tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60043261326183801562023-11-15T09:39:37.399-08:00JERRY MAGUIREEelveEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343357520043384445noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004326132618380156.post-44839741402394792702007-03-31T11:54:00.000-07:002007-03-31T11:58:48.288-07:00JERRY MAGUIRE<br /> by:Cameron Crowe<br /> <br /> <br /> EARTH FROM SPACE<br /> <br /> The blue marble as seen from space. We hear the calm voice<br /> of Jerry Maguire, talking just to us.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Airight so this is the world and<br /> there are five billion people on<br /> it. When I was a kid there were<br /> three. It's hard to keep up.<br /> <br /> AMERICA FROM SPACE<br /> <br /> The great continent through mist and swirling skies.<br /> (Satellites and other pieces of skycasting equipment float<br /> by.)<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> That's better. That's america.<br /> See, America still sets the tone<br /> for the world...<br /> <br /> KID ON BASKETBALL COURT<br /> <br /> A puberty-ravaged kid dribbles a basketball, stares straight<br /> at us.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> In Indiana -- Clark Hodd. 13.<br /> The best point guard in the<br /> country. Puberty hasn't been easy.<br /> <br /> Discreetly, his hand slips into his pants and scratches.<br /> <br /> Girl on a high dive she's poised. A faraway look in her eyes.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> (continuing)<br /> Becky Farling. You'll see her in<br /> the next Olympics.<br /> <br /> She launches her dive into mid-air, into nothingness.<br /> <br /> ON TEENAGE GIRL BOXER<br /> <br /> throwing punches toward the camera.<br /><br /><br /> 2.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Seattle, Washington. Dallas<br /> Malloy. Went to court to be<br /> allowed to box professionally.<br /> She's 16.<br /> <br /> ON A YOUNG BASEBALL PLAYER<br /> <br /> at bat.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Art Stallings, Indio, California.<br /> Check out what pure joy looks like.<br /> <br /> He swats a pitch -- not out of the park, it's much sweeter<br /> than that. He drills it over the first baseman's head, just<br /> out of reach of his glove. Art runs to first, laughing. Pats<br /> the first baseman's butt. Gotcha.<br /> <br /> ON GOLDEN BOY QUARTERBACK -- FRANK CUSHMAN<br /> <br /> A line of NFL scouts watch a dazzling pass from a future star.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> In Odessa, Texas, the great Frank<br /> Cushman. Cush is 20.<br /> Quarterback, role model, my<br /> client. He'll probably go number<br /> one in the draft this year.<br /> <br /> Cush turns into a closer shot. He's a living magazine cover.<br /> <br /> A YOUNG CHAMPIONSHIP GOLFER<br /> <br /> eyeing a long but level putt.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> There's genius everywhere, but<br /> until they turn pro, it's like<br /> popcorn in the pan. Some pop...<br /> <br /> The kid misses the shot, whips his club at his coach.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> (continuing)<br /> ... some don't.<br /> <br /> Hold on the kid, he's all youthful adrenalin, breathing hard.<br /> Portrait of an intense young competitor.<br /> <br /> SMASH CUT TO:<br /><br /><br /> 3.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. NFL OWNERS MEETING/PALM DESERT FOUR SEASONS -- DAY<br /> <br /> A wall of new NFL merchandise. Television monitors blink<br /> with the latest endorsement films. Into frame moves JERRY<br /> MAGUIRE, 35. He walks briskly and smoothly, yellow legal<br /> tablet in hand, at home in this lobby filled with Athletes<br /> and Sports Team Owners. We hear Herb Alpert's epic<br /> instrumental, "The Lonely Bull."<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Now I'm the guy you don't usually<br /> see. I'm the one behind the<br /> scenes. I'm the sports agent.<br /> <br /> INT. NFL OWNER'S MEETING LOBBY -- MINUTES LATER<br /> <br /> Jerry sits in a red leather chair, across from an agitated<br /> General Manager. He cooly works out figures on a yellow<br /> legal tablet.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Easy now, we can spread these<br /> numbers over five years...<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> You know those photos where the<br /> new player holds up the team<br /> jersey and poses with the owner?<br /> <br /> Flash of photo<br /> <br /> Anonymous Athlete holds up jersey, standing next to Team<br /> Owner. Zoom in on someone's shirt-sleeve on left of frame.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> (continuing)<br /> That's me on the left.<br /> <br /> ON ANONYMOUS NEWPORT BEACH BUILDING<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Inside that building, that's where<br /> I work. Sports Management<br /> International.<br /> <br /> INT. SMI CONFERENCE ROOM -- DAY<br /> <br /> The SMI agents are a fierce, happy bunch. They sit in a<br /> carefully appointed conference room.<br /> <br /> Sports photos and posters are framed on the walls. The signs<br /> of global marketing are omnipresent. Each agent has a silver<br /> tray containing soft drinks and a glass pitcher of water.<br /> Through the glass window, we see a large office divided up<br /> into many cubicles.<br /><br /><br /> 4.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Thirty-three out of shape agents<br /> guiding the careers of 2,120 of<br /> the most finely-tuned athletes<br /> alive...<br /> <br /> Near the end of the table sits Jerry Maguire. The word<br /> "millions" appears often and easily in his conversation.<br /> Shot moves in.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> (continuing)<br /> ... in this economy, sometimes<br /> emotions run a little high.<br /> <br /> INT. UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE -- HOUSTON -- DAY<br /> <br /> An unmarked car pulls into the underground parking facility<br /> of the Houston Police Department. A cluster of chattering<br /> media members move in on the car. ("Baja!!" "Baja, over<br /> here!!") Back doors open, and out steps Jerry Maguire with<br /> huge offensive lineman, BOBBY "BAJA" BRUNARD, 22. He is<br /> angry, and he is handcuffed.<br /> <br /> WOMAN REPORTER<br /> Was the girl 16 or seventeen?<br /> <br /> MAN REPORTER<br /> Were you aiming at anyone when you<br /> fired the shot in the 7/l1?<br /> <br /> Jerry whips in between Baja and the taunting media, blocking<br /> him off and forcing him through the glass doors into the<br /> police department. Professional smile in place, Maguire<br /> attempts spin.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Listen, there's no proof of<br /> anything except that this guy is<br /> a sensational athlete.<br /> <br /> In the background, we hear baja bellowing insults at the<br /> press.<br /> <br /> INT. ATLANTA RED CARPET ROOM -- ANOTHER DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry now sits next to a towering white 27 year-old<br /> basketball player with a bad haircut. He is CALVIN NACK.<br /> They are signing a contract in the airport lounge. A little<br /> BOY approaches the player with a basketball trading card.<br /> <br /> LITTLE BOY<br /> Are you Calvin Nack? Could you<br /> sign my card?<br /><br /><br /> 5.<br /> <br /> <br /> Nack bends down with a kindly-looking face.<br /> <br /> CALVIN NACK<br /> I'm sorry little fella. I can't<br /> sign that particular brand of<br /> card. I can only sign Pro-Jam<br /> Blue Dot cards.<br /> <br /> The Little Boy looks confused. As Calvin Nack turns to grab<br /> an orange juice from a barmaid, Jerry smoothly dishes off a<br /> business card to the little boy.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Lately, it's gotten worse.<br /> <br /> INT. HOSPITAL BEDROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Hockey Player STEVE REMO, 33, is a big man in a small bed.<br /> He is in traction, with concussion. DOCTOR stands nearby,<br /> shoots Jerry a look of concern. Family is nearby.<br /> <br /> DOCTOR<br /> Do you know your name?<br /> <br /> STEVE REMO<br /> I uh... wait. Wait, here it<br /> comes. I have it. My name is<br /> Steve Remo. I play for the<br /> Blackhawks.<br /> (now on a roll)<br /> You are my son. This pretty lady<br /> is my wife. And you are...<br /> <br /> Jerry nods encouragingly, presents his best "familiar" face.<br /> <br /> STEVE REMO<br /> (continuing)<br /> My agent!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yes!<br /> <br /> STEVE REMO<br /> And I gotta play this weekend,<br /> Doc. If I play in 65% of the<br /> games, I make my bonus.<br /> <br /> EXT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Remo's 14 year-old SON (JESSE) confronts Jerry outside the<br /> hospital room. He's a hulking kid, a Pop Warner football<br /> player himself. His voice is in the process of changing.<br /><br /><br /> 6.<br /> <br /> <br /> SON<br /> This is his fourth concussion.<br /> Shouldn't somebody get him to stop?<br /> <br /> As he talks, Jerry's cellular phone rings in his bag.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (glib, easy)<br /> Come on -- it'd take a tank to<br /> stop your dad. It would take all<br /> five Super Trooper VR Warriors,<br /> right?<br /> <br /> The kid stares at Maguire. It feels as if the kid is peering<br /> into his soul... and all he sees is trash.<br /> <br /> SON<br /> Fuck you.<br /> <br /> The kid turns and exits in disgust. He leaves Jerry standing<br /> in the hallway. Devastated. Music.<br /> <br /> EXT. RENTAL CAR SHUTTLE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry Maguire upset in a rental shuttle. Passing through<br /> frame. Music. Phone still ringing.<br /> <br /> INT. MIAMI HOTEL ROOM -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry sleeps.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Two nights later in Miami at our<br /> corporate conference, a<br /> breakthrough. Breakdown?<br /> Breakthrough.<br /> <br /> Jerry's eyes open. Breathing strangely. Trembling, he holds<br /> onto the nightstand for grounding.<br /> <br /> He gets up, takes a few gulps of air, walks to mini-bar.<br /> Gathers some tiny ice cubes in his hand, smears them across<br /> his face. This feeling is new to him.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> (continuing)<br /> It was the oddest, most unexpected<br /> thing. I began writing what they<br /> call a Mission Statement for my<br /> company. You know -- a Mission<br /> Statement -- a suggestion for the<br /> future.<br /><br /><br /> 7.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. MIAMI HOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry types, a pot of coffee and tray of room service nearby.<br /> we watch his face, alive now.<br /> <br /> There is a direct line from the deepest part of him to the<br /> words he's typing. His fingers fly. Even his eyes grow<br /> moist.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> What started out as one page<br /> became twenty-five. Suddenly I was<br /> my father's son. I was<br /> remembering the simple pleasures<br /> of this job, how I ended up here<br /> out of law school, the way a<br /> stadium sounds when one of my<br /> players performs well on the<br /> field... I was remembering even<br /> the words of the late Dicky Fox,<br /> the original sports agent, who<br /> said:<br /> <br /> SHOT OF DICKY FOX<br /> <br /> DICKY FOX<br /> The key to this job is personal<br /> relationships.<br /> <br /> As Jerry continues typing, his voice is excited now.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> And suddenly it was all pretty<br /> clear. The answer was fewer<br /> clients. Caring for them, caring<br /> for ourselves, and the games too.<br /> Starting our lives, really.<br /> <br /> SHOT OF SENTENCE: We must embrace what is still virginal<br /> about our own enthusiasm, we must crack open the tightly<br /> clenched fist and give back a little for the common good, we<br /> must simply be the best versions of ourselves... that<br /> goodness will be unbeatable and the money will appear.<br /> <br /> He pauses, and wipes his eyes, still considering the sentence.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> (continuing)<br /> Hey, I'll be the first to admit<br /> it. What I was writing was<br /> somewhat "touchy feely."<br /> <br /> He deletes it. And then -- zip -- he restores it and<br /> continues on, boldly.<br /><br /><br /> 8.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> (continuing)<br /> I didn't care. I had lost the<br /> ability to bullshit. It was the<br /> me I'd always wanted to be.