Cruise Control Trivia Quiz

Answer: Born on the Fourth of July

"Born on the Fourth of July" was written and produced by Vietnam veterans Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic about the latter's life, particularly after being paralyzed from a war wound. It was an adaptation of Kovic's autobiography, and earned Stone an Oscar for Best Director. Cruise lost to Daniel Day-Lewis for his performance of Christy Brown in "My Left Foot", another disabled person in real life.

Answer: Jerry Maguire

"Jerry Maguire" is based on sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who is terminated from his job and works as an independent agent for a single athlete. It earned writer and director Cameron Crowe an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Cuba Gooding Jr. won for Best Supporting Actor as Tidwell, Maguire's client. Cruise lost this time to Geoffrey Rush's portrayal in "Shine".

Answer: The Outsiders

"The Outsiders" was adapted from a novel you may have read in middle school by S.E. Hinton; it is a coming-of-age story about a group of poor teenagers and their conflict with a group of richer students. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and its cast besides Cruise included future-famous C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, and Patrick Swayze.

Answer: Far and Away

This 1992 Ron Howard film follows Donnelly and Christie leaving Ireland, working in an industrial city, and finally competing in the Great Land Rush of 1893. It is one of the rare films to be partly shot in 70mm. It had the dubious honor of receiving a Golden Raspberry for Worst Original Song, "Book of Days," as well as a MTV Movie Award nomination for Best On-Screen Duo for Cruise and Kidman.

Answer: Tropic Thunder

Ben Stiller's 2008 comedy is about a war movie's lead roles becoming lost in the jungles and themselves. "Tropic Thunder" was polarizing with some loving it for its over-the-top parodying of Hollywood while others took umbrage with its portrayals of racial and special needs groups. Still, it arguably helped repair Cruise's image which had been damaged in the mid-2000s.

Answer: Mission: Impossible II

"Mission: Impossible II" has Hunt in a race against time to defeat an ex-IMF Agent turned heel from selling "Chimera". Directed by action movie John Woo, it of course includes his trademarks like Guns Akimbo and Disturbed Doves. The scene with a knife just a hair beyond Cruise's eye was done with an actual blade at his insistence.

Answer: Mission: Impossible

Hunt eventually reforms a team to protect the identities of IMF agents and discovers the actual mole. Directed by Brian Da Palma in 1996, the film was of course adapted from the 1960s and 1980s television series. It established the trademark of being suspended by cable.

After repeated takes of that scene where his head would hit the floor, Cruise came up with the idea of balancing himself by putting coins in his shoes.

Answer: Mission: Impossible III

After the arms dealer kills Hunt's friend, he is captured but then escapes and wants vengeance against Hunt. A pre-lens flare fan J.J. Abrams directed it in 2006. Cruise did many of his own stunts in the movie, and cracked a couple of his ribs.

Answer: Top Gun

This oh-so 1986 action movie focuses on fighter pilots competing to be the best of the best. It was directed by Tony Scott, though he was formally fired on three separate occasions. Before taking on the role of Maverick, Cruise flew in a F-14 Tomcat three times; impressively, he only vomited once.

Answer: A Few Good Men

The Rob Reiner work looks at the aftermath of a Marine dying due to hazing from his fellow enlisted men and determining where the blame lies. "A Few Good Men" was based on an actual Code Red in Guantanamo Bay and had been made into a play by Aaron Sorkin. Cruise ad-libbed the shot where he impersonates Jack Nicholson's character.