#CruiseClub: The Tom Cruise Podcast

Open your eyes... it’s time for a new episode of #CruiseClub! Tom Cruise teamed up with Cameron Crowe once again for 2001’s Vanilla Sky, another movie falling squarely into this era of challenging movies and roles. To help us make sense of the dream logic in this one, we’re joined by two brand new guests to the TomTom Club: Zack DeZon and Alissa Larson! In this episode, we talk about Tom Cruise in...

All we wanted to do was spend our "holiday" free soloing some mountains in Utah, but we got a rocket shot at us, telling us to do a podcast episode about Mission: Impossible II, so here we are. To help us break down the second installment in one of the best franchises in cinematic history is Austin Wolf-Sothern of Cinema Stories on YouTube. In this episode, we talk about where Mission: Impossible...

We continue to mount the world from the lofty heights offered by #CruiseClub as we talk about Magnolia, our second movie in a row made by one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time. Joining us to talk about Paul Thomas Anderson’s sweeping epic are Tobin Addington of The Contenders, as well as our religion expert, John Brooks. In this episode, we talk about Cruise’s revelatory performance, our favo...

#CruiseClub has been nearly a flawless journey so far, and we’re still ascending! In 1999, Tom Cruise released what many people consider to be two of the best movies of all-time: Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia. We’ll get to Magnolia in two weeks, but the time has come to finally cover Stanley Kubrick on the podcast network, and boy was this discussion a good one! Joining us in their podcast-appropria...

After the action-fueled highs of Mission: Impossible in our last episode, it's time for Cruise to wade into the romantic comedy waters and snag himself a Golden Globe for his role as the titular Jerry Maguire! We're going guest-less in this episode, but there's more than enough to talk about, like our admiration for the breakout performance of Renee Zellweger, our laments that we can no longer roo...

Your mission, should you choose/decide to accept it, is to listen to this episode of #CruiseClub about Mission: Impossible. In this episode, we officially (and sort of unknowingly) enter Phase II of #CruiseClub! While Tom Cruise had already been in major movies, his emergence as Ethan Hunt elevates him to another level in his career. In this episode, we welcome in Mike Flynn to discuss the film, B...

Tom Cruise goes full horror as he becomes immortal and complains about Brad Pitt’s whining in Interview with the Vampire! Nick Jenkins of Reel Bad and Darcy DuBose of KeanuClub (no relation, kind of) stop by to talk about the theatricality of Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt, Kirsten Dunst acting far beyond her years, and whether or not Brad Pitt and Christian Slater were the best choices for their r...

If it didn't immediately follow A Few Good Men, seeing Tom Cruise as a lawyer in The Firm may have been a revelation. Instead... it's a bit of a mixed bag. But, importantly, a mixed bag we all mostly like! Joining us to talk about a pre-make of The Devil’s Advocate (minus the supernatural elements) is Tobin Addington of The Contenders. We discuss the film's wildly overlong runtime, how it could ha...

You want the truth? You can’t handle how good this movie is! #CruiseClub keeps on churning out one hit after another. This time: A Few Good Men. We’re heading down to Guantanamo Bay to begin our investigation — and pick up Tobin Addington of The Contenders along the way — then heading back north, grabbing our thinking bats, and diving deep into the world of Navy lawyering.

It’s a testament to the incredibly deep filmography of Tom Cruise that Far and Away is as great as it is, and yet no one talks about it among Cruise’s best films! Looking down the barrel of a nearly 2.5 hour Irish epic may be intimidating, but #CruiseClub hasn’t let us down so far, and this is no exception. Joining us on this episode is Michael Domanico, the host of the Not Her Again podcast. We d...

Don’t you dare call Days of Thunder “Top Gun on the ground.” It’s so much more than that! Crack open your Mello Yello and join us in Victory Circle. In this episode, we welcome back Greg MacLennan of the Alamo Drafthouse to talk about a Tom Cruise movie he loves so much that he bought a 70mm print to screen at a Cruise Control marathon. We discuss the similarities (and differences) between this mo...

The hits keep on coming! Born on the Fourth of July is an important marker in the history of #CruiseClub as it represents Tom Cruise's first Academy Award nomination, and joining us to talk about this movie is Jeremy Kelly. In this episode, we discuss the studio's hesitation to cast Cruise -- and why they shouldn't have worried -- as well as Tom Cruise's first true dramatic role, the similarities...