<br /> <br /> INT. KINKO'S COPIES -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry in T-shirt stands proudly watching copies pumped out.<br /> Wired college students, band guys, other Copy People of the<br /> Night nearby.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> I printed it up in the middle of<br /> the night, before I could re-think<br /> it.<br /> <br /> Industrial, multi-pierced Kinko's copy guy examines the first<br /> printed copy of the Mission Statement. He nods approvingly,<br /> taps his heart in tribute. He slides a copy across the<br /> counter, for Jerry's approval.<br /> <br /> THE THINGS WE THINK AND DO NOT SAY<br /> (The Future of Our Business)<br /> <br /> KINKO'S GUY<br /> That's how you become great, man.<br /> You hang your ba11s out there.<br /> <br /> Jerry nods. It's 3 AM, and this guy sounds and looks like a<br /> prophet. In fact, everyone in Kinko's at 3 AM does.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (self-effacing)<br /> Thanks.<br /> <br /> ON MEMOS<br /> <br /> being stuffed into mail-slots.<br /> <br /> INT. HOTEL ROOM -- MORNING<br /> <br /> Jerry splashes water onto his face. The sun is coming up.<br /> He looks younger, lighter.<br /> <br /> ON TV MOVIE (JERRY WATCHING)<br /> <br /> Suddenly, dramatic movie score. It's Dana Andrews, showing<br /> Gene Tierney the newspaper reports of her death in Laura.<br /> ("Someone was murdered in this room last night... any idea<br /> who it was?") Camera whips to Jerry, standing watching as he<br /> packs. A slight concern on his face. He moves to the phone,<br /> and dials with urgency.<br /><br /><br /> 9.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Hi, it's jerry maguire. Uh,<br /> listen did those manuscripts<br /> get... Oh they did... No no no no<br /> no, that's fine...<br /> <br /> INT. ELEVATOR -- DAY<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Jerry in suit, alone with his<br /> luggage. Dry throat. clammy,<br /> holds onto the handrail to steady<br /> himself.<br /> <br /> INT. LOBBY -- DAY<br /> <br /> The lobby is filled with SMI agents. The blue Mission<br /> Statement is in evidence everywhere. Jerry inconspicuously<br /> turns the corner, yearns to blend in. It's impossible, the<br /> recognition ripples through the lobby. Underling agent BOB<br /> SUGAR, 25, is the first to grab Maguire by the shoulders.<br /> ("Finally, someone said it!") Suddenly another agent begins<br /> to clap, then reluctantly, another. Soon, the ovation rocks<br /> the lobby. (In a three-shot near the front desk, we see a 26<br /> year-old female employee of SMI applauding with Mission<br /> Statement in hand, her sleepy son at her side.) Jerry<br /> motions for them all to stop, but clearly he could listen<br /> forever. It is a watershed moment in his life.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> I was 35. I had started my life.<br /> <br /> Swing off Maguire to find two agents standing clapping<br /> enthusiastically near the elevator. One offers gum to the<br /> other.<br /> <br /> AGENT # 1 (RACHEL)<br /> How long you give him?<br /> <br /> AGENT # 2 (CHRIS)<br /> Mmmm. A week.<br /> <br /> ON AIRPLANE WHEELS<br /> <br /> folding up into a plane, as music and credits end.<br /> <br /> INT. AIRPLANE/FIRST CLASS -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> We move past a snoring businessman, onto tired but<br /> adrenalized Jerry Maguire. He sits in first-class, working<br /> on his laptop, a pile of newspapers and magazines nearby.<br /> The WOMAN PASSENGER next to him, 3oish, finishes up a spicy<br /> phone conversation with her boyfriend.<br /><br /><br /> 10.<br /> <br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Monkeyface... monkeyface,<br /> listen... I'm not going to say it<br /> here.... no...<br /> <br /> Jerry continues to work, as his laptop now beeps. Battery's<br /> low.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> (continuing)<br /> ... oh listen, I got you the<br /> perfect white shirt, at this out<br /> of the way place... no... quit<br /> trying to make me say it!<br /> <br /> Jerry shuts off his laptop and prepares for sleep. Trying<br /> not to listen.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> (continuing)<br /> how about if I do it and don't say<br /> it... mmmm... see you soon...<br /> <br /> She laughs seductively and hangs up. She is still buzzed<br /> from the conversation. Jerry turns to her, surprising her.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I have to ask.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> (protective)<br /> What --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Where'd you find the perfect white<br /> shirt?<br /> <br /> She laughs, it's an infectious laugh -- two strangers<br /> enjoying the good life -- as we DRIFT BACK three rows, past<br /> the panel separating the cool comfort of first class from the<br /> stuffy airless and uncomfortable world of coach.<br /> <br /> We meet DOROTHY BOYD, 26. A harried passenger on this bus in<br /> the sky. Her clothes are part-contemporary, part mother-<br /> functional. She is never as composed or in control as she<br /> wants to be. Right now she is devoted to the sneezing kid in<br /> the wrinkled white-shirt sitting next to her. It is RAY, her<br /> five-year old son. Dorothy is covered in toys and books.<br /> Stuffed into the side pocket is Jerry's Mission Statement.<br /> The easy laughter from three rows ahead washes over her like<br /> cold water, as she rings again for a Flight Attendant. The<br /> overworked ATTENDANT arrives, pissed, snapping off the bell.<br /><br /><br /> 11.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Look, my son is allergic to the<br /> material in these blankets -<br /> <br /> ATTENDANT<br /> That's all we have.<br /> <br /> The Attendant offers a bundle of soggy cocktail napkins and<br /> is about to exit as Ray makes a gagging noise. He's about to<br /> get sick. Both women reach for an airsick bag, and get it to<br /> his mouth just in time. Their faces are now inches apart.<br /> <br /> ATTENDANT<br /> (continuing)<br /> I'm sorry I was rude just then --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> It's okay. We're in it together<br /> now...<br /> <br /> The Attendant now exits helpfully with the bag.<br /> <br /> WOMAN'S VOICE<br /> Don't take anything I say<br /> seriously! I love to flirt!<br /> <br /> Dorothy, irritated, leans out into the aisle to look for the<br /> heads that belong to these voices.<br /> <br /> BACK TO JERRY AND WOMAN<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> You're with the sports people on<br /> the plane, right?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Jerry Maguire. SMI.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Bobbi Fallon. BPI. I'm producing<br /> the Coke commercials for the<br /> playoffs.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well. Good luck with that --<br /> <br /> He nods, as he reaches up to shut off the light. Politely<br /> stifles another yawn. He shuts his eyes, settles into sleep.<br /> Bobbi leans into his darkness.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Can I just get a quick "man's"<br /> opinion from you on something?<br /> <br /> DISSOLVE TO:<br /><br /><br /> 12.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. FIRST CLASS SEATS -- LATER<br /> <br /> Bobbi is intense now, unburdening, as tired Jerry listens<br /> like a priest.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> And I can't say his name without<br /> laughing I want to eat him up. I<br /> want to say goodbye to every bad<br /> thought I ever had about<br /> relationships. I mean, I crave<br /> this guy... and yet... why... why<br /> did I have that affair this<br /> weekend? Does that mean I'm not<br /> in love with my boyfriend?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I think you'll know when you see<br /> him at the gate.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> It's the death rattle of my<br /> singlehood, right? Because I<br /> finally see the white picket fence<br /> looming and I love it/hate it/love<br /> it/hate it/ love it... you're<br /> right, I'll know when I see him.<br /> Why is it so easy to talk with<br /> you?! Tell me about your fiancee.<br /> <br /> Maguire fights another yawn.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I uh... don't think we're quite at<br /> your pitch yet.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Tell me, and then you can sleep.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> She's an NFL publicist... amazing<br /> sense of style... former<br /> athlete... volleyball... world<br /> class... really knows how to live<br /> every moment of her life, which is<br /> why I should take a nap now...<br /> <br /> BACK TO DOROTHY<br /> <br /> Her sleeping son now silent, she can't help but listen.<br /> <br /> WOMAN'S VOICE<br /> Tell me how you proposed. I<br /> collect romantic proposal stories.<br /><br /><br /> 13.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No no...<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (impatient)<br /> Oh, tell the story.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Oh, tell the story.<br /> <br /> BACK TO JERRY -- LATER<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> --so our first date, she told me<br /> about her favorite place in the<br /> world, the seven pools of Hana on<br /> the island of Maui...<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Gorgeous.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> A year-and-a-half later, we were<br /> both in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.<br /> Now I've always hit a wall at 18<br /> months. Every serious girlfriend<br /> lasts 18 months. It's like --ka-<br /> boom. The curse of 18 months.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> That's when you need to cement,<br /> and define define define.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Exactly. And the world does not<br /> need another 35 year-old bachelor.<br /> I knew I wanted to propose, so I<br /> took her there.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> To the pools?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> To the pools. Now she's Miss Rock<br /> Climber, and I'm more the Non-Rock<br /> Climber, but we're hiking up<br /> through the pools and there's a<br /> fine mist in the air, and I have<br /> the ring in my pocket, and I'm a<br /> little nervous, I'm lagging<br /> behind, and she says to me, get<br /> this -- "Hurry up, klutz."<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Oh no --<br /><br /><br /> 14.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, it bothered me somewhat.<br /> And I got quiet. And now she's<br /> quiet and we're both pouting a<br /> little, you know. And I decide<br /> I'm not going to propose. The<br /> mood is not right. Why be<br /> impulsive? Now at this point I<br /> know she knows that I was going to<br /> propose and didn't. And she knows<br /> I know. So the entire sixty mile<br /> ride back to the airport, we don't<br /> speak. And we're both good at<br /> that. We fly to Honolulu in<br /> silence. We check into the Pro<br /> Bowl hotel --<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> How sad --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> But wait...<br /> <br /> BACK TO DOROTHY<br /> <br /> She is now craning out into the aisle to hear this story.<br /> The plane is now quieter. She listens to the easy sound of<br /> Jerry discussing his charmed life.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> (waking up)<br /> Mama --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Shhh. Mommy's eavesdropping.<br /> <br /> He sneezes, three big ones in a row. She hands him more<br /> kleenex, riveted on the story. And listens.<br /> <br /> JERRY'S VOICE<br /> Now little do I know that my<br /> assistant. has assumed that I've<br /> now proposed. So she has gotten<br /> the lounge band to actually play<br /> "Here Comes The Bride" when we<br /> walk back in.<br /> <br /> Dorothy laughs to herself, somewhat derisively. She tries to<br /> share the laugh with her son, who stares at her.<br /><br /><br /> 15.<br /> <br /> <br /> BACK TO JERRY -- LATER<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Which they do. And we're standing<br /> there. All the football guys are<br /> in the lobby, watching, there's<br /> even an ESPN crew. So I turn to<br /> her and sort of grandly say,<br /> "Well, this is me, Klutz, asking<br /> you, Goddess of Rock Climbing, to<br /> marry me." And I took out the<br /> ring, and I don't much like big<br /> scenes, but she said "yes" right<br /> there in the lobby and some of the<br /> toughest men in football wept like<br /> babies. We're getting married in<br /> February.