As Frank “TJ” Mackey, a misogynistic motivational speaker who trains men to “seduce and destroy” female conquests, Cruise taps into the most superficial, fake-confident, smile-until-it-hurts part of his persona. Hopped up and spouting profanity to a degree that crosses the line from funny to scary, Cruise delivers several virtuoso monologues before a grand breakdown scene at the film’s climax. While his is just one role in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling epic, it’s a stunner — practically a commentary on performance itself.
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