Rain Man represents a pretty wild departure from the roles Tom Cruise has taken so far in his career, but we’re not complaining! Joining us to talk about the Cruise role that Michael Caine says is one of his all-time favorite is Jordan Polan-Clarke of Wistful Thinking, who is sparkly and looks like a holiday. In this episode, we talk about Valeria Golino’s ties to Las Vegas, Princess Diana, and wh...

Cocktail, winner of the Razzy Award for Worst Picture, has been called Tom Cruise’s worst movie of all-time. But is it really that bad? Joining us to answer that question are Kyle Reinfried of Foodie Films and Austin Wolf-Sothern of Cinema Stories on YouTube. In this episode, we discuss the highs and lows of Cocktail, admire the way Elisabeth Shue turns an absolute zero of a role into one that’s e...

After a series of movies starring Tom Cruise, The Color of Money puts him in the co-pilot’s chair as he cedes the spotlight to Paul Newman. Or does he? The Color of Money masterfully tells the story of two grifters, hustlers, and pool sharks, and we’re joined by Greg MacLennan to gush all about it. In this episode, we admire Tom Cruise’s samurai dance moves — along with his VINCE t-shirt — and won...

We've got the need... the need to podcast about the Academy Award-winning film Top Gun! Joining us to take down these bogeys is our resident action film expert, Dan "The Duke" Hayden. Our egos are writing checks that our bodies can't cash. In this episode, we talk about the timeless cool of Tom Cruise as Maverick, how this movie is pure propaganda (and we don't care), and this movie's version of t...

Legend is, by far, the weirdest movie that stars Tom Cruise so far in his career, and may be the weirdest movie he’s ever done. But is it any good? To make sense of this fabulous world (and its many, many acting choices), we brought in Darcy DuBose and Jess “MonTEZ” Collins. Legend is Jess’s favorite movie of all time — and one of Darcy’s ten or so favorites — so the big question Joey wants to ask...

While we don’t have our resident Yinzer on the podcast to talk about the set-in-Pittsburgh film All the Right Moves, we’ve welcomed in our resident high school expert to talk about Tom Cruise as a defensive back on his high school football team. Brian Rodriguez of High School Slumber Party drops by again as we discuss the realism of the football action, Lea Thompson’s greatest acting moment, and w...

Risky Business is Tom Cruise’s first Very Important Movie in his career, so we had to bring in some big names to talk about it! We’ve got Brian Rodriguez (host of High School Slumber Party) and Walt Hickey (of Numlock News) sliding into frame in their underwear, button down shirt, and Wayfarers. In this episode, we talk about Tom Cruise’s baby fat, Rebecca de Mornay’s charm, and Joey Pants’s smarm...

Losin’ It marks Tom Cruise’s first starring role… and also his worst movie to date. While it’s not a terrible movie, it’s a bit of a mess and doesn’t know whether it wants to be a sex comedy or an emotional, heartfelt drama. To help us make sense of Losin’ It, we’re joined by Christian Larson, the co-host of Monkey Club. We’re packing our bags, robbing a nearby convenience store, and heading down...

The Outsiders marks Tom Cruise's final supporting role for more than 15 years, which both fits right in line with our two movies so far and sets up an exciting future ahead! In this episode, we welcome in Aislinn Addington of The Contenders to discuss Cruise's character, his teeth, and his ravenous love of chocolate cake. We also wonder what this movie would have been like with Tom Hanks in it, an...

#CruiseClub keeps on trucking with Taps, Tom Cruise's second role. While he's not yet the lead, he's once again a crucial (and manic!) part of the plot, and he can be found in far more of the movie than his 48 seconds of glory in Endless Love. Join us as we watch Cruise transform from a rigid military man (military boy?) to one entrenched in a war that means more to him than anyone else around him...

While Tom Cruise pops up in just one short scene of (the very problematic) Endless Love, it's hard not to admire this movie for the sweet, sweet trash that it is. The sexual tension is in the air on this inaugural episode of #CruiseClub as Joey and Mike discuss Tom Cruise's first role, the uncomfortable age disparity between our two leads, and the palpable sexual tension in the air throughout this...

Joey and Mike have covered the ups and downs of the careers of Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, and more. Then, they had an epiphany: why not watch good movies? In January 2019, they'll start watching every Tom Cruise movie, whose hits far outweigh his misses. Join them! The first episode drops January 4, 2019!