<br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Jerry. You two will be together<br /> forever.<br /> <br /> BACK TO DOROTHY<br /> <br /> She takes one of her son's kleenex sheets, as an elegant<br /> Flight Attendant shuts the curtain to first class. Dorothy<br /> blows her nose, moved against her will.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> What's wrong, mom?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> First class is what's wrong. It<br /> used to be a better meal. Now<br /> it's a better life.<br /> <br /> She pulls out the Mission Statement, aware that she's been<br /> listening to its author. She opens it and begins to read.<br /> <br /> INT. LAX AIRPORT TERMINAL -- MORNING<br /> <br /> Jerry Maguire exits the plane a few steps behind Bobbi Fallon.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (quietly, like a<br /> coach)<br /> You'll know when you see him.<br /> You'll know when you see him.<br /> <br /> Bobbi scans the crowd. She spots Monkeyface, large and burly<br /> in tiger-print sweats. He looks like Mickey Dolenz. He<br /> holds flowers.<br /><br /><br /> 16.<br /> <br /> <br /> WOMAN<br /> Oh my God, you're right. I know.<br /> (Jerry smiles)<br /> He's not The One. He's not the<br /> One.<br /> <br /> Jerry's face falls. Bobbi Fallon moves into the embrace,<br /> faking it. Jerry moves ahead, turning back to see the doomed<br /> couple. Melancholy now, he continues forward through the<br /> crowded airport and the expectant faces of those waiting for<br /> loved ones. Music.<br /> <br /> INT. LUGGAGE AREA -- MORNING<br /> <br /> Dorothy looks through the rubber flaps of the luggage<br /> conveyor belt. She clutches a cup of coffee. In the<br /> background, other SMI agents' grab their bags and exit.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Ray! Ray!<br /> <br /> Maguire enters picture, joining her as she looks into the<br /> dark depths behind the flaps.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Can I help?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Oh. Hi. I work in your office.<br /> I was on the junket to the<br /> conference. I'm --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I know who y6u are. You're<br /> Dorothy Boyd. You're in...<br /> wait... you're in Accounts. You<br /> have the middle cubicle toward the<br /> back with that poster of Albert<br /> Einstein morphed onto Shaquille 0<br /> Neal's body.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (surprised)<br /> Hmm. Pretty good.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Now what did you lose?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> My son... my mind...<br /> <br /> Over her shoulder, Maguire sees Ray rounding the corner,<br /> riding the luggage conveyor belt like Washington crossing the<br /> Delaware.<br /><br /><br /> 17.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, while I go look for him, why<br /> don't you hang onto this curious<br /> gentleman behind you --<br /> <br /> Dorothy turns, is greatly relieved to see Ray, and snatches<br /> him off the belt. She bends down into his face. She speaks<br /> softly but intensely, with no frills.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Remember "imagination?"...<br /> remember what that means? Well,<br /> this is one of my bosses so you<br /> will now IMAGINE me screaming at<br /> you right now. Do NOT do that<br /> again. Ever ever EVER.<br /> <br /> She rises, shifting back to being a somewhat relaxed young<br /> woman of 26. It's a transition she makes, oh, 500 times a<br /> day.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Well, thanks.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, take care.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> And have fun at your bachelor<br /> party.<br /> <br /> Jerry pauses just a moment, but it's long enough. Dorothy<br /> freezes.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Oh no.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No no. I knew.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (slow sigh)<br /> Nnnnn. I just killed the surprise.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No, I'm just... anxiously looking<br /> past it. I already had my<br /> bachelor party. It was called "my<br /> twenties." See you later.<br /> <br /> Jerry takes off.<br /><br /><br /> 18.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I loved your memo, by the way.<br /> <br /> He stops. Turns. She flashes the well-thumbed copy in her<br /> purse. Jerry takes a step closer, interested and flattered.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Thanks... actually, it was just a<br /> "Mission Statement."<br /> <br /> Ray has taken Jerry's free hand, and begun swinging on him.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I think in this age, optimism like<br /> that... it's a revolutionary act.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (eager for feedback)<br /> You think so?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Oh tsht. Yes.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I appreciate that, because some of<br /> that stuff... you know, it was two<br /> in the morning and...<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> -- the part about "we should<br /> embrace what it is still virginal<br /> about our enthusiasm" --<br /> <br /> Jerry looks slightly edgy at the naked vulnerability of his<br /> words.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> -- "and we should all force open<br /> the tightly-clenched fist of<br /> commerce, and give a little back<br /> for the greater good.". I mean, I<br /> was inspired, and I'm an<br /> accountant. Ray, don't spill my<br /> coffee.<br /> <br /> Jerry looks more nervous, as Ray has now taken his mother's<br /> hand. He is now swinging on both of them.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> One-two-three... swing.<br /><br /><br /> 19.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Hey. To respect yourself enough<br /> to say it out loud, to put<br /> yourself out there, so openly...<br /> (shakes her head)<br /> ... I don't know, it got me.<br /> <br /> Now Jerry looks concerned, as Ray continues swinging happily.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> One-two-three, swing.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Thanks. May I offer you both a<br /> ride?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Oh no. I'm sure it would just<br /> make your day to drive us all the<br /> way to Manhattan Beach, taking<br /> that left down to little tiny<br /> Waterloo street where you have to<br /> play chicken with oncoming<br /> traffic, and your life flashes<br /> before your eyes, but -- hey, I've<br /> obviously had too much coffee and<br /> all -- here's my sister Laurel to<br /> pick us up. Thanks, though. Bye.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (amused)<br /> Dorothy. Ray. A pleasure.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> One-two...<br /> <br /> Jerry lets Ray down easy. The kid is a little disappointed.<br /> But Maguire bows, always courtly, and exits to get his bag.<br /> He then realizes something amiss and returns quickly, pulling<br /> Ray's hand up again and completing the swing.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> ... three, swing.<br /> <br /> Ray is now happy, in love even, as Jerry exits. Dorothy<br /> laughs, as her sister arrives. LAUREL BOYD is 36. No make-up,<br /> no bullshit. Laurel has a pin on her sweater, which catches<br /> on dorothy's shirt as they hug.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Come on, I'm double-parked.<br /> <br /> Dorothy returns to the world of motherhood, bending down,<br /> gathering Ray's toys. She wipes at Ray's hair.<br /><br /><br /> 20.<br /> <br /> <br /> ("Don't put food in your hair.") She is surprised that<br /> she's a little jazzed from her encounter with Jerry Maguire.<br /> She can't help but look back at Jerry, who catches her<br /> looking. He salutes her, with mock circumstance. She<br /> returns it with a guilty smile. He disappears, and she finds<br /> herself oddly short of breath.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (to herself)<br /> Hmmph. Whoever snagged him must<br /> be some classy babe --<br /> <br /> INT. AVERY'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> AVERY BISHOR, 29, makes love to Jerry Maguire at fever pitch.<br /> They are standing on the bed, which is in the corner.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Don't ever stop fucking me!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Sooner... or later... I'll have to<br /> stop.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Oh Gawd, oh yes, it's never been<br /> better. Never BETTER!!<br /> <br /> Nearby, a large and sleepy German Shepard yawns.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Never BETTER!!<br /> <br /> The dog snaps awake, a little shook. Avery suddenly yanks<br /> away. Breathing hard, she just looks at Jerry. Sex is a very<br /> serious business with Avery.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Open your eyes.<br /> (he does)<br /> If you ever want me to be with<br /> another woman for you, I would do<br /> it. I'm not interested in it.<br /> There was a time, yes, it felt<br /> normal for me, but it was a phase,<br /> a college thing, like torn Levi's<br /> or law school for you... people<br /> change, but if you ever feel like<br /> being adventurous in that way, I<br /> would do it for you. You want<br /> anything from the kitchen I'm<br /> going to get some fruit --<br /><br /><br /> 21.<br /> <br /> <br /> She skips off like a colt. Jerry digests what he's just been<br /> told.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (to the next room)<br /> You know. I don't think we need<br /> to do the thing where we tell each<br /> other everything!<br /> <br /> AVERY (O.S.)<br /> (laughing)<br /> Jerry, this is what intimacy is!<br /> <br /> Jerry rubs his face, as he does often when processing complex<br /> information.<br /> <br /> AVERY (0.5.)<br /> Oh -- don't forget tomorrow we<br /> have dinner with Wade Cooksey.<br /> <br /> JERRY (0.5.)<br /> I know about the bachelor party.<br /> <br /> Avery returns. Her robo body, half-lit now in the hallway,<br /> is a glorious life-long project.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Who told you?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> One of the accountants.<br /> <br /> She makes a pissed-off sound. She then walks over, taking<br /> his shoulders and bending them forward. She is an expert at<br /> body manipulation, loosening him as she talks.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Jerry. Your buddy Dooler worked<br /> his ass off to make you a tribute<br /> film. All those guys from the<br /> office are coming. Everybody<br /> loves you. Just calm down, relax,<br /> act surprised, and have an amazing<br /> time. And you'll never guess who<br /> narrates your bachelor movie.<br /> <br /> INT. FANCY HOTEL SUITE -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry enters the hotel suite and over-acts surprise. He<br /> falls down, clutching his heart, feigning an attack. He looks<br /> around for a bigger reaction than he actually gets.<br /> <br /> THE FILM -- SHOWN ON BIG-SCREEN T.V.<br /> <br /> It is hosted by MICHAEL JORDAN.<br /><br /><br /> 22.<br /> <br /> <br /> MICHAEL JORDAN<br /> I have often wondered where my<br /> career would have been had Jerry<br /> Maguire been my agent. The<br /> answer -- Yugoslavia.<br /> <br /> Tepid laughs, as many of the agents turn and grab furtive<br /> looks at Maguire, who stands at the back of the room with his<br /> friend BILL DOOLER. Dooler, husky, 30, looks like a beatnik<br /> on steroids.<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> You hear those courtesy laughs,<br /> Jerry? There is a seething<br /> wrongness at the edges of this<br /> party.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Oh come on --<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> This is fuckin Michael Jordan,<br /> man! They should be screaming.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (eying crowd)<br /> You're imagining it.<br /> <br /> They are joined by unctuous agent Bob Sugar. Sugar is a<br /> Maguire wannabee. Puts an arm on Jerry's shoulder.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> We still having lunch tomorrow,<br /> Jerry? Looks like Carl Denton<br /> tested positive for marijuana.<br /> That moves Cush solidly up to<br /> numero uno in the draft.