Top Five… Tom Cruise singing scenes
Who is Tom Cruise? What is Tom Cruise? Why is Tom… Cruise? When is Tom Cruise? Here’s another question: why is Tom Cruise always warbling in his movies? Coming soon: Top Five Tom Cruise running scenes…
5. Magnolia
Cruise’s tearful rendition of a Beach Boys classic in War Of The Worlds is heartfelt, but it is just beaten into the top five by his small part in one of the great out-of-the-blue cinematic sing-alongs. Who said frogs falling from the sky was the weirdest part of this movie?
4. Risky Business
A star is born. And all it took was a pair of white socks, a pink shirt and some Bog Seger. This scene doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the movie, which is quite dark and slow-moving in places, but it does feature some excellent lip-syncing by Mr Mapother.
3. Top Gun
Move over Kenny Loggins… there’s a new crooner in town. And he can’t hit a note. Cruise’s singing is wretched here but it’s all part of the fun, as he serenades the beautiful and tall (and strategically placed on a stool) Kelly McGillis to the sounds of The Righteous Brothers.
2. Jerry Maguire
After finally finding something on the radio he knows the words to, Tom mouths along to some Tom Petty. Has a man ever worn a bigger grin and looked more smug? Probably not, but who cares – he’s listening to a great Tom Petty song. SHOW ME THE PETTY!!
1. The Color Of Money
Even though he only sings one line, this is the Everest of Tom Cruise singing scenes. It has a great song in Werewolves Of London, it has a glimpse of Paul Newman and it has Cruise doing what he does best – playing a cocky little git. He is pretty great at it, in fairness. Nice of Scorsese to set all the balls up over the pockets for him, though.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE TOM CRUISE SCENES?
Ross v Ross 
September 14, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Rain Man was his best performance in my opinion. Although I don’t think he did much singing in that movie.
September 14, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I’ve always dug his siging of “Chantilly Lace” in COCKTAIL right before Bryan Brown takes a header down the subway stairs. That, and whatever Italian waltz he sings in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE as he dances around with the corpse of Claudia’s dead mother.
By the way – this topic is Top Five Brilliance!
September 14, 2009 at 7:43 pm
U guys suck serious ass
Tropic Thunder OBVIOUSLY!!!!!
September 15, 2009 at 11:02 am
good shout on Tropic Thunder, Griervous, a great Cruise role in a mediocre film, but does he actually do any singing? – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KYERCo7X4M
September 15, 2009 at 1:20 pm
if your’re going to do a top 5 tom cruise running scenes you’ll have to include the firm, he ran his socks off in that
September 15, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Cruise is like one of those kids you thought was really cool at school, you meet him a few years later and realise what a knob he is, an utter embarrassment.
The only thing worse than his preening, platform-heeled
Gym Jock style of acting is his cringe-making, redneck rock singing especially in Top Gun and Cocktail.
If someone told him ‘you rock!!’, this 1980s throwback would still take it as a compliment.
Good idea for a top 5 though, RvR, just why does he sing so much? It’s like getting Julie Andrews to strip in every film.
September 15, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I think we should do a Top One: Tom Cruise baseball throwing scenes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-tilzx1jsg
I’m sorry, I know we’ve talked about this before, but it will never be not hilarious
September 15, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Color of Money scene by a longshot, solely because Werewolves of London is the s**t and Warren Zevon is the s**t. Unnecessary sequel, awesome scene. Word.
September 16, 2009 at 4:10 pm
You mentioned the Little Deuce Coup bit of war of the Worlds, but how could you miss out the most warped/terrifying rendition of “Hushabye mountain” ever committed to celluloid!
I’ll never look at Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the same way again. Scary stuff.
Also, thanks for helping me remember exactly what film they’re parodying in the current guitar hero ads. I knew it was Cruise but I couldn’t remember exactly what.
September 21, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Great list. The Jerry Maguire one is one of my favorite singing scenes, because I do that in the car.
September 22, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Tom Cruise DOES sing in a lot of movies. Why is that? He doesn’t have a particularly good voice. Maybe it’s symbolic. Of what, I have no idea.
If you ever make a list of the best Tom Cruise dancing scenes, the bit at the end of “Tropic Thunder” HAS to be included. No questions asked.
September 14, 2010 at 10:50 am
Tom Cruise you’re the the handsome guy ever seen. Leave that katie holmes and love me.