Tom Cruise Reminds Us What Star Power Really Is

De Niro lectured, couture panicked, but Cruise gave Cannes the lesson it needed.

In 48 hours: sheer gowns banned, stylists scrambled, Cruise cried, and De Niro couldn’t help himself. Cannes is back—and louder than ever.

In the whirlwind of the 78th Cannes Film Festival —where last-minute dress code bans sent stylists into a frenzy and Hollywood egos took center stage—Tom Cruise emerged as the undeniable force. While Robert De Niro delivered a grim political tirade and couture scrambled under new modesty mandates, Cruise reminded the festival—and the world—why star power still matters. His farewell premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was not just a movie event; it was a masterclass in presence, authenticity, and the magnetic pull of true cinema legend. In a sea of noise and chaos, Cruise’s powerful performance wasn’t just seen—it was felt.

Welcome to Cannes 2025, where cinema meets circus and couture comes with a dress code.

Opening Night: Censored, Styled, and Still Standing

Juliette Binoche, serving as jury president, arrived in a pale pink pantsuit topped with a gauzy veil. She held hands with fellow jurors (including Jeremy Strong, Halle Berry, and director Payal Kapadia) in a moment of cinematic choreography that hinted at unity, irony—or bot.

Then Quentin Tarantino crashed the stage, unannounced—to “officially open” the festival before dropping the mic, literally. Theatrical, unexpected, and undeniably Cannes.

Meanwhile, the premiere of Partir un Jour, a French musical comedy, earned a five-minute standing ovation—proof that even amid red carpet rules and modesty mandates, joy still sneaks through.

Tribute to the surrealist legend David Lynch

The highlight for cinephiles? A surreal, reverent tribute to avant-garde legend David Lynch. Known for Mulholland Drive and Wild at Heart, Lynch's presence—or rather, his spectral influence—cast a dreamlike haze over the ceremony. The homage felt like a glitch in the glam matrix: meditative, bizarre, and perfectly timed amid the glittering chaos.

Day Two: De Niro, DiCaprio & the Ego

Things took a turn as Robert De Niro accepted an Honorary Palme d’Or, presented by Leonardo DiCaprio—Hollywood’s greenest climate crusader, who still flies private and date-skims the under-25 bracket.

De Niro, flanked by his third wife, turned what should’ve been a tribute into a political tirade, complete with a predictably grim monologue on Trump, fascism, and democracy’s downfall. It felt like déjà vu: Hollywood’s Annual Speech—buzzwords in place of meaning, urgency flattened by jet lag.

He might’ve been better off joining the real protest—festival staffers (unionized under Sous Les Écrans La Dèche) attempting to highlight brutal working conditions. Their planned demonstration? Silenced immediately by armed police.

Cruise’s Mission and Cannes’ Long Goodbye

Thankfully, Tom Cruise brought back the cinematic spectacle—and then broke hearts.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning premiered to thunderous applause, with Cruise doing what he does best: flashing teeth, radiating control, and charming the room. But this time, there was a shift. During an unannounced post-screening address, Cruise stood onstage visibly emotional, voice cracking as he thanked the cast, the crew, and “everyone who ever believed in big, impossible movies.”

His final bow to the franchise that helped define him ended in a standing ovation that lasted nearly seven minutes. “This is where it began for me,” he said, gesturing to the Palais, “and this is where I want it to end.” It wasn’t just a goodbye—it was a love letter to cinema, stuntwork, and the dying breed of movie star as myth.

It marks a full-circle moment for the actor, whose Cannes love affair began with the original Mission over 30 years ago. If this was the curtain call, it was pure Cruise: controlled, emotional, and unforgettable.

Legacy, Debuts & Chaplin

A pristine 4K restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush screened to a packed house, marking the film’s 100th anniversary. “Our grandfather would be proud,” said Kiera Chaplin, visibly moved.

On the emerging side, Cannes spotlighted first-time directors like Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great), Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water), and Harris Dickinson (Urchin). Expect whispers, think-pieces, and breakout buzz by week’s end—along with Wes Anderson’s “Phoenician Scheme” and “Bonjour Trieste” circling the conversation.

Final Mood? Glamorous and slightly exhausted

In its first 48+ hours, Cannes 2025 delivered spectacle, scandal, drama and speechifying in equal measure. Behind the scenes, stylists were busy. The new modesty mandate was branded “tone-deaf” in a town that glorifies nudity on screen but panics over sheer mesh on a staircase. Of course, rules at Cannes are more like suggestions for the A-list. Influencers might get blocked; stars and supermodels will always find the back door.

With couture chaos, Hollywood sermons, surrealist tributes, and a tearful Cruise finale, the festival’s opening act was both chaotic and compelling. The naked dresses might be gone; the ego—and the emotion—is here to stay.

Let the spectacle continue.