<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> Oh, that'll really help this<br /> party! Let's all talk business!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Dooler, you know Bob Sugar.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (smoothly)<br /> The best commercial director in<br /> the business. I hail you.<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> Sorry I yelled. You have<br /> exquisite taste.<br /><br /><br /> 23.<br /> <br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Everybody's having a great time.<br /> You're both nuts -- the movie's<br /> great.<br /> <br /> Sugar moves on, cheerfully.<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> I like that guy.<br /> <br /> (The movie, which plays simultaneously with the conversation,<br /> is a Hi-8 confessional of Jerry's former girlfriends.<br /> MICHAEL JORDAN is cut into this, nodding, as if he were<br /> actually interviewing. The effect is funny, but the<br /> confessions are brutally honest. There is The One He Was Too<br /> Good For, The One He Wasn't Good Enough For ("He hated being<br /> alone.") The Still in Love Girlfriend, The Punk Rock<br /> girlfriend ("Sports makes me ill"), The Now Married With Kids<br /> Girlfriend, The Cynical Girlfriend ("Beneath the cute<br /> exterior, more cute exterior.") The Purely Sexual Girlfriend,<br /> The Brainy Girlfriend, ("Great at friendship, bad at<br /> intimacy") and even the Girlfriend Who Does A Great Jerry<br /> Imitation (rubbing her face, she does a flawless Jerry-on-his-<br /> way-to-the-airport). All seem to agree on some basic points<br /> (and if necessary maybe Jordan narrates the following<br /> information to underscore it.) Jerry always has a<br /> girlfriend, and many met him on the first day he'd broken up<br /> with the last one. The relationship always competes with his<br /> job, and the job always wins. The final confrontation<br /> happens somewhere around the 18-month mark. Sequence ends<br /> with Avery in character, wielding a blowtorch, threatening to<br /> burn all these old phone numbers.)<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (wounded good sport)<br /> ... this is... uh... too funny...<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> They ain't laughing, man.<br /> Something's wrong.<br /> <br /> Jerry nods, takes a swig of beer. He knows the response is<br /> little more than polite. None of the other agents can keep<br /> eye contact with him. Dooler is right. On the screen, the<br /> finale features a good-humored collage of Jerry photos, cut<br /> to music.<br /> <br /> INT. SMI OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Elevator doors open. Maguire is now paranoid. He walks<br /> through the buzzing SMI headquarters, heading for his corner<br /> office. He is like an FBI man searching treetops and corners<br /> for the Gunman. Everywhere he looks is a potential Grassy<br /> Knoll.<br /><br /><br /> 24.<br /> <br /> <br /> He passes Fellow Agents, always smiling, giving a word of<br /> encouragement to an Agent having an emotional hallway<br /> conversation with an Athlete, even bends down to check the<br /> sheet of slides being approved by a very large but seated<br /> Basketball Player. Moving forward. There is trouble in the<br /> air, but only he seems to sense it. He turns corner and is<br /> met by assistant WENDY, who hands him a long list of calls.<br /> The sheet flaps against his leg as she moves with him toward<br /> his back office.<br /> <br /> WENDY<br /> (as in 'get ready')<br /> Marcee's here. She's already in<br /> your office.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Thanks, Wendy.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY MAGUIRE'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry enters his corner office overlooking both the shiny<br /> waters of Newport Beach and a large mall parking lot. Already<br /> standing, reading the mail on his desk is lively MARCEE<br /> TIDWELL, 25. African-American, gorgeous, a heat-seeking<br /> smartbomb. She is also five months pregnant.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Marcee. How's my favorite<br /> player's wife?<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Jerry, Rod is very very upset.<br /> Tyson, no!<br /> <br /> Across the room, 4 year-old menace TYSON ceases trying to pry<br /> a plexiglass case off the wall.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Tyson, hello.<br /> <br /> Tyson just stares at Jerry. Jerry has little luck with kids.<br /> He gives Marcee a quick peck and heads for the fridge. He<br /> grabs a two-pint bottle of orange Gatorade -- another<br /> habit -- and sits down at his desk. He slips into crisis<br /> mode like an old shirt.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> How can I make your life better?<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> I know you say to take the Arizona<br /> offer, but my husband needs more<br /> recognition.<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 25.<br /> <br /> <br /> MARCEE (cont'd)<br /> He is the biggest, fastest,<br /> raddest wide-receiver in the<br /> league. Now I don't know what you<br /> do for your four-percent<br /> <br /> --The door opens, Bob Sugar pokes his head in.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Cronin's okay for lunch?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Marcee -- this is one of our<br /> agents. This is Bob Sugar, who<br /> needs to learn to knock.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Pleasure.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> You've called our house, right?<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Sorry to interrupt you guys.<br /> <br /> Sugar exits. Marcee resumes at the exact point, at the exact<br /> level of intensity.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Now I don't know what you do for<br /> your five-percent, but this man,<br /> my husband has a whole plan, an<br /> image... we majored in marketing,<br /> Jerry, and when you put him in a<br /> Waterbed Warehouse commercial,<br /> excuse me, you are making him<br /> common. He is pure gold and<br /> you're giving him "Waterbed<br /> Warehouse" when he deserves the<br /> big four -- shoe, car, clothing-<br /> line, soft-drink. The four jewels<br /> of the celebrity endorsement<br /> dollar.<br /> <br /> Jerry finds himself admiring her drive, and she commands the<br /> best in him. The desk buzzes, and Jerry ignores it.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> (continuing)<br /> You gonna get that --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Not a chance.<br /> <br /> She smiles.<br /><br /> 26.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Marcee, things are changing around<br /> here. You and Rod will have my<br /> total personal attention.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> (upping the ante)<br /> Damn right, and you can start by<br /> taking Rod's poster and putting it<br /> where people can see it!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (it's infectious)<br /> Damn right.<br /> <br /> He climbs up on the edge of his sofa, and reaches for the<br /> poster with his hanging device. True to Marcee's complaint,<br /> the poster hangs in the upper Siberian region of his wall.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Look at that handsome man, trying<br /> to build a life up there by the<br /> air-conditioner. We're coming to<br /> get ya, darlin! We are so close<br /> to having it all!<br /> <br /> ON THE POSTER -- CLOSE<br /> <br /> It is the kind of poster that is strictly the domain of<br /> second-tier players. Commanding wide-receiver ROD TIDWELL,<br /> 27, stands shirtless, hands on hips, looking vaguelyl<br /> uncomfortable. Emplazoned above his head: IN ROD WE TRUST.<br /> Elsewhere in the room, we hear the inevitable crash<br /> ("Tyson!").<br /> <br /> EXT. CRONIN'S GRILL -- AFTERNOON<br /> <br /> Crowded outdoor restaurant in the business district. Jerry<br /> sits down opposite Bob Sugar, still making a few notes.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Gimme a second here... Tidwell...<br /> Arizona contract... new glass<br /> cabinet...<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> You okay?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (looking up)<br /> I'm fine. What's up?<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> I came here to let you go.<br /><br /><br /> 27.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Pardon me?<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Came here to fire you, Jerry.<br /> <br /> For a long moment there is only silence. They study each<br /> other. These are two smart boys, each one anticipating the<br /> other's next three or four moves.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (continuing)<br /> It's real, Jerry. You... you<br /> should say something.<br /> <br /> Suddenly he's flushed, a little embarrassed.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Aw shit...the crowded<br /> restaurant... so there's no<br /> scene...<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> I know. It sucks. I suck.<br /> <br /> In a back room, the waiters are singing the restaurant's<br /> "Birthday Song" to someone else. Jerry is dying.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You...<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (razor sharp)<br /> You did this to yourself. You<br /> said "fewer clients." You put it<br /> all on paper. Scully was very<br /> upset. Heart attacks make some<br /> people sweeter, but not him. You<br /> did this to yourself --<br /> <br /> Jerry's mouth opens to finish his sentence, but before he can<br /> speak, Sugar continues.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (continuing)<br /> -- although I do gotta hand it to<br /> you. For about five minutes you<br /> had everyone applauding smaller<br /> revenues.<br /> <br /> Quietly, Maguire finishes the sentence he started earlier.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You... ungrateful... unctuous...<br /><br /><br /> 28.<br /> <br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (unctuous)<br /> ... dick?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Dick.<br /> <br /> Maguire reaches for water. The sound of the ice cubes<br /> jangling is suddenly very loud to him. He is drowning.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Give me a little credit for doing<br /> this face-to-face! What I went<br /> through knowing I was going to do<br /> this to my mentor! Can you get<br /> past yourself for a second?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You'll lose.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (musically)<br /> You wanted smaller.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'm over it. Now I want all my<br /> clients and yours too.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Jerry --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> -- and I'll get 'em.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (patronizing)<br /> You'll always be my hero, Jerry.<br /> Always always always. We're<br /> bringing other elements in, we're<br /> focusing on endorsements -- it's<br /> not about handholding anymore.<br /> We're no longer babysitters --<br /> <br /> Jerry fights the desire to use his fists. Hangs onto the<br /> table. He's starting to freak out now. Trying to calm down.<br /> Sugar's mouth keeps moving, but we hear the music in Jerry's<br /> mind. Rising percussive music.<br /> <br /> EXT. STREET -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry tries to move briskly down the street, through the<br /> lunchtime businessmen traffic. Back to the office.<br /><br /><br /> 29.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. CRONIN'S -- DAY<br /> <br /> Sugar dines alone now. Casually whips out a portable phone.<br /> <br /> INT. SMI ELEVATOR -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry in the elevator, eyes wide, mind racing. Dorothy Boyd<br /> sees him, raises a hand to say hello. Decides this is not a<br /> good time.<br /> <br /> INT. SMI OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Close on Maguire as he moves through the office, heading to<br /> the back office. Music<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Maguire rolls the fax machine over to his desk. He takes a<br /> breath, and begins to go to work. From within his bottom<br /> drawer, he withdraws a Powerbook. Then from another drawer,<br /> a phone book. And then from his inner jacket pocket, a third<br /> smaller phone book. They are lined in front of him now, as he<br /> dials.