Tom Cruise’s First Oscar Win Should Have Been for ‘Magnolia’

“Making films is not what I do. It’s who I am.” Those are the words spoken by 63-year-old actor Tom Cruise, who accepted his first-ever Academy Honorary Award during this year’s Governors Awards. While Cruise has made a name for himself with high-octane action films grounded in dangerous, practical stunt work, the actor has also taken on plenty of dramatic roles that don’t involve him hanging off planes. Much earlier in his career, the actor had worked with iconic filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, and Paul Thomas Anderson. It was with the last filmmaker that Cruise also delivered one of his most moving and heartbreaking performances in the 1999 film Magnolia.

In his role as Frank “T.J.” Mackey in PTA’s ambitious ensemble, Cruise showcases not only his exuberant physicality but also a subtle, tortured performance that mesmerizes viewers​​​​​​. Mackey evokes the manic energy of Daniel Day-Lewis’ Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. Only with Mackey, Cruise shows as much vulnerability as he does his monstrous side. The 72nd Academy Awards even nominated Cruise in the Best Supporting Actor category. While the actor wouldn’t win (losing to Michael Caine for The Cider House Rules), this latest honorary award serves as a reminder that his work on Magnolia should be remembered and recognized.

Tom Cruise’s Role in ‘Magnolia’ Is a Carefully Layered Performance

By the time Magnolia went into production, Tom Cruise was already considered one of the biggest stars working in Hollywood. From Top Gun to Jerry Maguire to the original Mission: Impossible film, the actor already had a reputation for his charisma and magnetism. It’s what made his casting in Magnolia such an unconventional and exciting choice. Director Paul Thomas Anderson sought more than Cruise’s movie-star persona; he wanted a nuanced performance that used the actor’s charm in surprising and complex ways. Although it wouldn’t result in an Oscar for Cruise, it was still a performance that deserved one because of how well it worked on multiple levels.

As Frank T.J. Mackey, Cruise is a hypermasculine, over-the-top motivational speaker who sells bravado and blatant sexism to men who completely lack confidence. Right from his first big scene in the movie, when he is introduced with the song “Also sprach Zarathustra” and begins his “Seduce and Destroy” speech (a monologue the actor wrote himself), Mackey engrosses viewers. From his dance moves to the cringe-worthy catchphrases he makes the audience repeat, he is meant to make you uncomfortable. Everything audiences had loved about Cruise in his previous movies is then used in a new, artificial way to breathe life into this incredibly toxic character with a tragic past.

Cruise practically becomes a parody of his Hollywood persona, a career move that undoubtedly felt risky at the time. The confidence Mackey puts on goes to a disturbing extreme with random physical feats like flips, barks, and odd commands to his captive audience. Thankfully, this intense performance from Cruise isn’t just for surface-level satire. It’s a beautiful setup by PTA, executed flawlessly by Cruise, that makes his work in the second half of the film hit like a freight train as all the bravado and armor slowly chip away.

As Frank Mackey, Cruise Exemplifies the Powerful Themes of ‘Magnolia’

It’s Arguably Cruise’s Best Performance

New Line Cinema

The heart of Cruise’s performance, and what undoubtedly secured his nomination in 2000, is the scene in which Mackey visits the bedside of his dying father, Earl Partridge (Jason Robards). After spending most of Magnolia‘s lengthy runtime putting up a facade and wearing a charming mask, the walls begin to close in on Mackey’s psyche, as he comes to terms with confronting the man whom he resents the most for abandoning him and his mother at a young age. What starts as pure anger slowly evolves into Mackey becoming a hurt son who only ever wanted love and recognition from his father, as he desperately tries to understand the decisions in life that brought them both to that point.

Cruise brings an entirely different physicality than he did at the beginning of the film. Now, rather than being full of energy and bouncing around the screen, he does the opposite. Mackey stumbles over his words, sad and angry. He curls up into a ball of rage and resentment, collapsing emotionally as he comes to terms with the generational trauma he has been suppressing. Moreover, his character arc exemplifies the film’s themes.

Magnolia features several different, sometimes interconnected stories that, in one way or another, feature characters who long for connection or carry their own form of inherited trauma. There are plenty of big emotional moments for other cast members, but it’s Cruise’s breakdown as Mackey that really ties everything together. Now that the Mission: Impossible actor is finally getting his Oscar recognition 25 years later, it’s as good a time as any to revisit Magnolia and remind ourselves of what Cruise is capable of outside the action that he has now become so well-known for.

Tom Cruise’s Honorary Oscar Was Long Overdue

New Line Cinema

The Academy’s decision to award Tom Cruise an Honorary Oscar is entirely understandable. His work on films like Top Gun: Maverick not only helped shape the modern-day blockbuster but also revitalized the movie-going experience at a time when it was in danger of disappearing altogether. Still, this newfound recognition should also serve as a reminder of what Cruise is capable of outside grandiose action. Much like his character in Magnolia, Cruise’s public image and pursuit of perfection in action films do not define him. His work in PTA’s early film instead highlights his vulnerabilities and a more intimate form of acting.

25 years later, Tom Cruise’s work in Magnolia remains one of, if not his best, performances to date. In a career long defined by spectacle, it was the character of Frank T.J. Mackey that served as the clearest indication that Cruise deserved his first Oscar, decades before he received an Honorary Award in 2025. It was a bold role for Cruise at the time, and it will forever stand out in his expansive, impressive career. Magnolia is available to stream on Pluto TV.

Release Date

December 17, 1999

Runtime

188 minutes