Tom Cruise has got his fair share of grief over the years, including from me. But I can't think of Cruise without thinking about what an impact he had on my sexual awakening. Except for taking my nephew to
Edge of Tomorrow, (2014) and going on a date to see
War of the Worlds, (2005) I stopped getting excited over, or even watching a Cruise movie since the late 1990's.
I remember however, seeing
Top Gun at the theatre when I was just a kid. Even though I would have only been around ten or eleven, the volleyball scene, (
Playing With the Boys) and Tom in his tighy whities left their mark. A few year later, when I was a little older, I replayed scenes from
Top Gun over and over on our VCR. That was of course, until I saw some of his older movies, including
All The Right Moves.
Through much of my late teens, it was herb Ritt's images of Cruise, playing in the ocean in his wet undershirt and jeans that sparked many a masturbatory fantasy. I was always on the beach on a towel watching and of course the soaking wet Cruise headed my way and... well, you know. It wasn't just his body it was that face, especially in profile, I loved Tom's nose and in my mind, it played a big part in his appeal.
Tom by Herb RittsAs I got older, and Tom got older, my crush certainly dissipated. I still enjoyed his movies, especially
A Few God Men, Interview With The Vampire and
Jerry Maguire, but between the rumors about his marriages, the Scientology, jumping on Oprah's couch and his comments on mental illness, the bloom certainly came off the rose.
In hindsight however, I think I was a bit unfair. For a time, Cruise was the movies biggest movie star, and whatever was going on in his personal life had to be full of unimaginable stress and pressure. I also tend to think many of those drawn to religions such as Scientology do so out of pain, and deep sense of longing to belong. Tom has also always come across as a kind man, of course I don't know, but if anything, off screen, he leaned more towards the boring than the controversial.
Top Gun (1986)I'm glad I watched
Born on the Forth of July, Tom put in a great performance, one of his best. It also reignited what it was that I first attracted me when I was a kid As.Ron Kovic. the paralyzed in the Vietnam war vet, Tom powerfully shows the range of emotions of a man who fought for his country, yet a man who feels betrayed by the country he fought for.
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)There was a nude scene in the film, a brief shot of Tom's butt, and some patients in the hospital. I added them here, and not in the SKIN part of the post below. The scenes aren't meant to titillate, Tom and the other patients are being cleaned, and cleaned out, and more a part of painting the picture of the time and the circumstance. Check out all of the rest of Tom's nude scenes in PART 2 below.