<br /> <br /> INT. CUSHMAN HOME/ODESSA -- DAY<br /> <br /> Frank "Cush" Cushman picks up the phone. Today, the young<br /> football God wears a yellow scarf on his head. He's still<br /> playing NBA Jam on his Gameboy' as he talks.<br /> <br /> EXT. CRONIN'S -- DAY<br /> <br /> Sugar at the table. Chameleon-like, he adopts the<br /> personality of whomever he talks to.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Cush. Hey Dudeboy! It's Bob<br /> Sugar. Listen, I'm callin' ya<br /> first 'cause you're the most<br /> important guy in sports...<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Maguire on the telephone, fighting hard, as he feeds a fax<br /> into the machine at the same time.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Carla, right now you're paying 25%<br /> of your endorsments to SMI, I<br /> would cut my commission by 7%...<br /> <br /> As he talks, he takes a stack of his Mission Statements, once<br /> proudly set on his desk, and sentences them to the bottom<br /> drawer.<br /><br /><br /> 30.<br /> <br /> <br /> EXT. STREET -- DAY<br /> <br /> Sugar strolls back to the office, talking on the portable.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> You read that memo I snuck to you,<br /> the guy's tired of the job. Tired<br /> of making you money.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Maguire feeds a fax, types another fax on his Powerbook, all<br /> while he talks quickly on the phone.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> And when I got you that big<br /> contract in Chicago, and the fan<br /> poll in the Sun-Times was 93%<br /> against you, who went and found<br /> you that sympathetic journalist<br /> who turned it all around, it was<br /> me...<br /> <br /> INT. SUGAR'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Several other agents working the cause behind Sugar, who<br /> breezes through the calls.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> He's costing you money, Debra...<br /> he's oldschool.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry on the toilet. Not a minute to spare.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> SMI represents all three<br /> quarterbacks on your team, where's<br /> their loyalty going to be? You<br /> stay with me, I'd fight for YOU<br /> alone. You'd be my only client on<br /> that team...<br /> <br /> INT. SUGAR'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> I've got the clients. I've got<br /> the juice.<br /> <br /> INT. SMI OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Dorothy walks the center hallway with some contracts. To the<br /> right and left of her are the phones are ringing.<br /><br /><br /> 31.<br /> <br /> <br /> Something is amiss. She stops at the desk of fellow Accounts<br /> Exec CLEO, 32.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> What's going on?<br /> <br /> CLEO<br /> (no big deal)<br /> They fired Jerry Maguire. Did it<br /> at Cronin's.<br /> <br /> Dorothy groans softly, as she lowers herself into her seat.<br /> She is strangely affected by the news. She scoots back on her<br /> roller chair, and looks down the hallway to Maguire's office<br /> door.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> The pace has accelerated.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> -- personal attention --<br /> <br /> INT. SUGAR'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Sugar talks faster.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> -- more money, more endorsements --<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry talks faster than sugar.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> -- a family of athletes --<br /> <br /> INT. SUGAR'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Sugar talks faster than Jerry.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> -- the millenium, eight-hundred<br /> channels more endorsements. Think<br /> of me, think of dollars.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry shows signs of tiring.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Kathy! Hi, it's Jerry Maguire.<br /> <br /> INT. REHEARSAL ROOM -- DAY<br /><br /><br /> 32.<br /> <br /> <br /> KATHY SANDERS, 22 year-old figure skater, sits on a couch.<br /> Nearby are cardboard stand-ups, souvenirs of past<br /> endorsements. Also, the famous gold-medal shot from the<br /> Olympics. Kathy's adoring Mom and Dad sit next to her,<br /> listening in on the extension. The Mission Statement is<br /> folded open on Dad's lap. Kathy chokes on every other word,<br /> such is her anguish.<br /> <br /> KATHY<br /> I already heard from Bob Sugar.<br /> Jerry I want to cry for what they<br /> did to you at SMI. You helped me<br /> win that gold at the Olympics, we<br /> have history, and... oh Jerry...<br /> if we weren't in the middle of the<br /> Accura deal, you know I'd go with<br /> you!<br /> (starts to break down)<br /> Oh Jerry, oh God...<br /> <br /> There is a click on the line. She is pained and outraged.<br /> <br /> KATHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> ... Call Waiting... who could be<br /> calling me now?...<br /> <br /> She clicks the phone once. Her voice is suddenly cheery.<br /> <br /> KATHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Hiyee.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Still me, Kathy.<br /> <br /> She instantly starts "crying" again.<br /> <br /> KATHY<br /> Ohhhhhhhh...<br /> <br /> INT. SUGAR'S OFFICE -- DUSK<br /> <br /> Sugar crosses off another name on his list.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> It's not show "friends". It's show<br /> business.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- DUSK<br /> <br /> Jerry on the phone. It's getting harder to crank it up.<br /><br /><br /> 33.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Rod! How ya doing? Jerry Maguire.<br /> <br /> INTERCUT<br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL KITCHEN/HOUSE -- DAY<br /> <br /> ROD TIDWELL, 27, begins this conversation in the kitchen. He<br /> is a powerful physical presence, and he holds a hot new<br /> cellular phone. He fixes young son Tyson a bowl of cereal as<br /> he talks. In the background, monitoring the crisis is Marcee<br /> Tidwell.<br /> <br /> ROD TIDWELL<br /> "How am I doing?" I'll tell you.<br /> I'm sweatin, dude! That's how I'm<br /> "doin." I'm sweatin my contract.<br /> I'm sweatin' Bob Sugar calling and<br /> telling me I'm blowing the big<br /> endorsements if I stay with you.<br /> I'm sweatin'. You hear what I'm<br /> saying?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I hear what you're saying...<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> No. I hear that you hear what I'm<br /> saying. But do you hear what I'm<br /> saying?<br /> <br /> INT. SUGAR'S OFFICE -- SAME TIME<br /> <br /> Sugar works off a wristwatch. He spends no longer than three<br /> minutes on each call.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> I'll bet he hasn't even called you<br /> yet, right Jennifer? Wait, I need<br /> to cough...<br /> <br /> He covers the phone, as another agent hands him a cellular<br /> with another call on it.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (continuing)<br /> Hi, Ben, it's Sugar, hold on a<br /> second, have you heard from<br /> Maguire? You haven't???? Well,<br /> that tells you a lot. Hold on,<br /> gotta cough...<br /> <br /> Back to the other call.<br /><br /><br /> 34.<br /> <br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (continuing)<br /> So Jennifer...<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE<br /> <br /> Jerry is still on the same Tidwell call. Looking at his<br /> watch.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Alright, we're just getting<br /> started on my list of things you<br /> need to know. Take notes if you<br /> want to.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (dying)<br /> Okay.<br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL HALLWAY -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Tidwell walks down the hallway, past clippings and citations<br /> from his career. Marcee follows, always listening.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Good, 'cause see, I am a valuable<br /> commodity. I go across the<br /> middle. I see the ball and a dude<br /> coming right at me, wanting to<br /> kill me, I tell my brain "get<br /> killed, catch the ball." That's<br /> New York Steak, baby. Rare. And<br /> yet, nobody's giving me LOVE.<br /> Nobody's giving me PROPS. Nobody.<br /> I went to Arizona State, I'm from<br /> Arizona, I break Arizona records,<br /> I'm a Sun Devil, man!!!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Now you want Arizona dollars.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Exactly. And I'm sitting here<br /> with an ant problem, look! And my<br /> brother Tee Pee's room is flooded<br /> with water. Say hello to Jerry<br /> Maguire --<br /> <br /> We meet the messy-haired and slightly overweight brother of<br /> Tidwell, TEE PEE, 24. Tee Pee, who lives free of charge in<br /> Rod's house, is a nakedly jealous and more political version<br /> of his brother. He says into the phone:<br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> Hello Jerry Maguire.<br /><br /><br /> 35.<br /> <br /> <br /> Tidwell takes the phone back, and continues through the<br /> house, with Tee Pee now following the procession of family<br /> monitoring the important call.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> -- the house is fallin' apart, we<br /> don't even know where we're gonna<br /> live in a year, and I'm supposed<br /> to be a "superstar," man! Are you<br /> catching my flow, here?<br /> <br /> Jerry looks at his watch. Doomed.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I need a decision from you, Rod.<br /> <br /> INT. SUGAR'S OFFICE -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Sugar has three phones going.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Killer, Steve, good decision.<br /> (next call)<br /> So it's yes, right? Excellente.<br /> (next call)<br /> Tell me it's yes... yes? YES!<br /> <br /> Tidwell enters bedroom. Marcee, Tyson and Tee Pee in tow.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> -- now to recap, I want to stay<br /> in Arizona, I want my new<br /> contract, I like you, you're nice<br /> to my wife, I will stay with you,<br /> that's what I'm doing for you, but<br /> here's what you're gonna do for<br /> me. You listening?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (dying)<br /> Mmm. Hmm.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> It's a very personal, very<br /> important thing. It's a family<br /> motto. So I want to share it with<br /> you. You ready?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yes.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Here it is. "Show me the money."<br /> (pause)<br /> Show. Me. The. Money.<br /><br /><br /> 36.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I got it.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Now doesn't that just make you<br /> feel good to say it? Say it with<br /> me.<br /> <br /> The lights have gone down in the city, and he hasn't had a<br /> chance to turn his own light on. He sits in the oncoming<br /> darkness, watching the blinking white lights on the phone<br /> bank on the desk.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Show. Me. The. Money.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Congratulations. You're still my<br /> agent.<br /> <br /> Tidwell hangs up. Feeling good about the decision, he enters<br /> his closet and adds today's shoes to an enormous shoe<br /> collection. Nearby, Tee Pee shakes his head.<br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> An African-American man running<br /> with a little ball, working for<br /> white owners and white agents.<br /> It's the iconography of rascism...<br /> (off Tidwell's<br /> dismissive look)<br /> ... but I woulda stayed at the<br /> bigger company.<br /> <br /> INT. SUGAR'S OFFICE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Sugar crosses the last call off his sheet, and throws himself<br /> on the sofa. He lands in reclining mode with a soft pooof.<br /> The younger turks watch their new leader. Victory is his.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S OFFICE -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry stands at the door, holding some belongings. He looks<br /> back and symbolically flips the light switch off.<br /> Unfortunately he hasn't realized the lights are already off.<br /> So, in his final gesture, surprising himself, he has weirdly<br /> turned the lights on.