When I got my journalism degree, I didn’t think I would be sitting at work watching a 9-minute VICE feature about a Jerry Maguire video store, but to quote the man himself: “Have you ever gotten the feeling that you aren’t completely embarrassed yet, but you glimpse tomorrow’s embarrassment?”
Yes, Jerry Maguire. Oh yes I do.
There’s a logical explanation for all this though: there’s a store in LoDo right now that literally has thousands upon thousands of old “Jerry Maguire” VHS tapes. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Don’t look for a secret meaning. There’s not one. Actually there is. Kind of. But not really.
It’s part of Denver Startup Week (… logically) and will be at a space off 14th and Market Street through Friday. Again, logically.
The installation comes from Everything is Terrible! They refer to themselves a “video collective” – which is something that might make a certain part of the population grumble about millennials, but let’s be real: they’re jealous they’re not making a living off of being referred to as “the most beloved meme generators on the internet.”
Part of the whole Everything is Terrible! gimmick is “Jerry Maguire.” According to the VICE interview, they say that the concept came from the fact that at every thrift store, there are a disproportionate amount of “Jerry Maguire” VHS tapes … a fact that’s unverified but makes sense in a twisted way.
At this point, you might have some questions about the source material. At its core, “Jerry Maguire” is a 1996 movie you probably forgot about. It has Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger in it, and sparked the career of that cute Jonathan Lipnicki kid. According to IMDB, it involves a sports agent who has a “moral epiphany” and is fired for expressing it. What happens next is truly inspirational.
“He decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former secretary,” the IMDB description reads.
Oh yeah, Cuba Gooding Jr. won his Oscar for it. There were other nominations too. “The English Patient” won Best Picture year and kinda overshadowed everything. You might have heard the quote "you had me at hello." That's "Jerry Maguire." You're welcome.
Anyway, back to the installation with all of the “Jerry Maguire” VHS tapes.
Over the past nine years, Everything is Terrible! has collected more than 20,000 of those, and they want to build a giant pyramid of them where they’ll live forever in the Great American Desert (which is a large swath of land so take that as you will).
No joke, that’s on their website … and they’ve talked about it to VICE, the New York Times and CNN, so they’re legitimately putting it out there.
There’s even a GoFundMe to build said pyramid that’s only raised $932 of its $400,000 goal. That’s $932 more than what one would expect for a "Jerry Maguire VHS pyramid” in the desert.
“This is the stupidest incarnation of the American dream and it must be realized!” the GoFundMe description reads.
For what it’s worth, if you have a “Jerry Maguire” VHS lying around, you can bring it to the Denver installation, which is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. until Friday. Or just mail it to PO Box 50825, Los Angeles, CA 90050. You know ... to be a part of history.
It might be your last chance to see that many “Jerry Maguire” VHS tapes before they return to a pyramid in the desert.
Read more about the project here: https://bit.ly/2OQj7L2
Also they wanted us to include the link directly to the pyramid project’s customized website, so here it is: http://jerrymaguirepyramid.com/
Also by the way ... someone has literally donated 1,430 Jerry Maguire VHS' to this project, and there's a lot to unpack here, but maybe that's a whole other story.
We'll leave you with this "Jerry Maguire" quote:
"Don't cry at the beginning of a date (or 9NEWS.com article). Cry at the end. Like I do."
