Reviews of the movie itself aren’t inherently bad. But many well-respected critics out there agree that Cruise is not one of the highlights.

Crushing quotes

“Cruise is both the central figure in ‘Valkyrie’ and its weakest link. He’s distractingly bad in this … With his hard, flat American accent, he stands out in every single scene. And he’s not a good enough actor to immerse himself in this kind of period piece.” – Christy Lemire, Associated Press.

“Arguably miscast, Cruise is stiff and unconvincing as the courageously heroic German officer.” – Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7.

Mixed reviews

Some movie reviewers out there seem to be trying a bit too hard to see the bright side.

“Hearing Cruise’s American accent is jarring at first. But his British co-stars, including Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson and Eddie Izzard, don’t sound German either.” – Rolling Stone.

Hmm, I think perhaps the RS was trying to sound somewhat positive but, “His coworkers sound bad, too,” doesn’t sound like a compliment to me.

The good with the bad

Reviews of Cruise’s performance are generally negative or somewhat neutral. There are positive ones out there, too, but they leave me wondering if they’re rooted in loyalty that formed around “Top Gun” at an impressionable age.

The majority of the film’s reviews, however, are pretty good. At rottentomatoes.com, 64 percent of the critics gave it positive reviews. Granted, this is only 1 percent higher than the reviews for “Marley & Me,” a film whose central character is a dog.

Kirk Honeycutt at THR Intelligence calls “Valkrie” “a coolly efficient, entertaining and straightforward tale.” Hm, that doesn’t sound so bad. At least the rest of the cast won’t need to worry about a payday loan any time soon.

Too little too late?

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Levy  makes the point in his article that “Valkyrie” is a “vehicle to re-energize Tom Cruise’s troubled career.” We haven’t seen any blockbusters on the level of the “Mission: Impossible” series since that mission was completed. For years he got nothing but bad press covering his craziness and skewering his adamant defense of Scientology. Now he bombs in a much-anticipated film with a Christmas Day release date. It could be that the Cruise ship has sailed.

Of course, Tom Cruise will never need a payday loan, but if he wants to apply for one, just for fun, he’d better do it while he still has a payday coming up.

Looking back

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It was June 2004 when Cruise last appeared on the “Today Show.” Scientology, the religion Cruise committed to in 1990, was undergoing increasing scrutiny. The conversation between Lauer and Cruise turned to psychiatry. Cruise made some disparaging comments regarding Brook Shield’s use of antidepressants. When Lauer defended her, Cruise called the host “glib,” and viral coverage of the incident ensued.

Cruise was already facing media fire for jumping on the couch a few weeks earlier on “Oprah.” The two incidents had fans and critics alike questioning Cruise’s sanity.

In today’s interview, Cruise admitted that he had come across as arrogant, kind of like people who look down on payday loans, the last time he appeared on the show. Cruise and Lauer discussed their previous interview at length. Cruise said his behavior was out-of-character and blamed it partially on the timing of the interview. Furthermore, Cruise says he isn’t discussing Scientology in current interviews, but he is still a follower.

So why the long wait to clear the air? That subject wasn’t discussed, but it certainly seems as though Cruise has gotten “back to normal” after a few years of negative press.

Just in time for Christmas

Cruise appeared on the “Today” show to promote his upcoming movie, “Valkyrie.” The film hits theaters on Christmas Day and stars Cruise as Adolph Hitler’s would-be assassin. The film tells the story of the German Colonel who is famous for a failed attempt on the World War II dictator.

When news of the film first began to travel it too, generated controversy. The German media attacked his decision to play  Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who is now considered one of Germany’s greatest heroes.

Cruisin’

Cruise had a busy day on the promotion circuit. “Extra” host Mario Lopez also interviewed the star about his upcoming film. In the interview with Lopez, Cruise dishes about the connection he feels to von Stauffenberg; Cruise always wanted to kill Hitler, too.

Cruise also admitted to Lopez that he learned the dance moves he performed in “Tropic Thunder” from “Soul Train.”

Too Little too Late?

So, will Cruise’s belated apology be enough to repair his credit among Lauer fans? Or will he need payday loans after his career goes in the tank? Leave your comments.

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