<br /> <br /> EXT. CORNER OFFICE -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Bam. Jerry's door opens. He exits his office with box. He<br /> is now in a state of advancing melancholy, slightly unhinged.<br /> Many of the other agents now try not to watch him leaving.<br /><br /><br /> 37.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, don't worry! I'm not going<br /> to do what you think I'm going to<br /> do, which is FLIP OUT!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> <br /> Jerry goes to a water dispenser, calming himself, and fills<br /> a small Dixie cup. Downs it and fills it again, rubbing his<br /> face..<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> But let me just say, as I ease out<br /> of the office I helped build --<br /> sorry, but it's a fact --<br /> <br /> ON DOROTHY -- WATCHING<br /> <br /> from her cubicle.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> -- that there is such a thing as<br /> manners. A way of treating<br /> people...<br /> <br /> He notices the fish tank nearby. He attemps to be profound.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> These fish have manners! They<br /> have manners.<br /> <br /> And now Jerry feels bravado, mixed with a wave of anger.<br /> Another cup of water as he finds power.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> In fact. They're coming with me!<br /> I'm starting a new company, and<br /> the fish will come with me and...<br /> you can call me sentimental.<br /> <br /> He begins dipping into the tank, grabbing the one exotic fish<br /> that failed to escape his cup. It's a fire-tailed Peruvian<br /> beauty. He grabs a baggie from an assistant's desk, shakes<br /> out some crumbs, and dumps the fish inside.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing; to fish)<br /> it's okay... it's okay...<br /> <br /> Nearby, a Xerox Repair Guy watches the human train wreck.<br /><br /><br /> 38.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> But if anybody else wants to come<br /> with me, this moment will be the<br /> ground floor of something real and<br /> fun and inspiring and true in this<br /> godforsaken business and we will<br /> do it together! Who's coming with<br /> me besides... "Flipper" here?<br /> <br /> But clearly even Flipper is not happy with the new<br /> arrangement. Panicked, he whips around the small baggie.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Anybody going with me?<br /> <br /> Silence, someone coughs, as agents and office personnel look<br /> on with equal parts pity and embarrassment. Jerry downs<br /> another small cup of water. His lid is blowing off with each<br /> second.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Wendy? Shall we?<br /> <br /> Assistant Wendy looks at Maguire. Painfully polite:<br /> <br /> WENDY<br /> I'm three months away from the pay<br /> increase, Jerry. I have to, uh...<br /> you know, stay.<br /> <br /> Jerry absorbs the blow, and takes the keys from the top of<br /> her desk. She can't look at him. Jerry stands alone, the<br /> blue Mission Statement on Wendy's desk sits accusingly in<br /> frame. There is only silence now, the loudest kind.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Okay, anybody else?<br /> <br /> ON DOROTHY<br /> <br /> She looks around. Doesn't anybody believe in the very thing<br /> they were applauding three days ago? She has an odd<br /> reaction, a muscle twitch of the soul. Before she knows it,<br /> she stands boldly, unfortunately knocking a cup of coffee<br /> onto herself in the process.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I'll go with you.<br /> (quietly, on her<br /> coffee mess)<br /> Wonderful...<br /><br /><br /> 39.<br /> <br /> <br /> She dabs at her pants. Next to her, Cleo looks on sadly.<br /> <br /> ON JERRY<br /> <br /> halfway across the office.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Dorothy Boyd! Thank you!<br /> <br /> She gathers her things, increasingly aware of what she's done.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> We will see you all again. Sleep<br /> tight!<br /> <br /> He walks to Dorothy, and together they exit down the hallway<br /> corridor, past the framed posters and awards.<br /> <br /> WIDE-SHOT<br /> <br /> rising over the huge office. For the first time, we see the<br /> full expanse of the huge SMI headquarters. And down in the<br /> corner of the frame, two small figures leave carrying boxes.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (to Dorothy)<br /> Let's see how they do without us.<br /> <br /> A beat of silence, then noise returns to its normal<br /> commercial roar. A couple of fleas have been swatted off the<br /> carcass of an immense beast.<br /> <br /> INT. ELEVATOR -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> The tragic-sounding beep of the elevator passing floors.<br /> Jerry Maguire stands with Dorothy, both still charged with<br /> adrenalin. And then the first pangs of dread. There is<br /> silence. The elevator stops. A young, amorous Couple<br /> enters. Both are about 24, and the Guy presses a number five<br /> flights down. In a moment, we realize they are deaf. They<br /> sign to each other, murmuring noises of love. And then the<br /> Guy signs something, obviously powerful, because the Girl<br /> emits a delighted gasp, as does Dorothy. The Couple are<br /> truly in their own world. They kiss before exiting on their<br /> floor. And suddenly the elevator seems empty without them.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Wonder what he said.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> My favorite aunt is hearing<br /> impaired. He said "you complete<br /> me."<br /><br /><br /> 40.<br /> <br /> <br /> They continue on in silence.<br /> <br /> INT. BUILDING LOBBY -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry and Dorothy pass through another office's party. Loud<br /> music. It's a pre-Easter party thrown for the building<br /> employees and their children. Jerry and Dorothy squeeze<br /> through with boxes and fish.<br /> <br /> EXT. SMI PARKING LOT -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry and Dorothy walk to their cars. Music in distance.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> So I know this is a bad time,<br /> but -- you will have a medical<br /> program, right?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Sure. Yes. Medical, I don't know.<br /> <br /> He spaces out for a moment. Awkwardly, she touches him<br /> briefly.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> And I guess we didn't talk about<br /> money. So, I'll just dive in --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Give me your number. I'll call<br /> tomorrow. I'm just a little. I'm<br /> a little insane right now.<br /> (off her look)<br /> But it's going to be great.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> No no, I know --<br /> <br /> They arrive at her red Camry. She writes her number on the<br /> back of a business card.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> But I mean really... wonderfully...<br /> (out of steam)<br /> great.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (unsure)<br /> Absolutely.<br /> <br /> She climbs into her car, rolls down the window.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> And when you think about what<br /> you've done later, don't panic.<br /><br /><br /> 41.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Me? No. My sister -- it's a good<br /> bet.<br /> <br /> She starts the engine.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> That took guts.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Same to you.<br /> <br /> She salutes him as she drives off. His own move, played back<br /> to him. Camera moves away from Jerry, as he stands alone in<br /> the parking lot. Salutes her in return. Herb Alpert. "The<br /> Lonely Bull." Stripped of power, his once mighty theme now<br /> seems puny.<br /> <br /> FADE TO<br /> <br /> EXT. DOROTHY'S HOME -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Lights glow inside this small-but-cozy home on a side street<br /> in Manhattan Beach. Windows open. The sound of women's<br /> voices.<br /> <br /> INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> A living room filled with ten earnest, talkative Divorced<br /> Women. This is their talk group. We meet JAN, 30, who speaks<br /> shyly, thoughtfully, covering her braces often as she speaks.<br /> She holds a too-full glass of red wine. (Much of the talk in<br /> this Women's Group will be improved by our cast of actresses)<br /> <br /> JAN<br /> I love men. I respect men. But<br /> that doesn't change the fact that<br /> most of them belong in cages...<br /> <br /> The other nine women nod with deep understanding.<br /> <br /> INT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Dorothy does the dishes. Across the room, Laurel has her<br /> nightly cigarette, blowing smoke out the window. She is a no-<br /> frills woman. She has some time ago shut off those aspects of<br /> her life spent pursuing the opposite sex. They are in mid-<br /> argument.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> What about medical?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Of course, medical!<br /><br /><br /> 42.<br /> <br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> (unconvinced)<br /> You are a single mother. You have<br /> given up the right to be frivolous.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (irritated)<br /> If you'd read what he wrote, you<br /> would have left with him too.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> (more irritated)<br /> You know how much those Well Child<br /> exams cost --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (overlapping)<br /> Of course I know --<br /> <br /> LAUREL/DOROTHY<br /> A hundred and fifty dollars.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> And that's just when he's well --<br /> <br /> They talk over each other arguing for a moment and then:<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Wait. Where is he?<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> He's in the living room asleep.<br /> <br /> Dorothy dries her hands, flicking in a hurry.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Wonderful. Next time you lecture<br /> me, don't leave my little boy in<br /> a room with your Divorced Women's<br /> Group...<br /> <br /> She exits in a hurry, as Laurel throws her cigarette into the<br /> garbage disposal. She has a hard time saying this, so she<br /> says it so nobody can hear:<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Sorry.<br /> <br /> INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Ray dreams sweetly in the middle of this rockbed of Women's<br /> Woes. Dorothy strokes his head, as she plucks him up. In<br /> frame another woman, ALICE, 50, speaks passionately to the<br /> group.<br /><br /><br /> 43.<br /> <br /> <br /> ALICE<br /> Okay I've finally, finally, gotten<br /> my anger straight here. I'm going<br /> to visualize Carl being here and<br /> finally tell him --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Shhhh!<br /> <br /> Dorothy exits, protectively stroking her son's head.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Come on, buddy, we're going to bed.<br /> <br /> INT. HALLWAY-- NIGHT<br /> <br /> She stops for a moment, little boy in her hands. The<br /> enormity of the day arrives with a thud.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (to herself)<br /> What did I do?<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S CONDO -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry is quickly packing for a road trip. Avery looks on.<br /> They are both in a manic state.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> The power move is to go<br /> unannounced.<br /> (sotto)<br /> Black suit, right?<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> (sotto)<br /> And the egyptian cotton shirt that<br /> works with or without the jacket.<br /> (full volume)<br /> Tell me again, how was it left<br /> with Cush?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (perfect imitation)<br /> "Dad says we gwan sleep on it.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Ugh!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (turns, with clothes)<br /> Seventy-two clients. ONE stayed.<br /> (sotto)<br /> Jacket on, tie in pocket.<br /><br /><br /> 44.<br /> <br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> (sotta)<br /> Good.<br /> (full volume)<br /> They're all heatseekers! All of<br /> them, everybody. You keep one<br /> superstar and they'll all follow.<br /> There's no real loyalty, and the<br /> first person who told me that,<br /> Jerry Maguire, was you.