screen cheeses, but Tom's a star just the same.

But, on the eighth day, the Hollywood gods created the biggest miracle ever. They gave us Tom Cruise, the actor. Not the smilin' bartender from Cocktail, not the clenching overachiever from A Few Good Men, not the brazen award-ham from Rain Man, and, thank heaven, not the curly-permed bloodsucker from Interview with the Vampire. Tom Cruise, the actor, who amazes in Jerry Maguire.

And, good giggly-wiggly, who knew this guy could act like THIS?!? Simply put, Tom is brilliant as the only sports agent with a troubled conscience, tired of allowing greed to rule his life. His role is a meaty, conflicted, multidimensional one, a character study of a guy at the top, his fall to the bottom, and his rise to fulfillment.

A lot of the credit for this performance has to go to Cameron Crowe, the writer/director of Jerry Maguire. Crowe's ability to write with words that speak to an audience rather than at an audience has always been his strong suit. He directs the same way. He crafts the moments, but does it so quietly that you don't notice it until much later. Remember that haunting image of John Cusack holding a boombox in the rain from Say Anything? Simple, not cinematic or glamorous, but silently powerful. The best leaders are those that command with a whisper. Crowe whispers, and miracles occur.

Crowe and Cruise make an excellent team, yes, but they are not what make Jerry Maguire such a fantastic movie. The greatness comes from the fact that Crowe's script did not need a superstar to carry it. It needed an actor who was confident in his talent. It needed someone who would show himself in the best and worst of his character's being. And, most importantly, it needed an actor who could relax and let his fellow actors guide his performance as he guides theirs.

It is this last step that has always restricted The Cruiser. He is the "star" and everyone else in the movie revolves around him. I don't begrudge him this. I say it, though, so I can say this: by allowing himself to leave his orbit in the "solar system" approach, he has become the actor I'd hope he has always wanted to be. I offer him this name to think about for future reference - Tom Hanks, who went from "star" to "actor" in just a few years. If Tom Cruise can keep the other Tom in mind, his career could last forever. Go back to the "solar system," and, well, does the name "Burt Reynolds" come to mind?

Crowe also gave Cruise two valuable gifts to make this movie with, namely Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Renee Zellweger. If there is any mental strength in the Academy this year, Cuba Gooding will be nominated for and win the Best Supporting Actor award next march. His performance as the fame-hungry philosopher and wide receiver Rod Tidwell is the role Cuba has needed to make that last step to the level of "star." He is not on the screen every second, but his presence is.

Miss Zellweger is another story entirely. She manages her own impossible mission and steals many scenes from Cruise, just by the power of her silence. With this one role, she has touched on the magic of people like Barbara Stanwyck and Jean Arthur. She can say much by saying nothing. Her eyes welling with joy is a thing of beauty. Her lower lip quivering, trying to keep from crying, is a gesture so touching, it brought tears to this crotchety man's ducts. She is beautiful, yet common. She is reserved, yet lively. She is sexy, yet proper. She is a find for the ages.

Friends and patients, Jerry Maguire may well be the best film of the year. No funnelclouds, no golf clubs, no boogermen from space. Just acting at the top of its form, and a script that should be bronzed and given to new screenwriters as a playbook for perfection.

Crowe passes to Cruise. Touchdown.