Best Supporting Actor 1996: Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire

Cuba Gooding Jr. won his Oscar from his first nomination for portraying Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire.

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s win is quite an infamous one usually being stated the worst win in this category. Well why is that I am sure it is helped by the fact that his career went off to not so memorable performances in some rather awful films. Also it is the case that he defeated some far more deserving Oscar less actors like Edward Norton, but the really the real reason is that Gooding's performance is not a good performance.

He plays the one sports star that Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is able to stay the agent for after his falling out with the large agency he worked for. Gooding plays his part with a constant energy I will give him credit there as he technically is always into the part, and this is not one of those performances that the actor seems disinterested in, but that does not make it a good performance either.

Gooding behavior as the obnoxious Rod Tidwell is very obnoxious. Gooding yells almost all of his lines with a big smile on his face, and a wide eyed expression to go along with it. This is just overacting really by Gooding as he repeats this throughout his performance, which becomes tiresome from the first instance of it.Yes Tidwell is suppose to be fairly loud but he could have been endearing or funny instead of just obnoxious. 

There is not anything special about this performance, and there is no reason it should have ever been nominated. It is just overacting from a chronic over actor. The character perhaps could have worked with a better comedian behind it. Tidwell though just is an excruciating presence in this film, when he should have been the opposite of that.

Posted in: 1996 Best Supporting Actor, Cuba Gooding Jr.