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I think I was trying to sleep with<br /> you at the time.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Well, it worked, and I will not<br /> let you fail. You are Jerry Ma-<br /> fuckin-guire.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> That's right.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> King of the Housecalls! Master of<br /> the Living Room!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Okay, this is working.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> You are not a loser.<br /> <br /> Jerry stops, turns. The way she says "loser" is the most<br /> elegant of disses. She wraps her lips around it like a cheap<br /> hot dog.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Who said anything about "loser?"<br /> Where do you get this word "loser?"<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> I'm sorry. I was on a roll. I<br /> meant something else. When do you<br /> want to leave?<br /> <br /> Jerry zips his brown travel bag shut. He is packed and ready.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Now.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Let's go. I'll drive you.<br /><br /><br /> 45.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (stops, an odd<br /> thought)<br /> What if I don't get him?<br /> <br /> Avery takes his bag, heads for the door.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Function function function.<br /> Forward motion is everything.<br /> Cush saves all.<br /> <br /> Jerry takes a breath, exits. Music.<br /> <br /> AIRPLANE WHEELS<br /> <br /> folding up. Music continues.<br /> <br /> INT. RENT-A-CAR -- MORNING<br /> <br /> Jerry drives the bumpiest Texas backroad ever.<br /> <br /> Music continues.<br /> <br /> EXT. CUSHMAN DOOR -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry exits car. Adjusts the jacket. Takes the tie off too,<br /> returns to the car and tosses it inside. He walks to the<br /> front door with purpose. Suddenly an intercom crackles,<br /> jolting him with a booming and cheerful voice:<br /> <br /> MATT CUSHMAN'S VOICE<br /> No sports agents allowed! Ha ha.<br /> <br /> Jerry spots the small electronic camera pointed at him from<br /> the upper-corner of this rustic home. The door buzzes.<br /> <br /> INT. CUSHMAN HALLWAY/DEN -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry follows the voice down a hallway loaded with Cush<br /> memorabilia. Righteous indignation building.<br /> <br /> MATT CUSHMAN'S VOICE<br /> I'm in the back den, Jerry.<br /> <br /> He moves into the den, finding MATT CUSHMAN, 40, who stands<br /> at the living room bar. Two framed game jerseys on the wall.<br /> A large draped American flag above the bar. He is a J. Crew<br /> cowboy.<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> You like a Bloody Beer, Jerry?<br /> Beer and tomato juice --<br /><br /><br /> 46.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No thanks.<br /> <br /> Maguire takes a breath, and sharply begins his pitch.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Matt, I came here because in all<br /> honesty your son is just another<br /> piece of cattle to SMI. But to<br /> me --<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> (overlapping)<br /> We decided to stay with you.<br /> <br /> On pure instinct, he hugs Matt Cushman. The move surprises<br /> them both. And somewhere out of nowhere, come a few<br /> surprising tears of relief. He has been spared.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Oh, thank you.<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> Told myself -- if he shows up,<br /> we'll stick with him.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You know, I'm not a hugger and<br /> yet... I can't let go.<br /> <br /> Matt laughs, as Cush lopes in from the kitchen. Little<br /> brother KEITH, 14, enters with him.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> Hey, Jerry, what's been going on?<br /> <br /> INT. DEN -- LATER DAY -- HANDHELD<br /> <br /> Cush, Matt and Jerry brainstorm around the ceremonial "wagon-<br /> wheel table" where decisions are made in this house. Jerry<br /> is giddy, charged up, a part of the human race again.<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> I want him to go number one in the<br /> draft, and I want him to play.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> It's either going to be Denver or<br /> San Diego trading up to take him.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> (big grin)<br /> Hell, I'll either surf or ski. I<br /> don't care.<br /><br /><br /> 47.<br /> <br /> <br /> MATT<br /> Denver is where he should be.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'll give it everything.<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> You know I don't do "contracts."<br /> But'cha do have my word, and it's<br /> stronger than oak.<br /> <br /> Jerry toasts Matt with a bloody beer. A good day.<br /> <br /> INT. RENT-A-CAR/TEXAS -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry drives back on the same bumpy road. On the radio, it's<br /> the Rolling Stones. He wants to sing along. He thinks he<br /> knows the words, but...<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (sings)<br /> Feelin...<br /> <br /> He realizes he doesn't know the words at all. He switches<br /> channels. Finds a Rush song, with ornate lyrics. No one will<br /> ever know what the words are. He switches again and finds<br /> "Let's Groove Tonight" by Earth, Wind and Fire. Excellent.<br /> He begins singing nonsense noises, passionately. Switches<br /> again. All he wants is to sing along with a song he knows.<br /> Finally he finds Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Refugee."<br /> He drives through the countryside, singing the call and<br /> response of the song, like a happy idiot.<br /> <br /> INT. DALLAS/FT. WORTH AIRPORT -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry turns into shot. He's on the pay-phone. He's jacked.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Dorothy? Jerry Maguire! Is Avery<br /> there? Where can I reach her?<br /> <br /> INTERCUT<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY/LAUREL'S HOUSE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Dorothy is at her home work desk. Curious and nervous about<br /> the new arrangement.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Uh, she had to fly to Atlanta,<br /> didn't leave me her hotel number.<br /><br /><br /> 48.<br /> <br /> <br /> Through the back kitchen door comes CHAD THE NANNY, 29, red<br /> hair cropped above the ear. Baggy overalls. Slipping through<br /> life with little turbulence. He's with Ray, who holds pieces<br /> of wood and a hammer.<br /> <br /> CHAD<br /> The new playhouse rocks, Dotty.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> (jumping)<br /> Yeah!<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Honey -- later, okay?<br /> (Ray jumps on her)<br /> Whoop. Wait.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Hello?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (back to phone)<br /> Sorry, that's my son and the<br /> nanny. I had the calls transferred<br /> to my home so I could go over your<br /> stuff.<br /> <br /> Chad now notices the slight excited tone in her demeanor. He<br /> sits down nearby and listens to her talk to Maguire.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No, that's fine. What calls came<br /> in today?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Wait. That's yesterday, from the<br /> other office. Today is...<br /> <br /> She flips the call record from yesterday --150 calls -- to<br /> today, which is blank.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> ... light.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Shit, it's just so frustrating to<br /> not be able to talk to Avery --<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Wait a minute, it has to be one of<br /> the NFL hotels we do business<br /> with -- let me look -- but in the<br /> meantime, about this job --<br /><br /><br /> 49.<br /> <br /> <br /> She reaches over Ray to get to her laptop and buzzes through<br /> a list of phone numbers. Jerry can't help but share the qood<br /> news:<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (importantly)<br /> Dorothy, let me tell you<br /> something, we are back. We are so<br /> very very back. I re-signed Cush.<br /> We're set.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> We are?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> It's all going to work.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I just got goosebumps.<br /> <br /> She examines her own skin with surprise.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (manic, quiet)<br /> It's all going to work. We're<br /> going to save the world.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Well, I'm happy for you.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Happy for us.<br /> <br /> Oddly, the phrase affects her physically.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Happy for us... okay. Here's the<br /> number. 404-453-2222.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Thanks.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Call me later, hon.<br /> <br /> She hangs up, and looks over to Laurel and Chad. Both of them<br /> stare at her.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Wait. Did I just say "hon" to him?<br /> <br /> CHAD<br /> (laughing)<br /> Yeah, Dotty. You did.<br /><br /><br /> 50.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Twenty six years old. I'm already<br /> saying "hon". Hug your mother<br /> quickly --<br /> <br /> Chad looks at her, something is different about Dorothy.<br /> Laurel walks away, sharing a look with Chad.<br /> <br /> INT. DALLAS AIRPORT -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry is now teeming with energy, professional and sexual.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Avery, I signed Cush. Again.<br /> <br /> INTERCUT<br /> <br /> INT. ATLANTA HOTEL SUITE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Avery in mid-conference with four other NFL men in background.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> YA-HOOOO-SIE!<br /> <br /> It is the victory call of the competitive girl, and she falls<br /> back into a chair, kicking her expensive shoes onto the bed.<br /> In the b.g. we see the hungry look of her male co-workers.<br /> Part of them lusts after her. The larger part knows she<br /> would demolish them, and pick her teeth with their bones.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I know. Sorry I threw a scare<br /> into our lives there --<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Don't worry about it -- I never<br /> told you what I thought of that<br /> memo either --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, no you didn't --<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> You lost your head, it happens.<br /> (quickly)<br /> I'm so fuckin jazzed! Listen.<br /> I'm going to have to fly to<br /> Chicago tomorrow, how 'bout if we<br /> meet in the Dallas airport and we<br /> all fly into New York together for<br /> the draft?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> It's a plan -- --<br /><br /><br /> 51.<br /> <br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> I'll set it up with your girl.<br /> Woo! This is when it's good,<br /> Jerry. Enjoy it. Live it. Love<br /> it. And when I see you, I'm going<br /> to give you the best blow job of<br /> your life.<br /> <br /> He hangs up, staring at the phone. In the room with Avery,<br /> the co-workers look at each other. She is far, far out of<br /> their league.<br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY'S CAR -- LATER MORNING -- DRIVING<br /> <br /> Dorothy Boyd speeds Jerry to the airport, the electricity<br /> fills the car. On the radio, a sports station debates the<br /> future of Cushman. as Jerry whips through a stack of sports<br /> pages.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Avery'll meet you at the B gate at<br /> 4:15. Don't be late. Tidwell will<br /> already be there.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (nods to Ray)<br /> Hey, man, you know they have big<br /> balloons built into cars?<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> No.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> They do, my brother.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> (giggling)<br /> I'm not your brother!<br /> <br /> Dorothy continues, business on her mind.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> ... I put Tidwell on the same<br /> floor at the Marriott Marquis. I<br /> think it's great you're taking him<br /> to the draft. He doesn't smoke,<br /> right? I have no idea.<br /><br /><br /> 52.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I have no idea.<br /> (continuing to Ray)<br /> So Ray, if there's an accident or<br /> something, it goes pwoooooooof --<br /> (simulates air-bag)<br /> -- and you go booooong. And<br /> you're safe.<br /> <br /> Jerry bounces against the imaginary balloon. Ray is<br /> delighted by Jerry. Dorothy notes that he's great with her<br /> son. She pats Jerry on the shoulder. Her hand lingers<br /> perhaps a millisecond too long. She pulls away quickly,<br /> always feeling on the edge or embarrassing herself around<br /> this guy.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Okay, have we gone over<br /> everything? Back on Tuesday, right?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yep. Have a good time at school,<br /> Ray. Wish me luck.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY RAY<br /> Luck. LUCK!<br /> <br /> Jerry nods and exits. They watch as Jerry inches into the<br /> crowded airport. Into frame, obscuring their view of Jerry,<br /> enters another Couple, who embrace each other and their small<br /> girl. It's a genuinely sweet goodbye, and we linger on<br /> Dorothy and Ray who both watch with private fantasies of the<br /> goodbye they didn't get. Mother and son look at each other,<br /> communicating volumes. They pull back into traffic.<br /> <br /> INT. DALLAS AIRPORT -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry struggles through the Dallas airport, is the last, of<br /> his party to arrive at the B gate in Dallas. Avery, tall and<br /> cool in plaid skirt and shades, is in combat mode. Nearby,<br /> Cush is surrounded by fans and fawning Airline Employees.<br /> ("Where do you think you're gonna end up, Cush?" "You gonna<br /> be rich, dude!") Tidwell looks jealous and ingnored as he<br /> leans against the airline counter, unnoticed. A lone kid<br /> approaches Tidwell.<br /> <br /> KID<br /> Are you Hootie?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (irritated)<br /> No man, I'm not Hootie.<br /> <br /> Kid leaves disappointed. Tidwell sinks lower. Doesn't anyone<br /> know his stardom, his essence, his power?<br /><br /><br /> 53.<br /> <br /> <br /> BOARDING ANNOUNCEMENT<br /> All those disabled, and Frank<br /> Cushman can board now...<br /> <br /> INT. AIRPLANE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry sits next to Cushman, who is reading Bukowski's Notes<br /> of a Dirty Old Man. Across the aisle is Tidwell, who sits<br /> next to Avery. They are a small family, and Jerry feels at<br /> home with his operation. Cush looks up suddenly.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> (a big thought)<br /> Jerry. Why does God sometimes<br /> reward the evil and punish the<br /> good?<br /> <br /> Jerry shares a look with Avery, who is on the other side of<br /> Cush. Her stockings swish as she crosses her legs.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Let me think about that. Want<br /> something to drink?<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> (thoughtful pause)<br /> I see what you're saying.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Wait. What do you mean?<br /> <br /> The two men have now totally confused each other. Tidwell<br /> leans across the aisle to Cush, attempting comraderie.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Hey man, I wish I had a<br /> quarterback like you in Arizona.<br /> You're the shit.<br /> <br /> Cush looks up. Compliments blow off him like a summer breeze.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> Thank ya.<br /> <br /> Tidwell waits for a compliment of his own, but Cush doesn't<br /> offer one. He returns to the book. Tidwell feels slighted.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (loud mumble)<br /> Well you ain't that mothafuckin<br /> good.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> Say what?<br /><br /><br /> 54.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I said -- last I heard, Jesus<br /> Christ was still in heaven. And<br /> you ain't even played in the NFL.<br /> <br /> Cush throws his book away, ready for anything, as Tidwell<br /> rises. Nearby passengers begin to panic.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> This can't be happening to me.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Jerry! Do something --<br /> <br /> Jerry throws himself in front of Cushman.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> HEY. Knock it off. What are you,<br /> five years old? Am I taking the<br /> kids to Chuck E. Cheese here? Grow<br /> up, both of you! We are a family.<br /> And we go to the draft in an<br /> ORDERLY FASHION.<br /> <br /> Beat. Jerry wonders if he's pushed his mealtickets around too<br /> much.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Hey, man, I dig Check E. Cheese.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> Me too, dude. Especially that big<br /> old singin' Elvis Monkey. That's<br /> just insanity, man.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Heard that.<br /> <br /> Tidwell reaches over, he and Cush exchange a fingertips five.<br /> Briefly, the two clients bond. Past Tidwell, Avery smiles<br /> engagingly at Jerry. He handled the situation well. She<br /> crosses her legs, stockings swishing. The workplace excites<br /> her.<br /> <br /> EXT. MARRIOTT MARQUIS -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> The headquarters for the NFL draft is buzzing with activity.<br /> Limo doors open and out pours Maguire and company. Media<br /> lights flick on, bathing Cush. Reporters chatter. ("Is it<br /> San Diego or Denver, Cush?N "Cush!") Fans at the outskirts<br /> are calling out to the young star ("Go get the big chi-ching,<br /> Cush!") Avery smoothly pulls ESPN into the front position.<br /> Telegenic Cush shrugs and smiles. ("I'll either surf or<br /> ski.") Jerry admires his fiancee. There is nothing more<br /> attractive than a person burningly efficient at their job.<br /><br /><br /> 55.<br /> <br /> <br /> Shot drifts off this media bubble to find Tidwell watching at<br /> the outskirts. He turns and exits unnoticed.<br /> <br /> INT. GIFT SHOP -- NIGHT -- LATER<br /> <br /> Tidwell hides out in the gift shop, thumbing through<br /> magazines. The chip on his shoulder grows by the minute.<br /> Elsewhere in the gift shop, he sees the very real and<br /> emotional scene of a young athlete and his mother. Both wear<br /> self-promoting colorful homemade t-shirts with the young<br /> athlete's face on it. Something about them, their pure<br /> enthusiasm, rubs Tidwell in an odd way. He almost cries, for<br /> himself, for humanity, as Jerry enters. Tidwell is<br /> embarrassed to have been caught in this misty state.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> At last I find you.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (sharply)<br /> Why the fuck am I here? I feel<br /> like I'm five years late for the<br /> Prom.<br /> <br /> In a look, Jerry sizes up the situation. With a hand on<br /> Tidwell's large shoulder, he smoothly pumps up the big man's<br /> ego.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Come on. Come with me. We're<br /> going to take a walk through this<br /> lobby. I want every media guy,<br /> every player rep, everybody to see<br /> you for what you are. The best-<br /> kept secret in the NFL. The<br /> biggest wide-receiver in the game.<br /> Let 'em see ya, Rod. And Whatever<br /> you do, don't sit down. Let 'em<br /> see how big you are. You ready?<br /> Let's do it.<br /> <br /> He is privately thrilled, but offers only:<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (begrudgingly)<br /> A'right. Let's walk.<br /> <br /> We hear the ripping guitar explosion of The Who's "Magic Bus"<br /> from Live at Leeds.<br /><br /><br /> 56.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. MARRIOTT LOBBY -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Maguire and Tidwell move through the brightly-lit lobby, past<br /> the reporters, the competing agents, the team<br /> representatives, the already blasted Jets fans, past even a<br /> Nike crew filming an NFL spot in the lobby. Portable phones<br /> everywhere, in every hand.<br /> <br /> There is a heavy white media light bathing everything -- as<br /> if life had become a t.v. show, and everything within it<br /> concerned making other t.v. shows. Jerry works hard,<br /> introduces Tidwell around. And Tidwell is natural, polite and<br /> charming, as they move through the pre-draft crowd. He does<br /> not sit down. Music continues.<br /> <br /> INT. MARRIOTT BAR -- DAY<br /> <br /> Tough red-headed beat reporter PATRICIA LOGAN watches Maguire<br /> and Tidwell from the opposite corner.<br /> <br /> PATRICIA<br /> Dennis, try not to laugh. Jerry<br /> Maguire brought Rod Tidwell to the<br /> draft...<br /> <br /> INT. ARIZONA CARDINALS WAR ROOM PHOENIX) -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Arizona General Manager DENNIS WILBURN, 48, is on the phone<br /> here in the command center for the Arizona Cardinals. All<br /> around him, we see the boards and graphs for their upcoming<br /> draft selections.<br /> <br /> WILBURN<br /> Good, I hope he unloads him so I<br /> can buy a decent quarterback.<br /> Who's he talking to?<br /> <br /> PATRICIA<br /> Right now, Dallas. Ha ha.<br /> <br /> WILBURN<br /> They don't look interested do they?<br /> <br /> PATRICIA<br /> Actually...<br /> <br /> Wilburn looks concerned.<br /> <br /> INT. MARRIOTT ESCALATOR -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry and Tidwell rise triumphantly to the mezzanine level<br /> above the bright-white lobby. Maguire looks down at the<br /> scene. He breathes in the commotion. In another twelve<br /> hours, he will be at the very epicenter with Cushman.<br /><br /><br /> 57.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I came all the way here for that?<br /> To walk the lobby?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yeah. And it might have even<br /> worked too.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Let's do it again.<br /> <br /> Jerry doesn't respond. Down in the lobby, Jerry catches a<br /> glimpse of a familiar-looking agent. It's Sugar. Jerry is<br /> consumed with a thousand other thoughts, but Tidwell<br /> continues talking.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (continuing)<br /> You believe they're shooting a<br /> Nike ad down there? Did I ever<br /> tell you my Nike story?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I gotta get back to Cushman.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Okay, I understand. I'll boil it<br /> down for ya. Fuck Nike. All they<br /> do is ignore me...<br /> <br /> Jerry turns to Tidwell, finally focusing totally on him.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You know what was great about you<br /> down there? For about five<br /> minutes, you unloaded that rather<br /> expansive, let me just say "large"<br /> chip that resides right there on<br /> your shoulder, and you know what?<br /> You were brilliant. Take care.<br /> <br /> Jerry starts to exit.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> You're loving me now, aren't ya?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (mock serious)<br /> I'm not about love -- I'm about<br /> "showing you the money."<br /> <br /> Tidwell nods deeply, respectfully.<br /><br /><br /> 58.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Good. I was just testing ya.<br /> (beat)<br /> But just you saying that? Makes me<br /> love ya.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Get some sleep. See you tomorrow.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Sure you don't want to go out and<br /> find some karoake? I'm a very<br /> good singer, man --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Call me tomorrow.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I might call you later!<br /> <br /> Tidwell moves off, still feeling good about the walk. A<br /> small pack of diehard Jets fans pass, looking for autographs.<br /> <br /> INT. CUSH'S SUITE -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> We glide into Frank Cushman's suite overlooking Times Square.<br /> It's filled with NFL swag -- free t-shirts, athletic bags,<br /> sweatpants, and more. Half-finished room service food<br /> abounds. Matt, Keith and Cush's stylish college girlfriend<br /> ANNE-LOUISE mill about the room, basking in the glow of the<br /> man of the moment. Cush, who holds a guitar in his lap,<br /> wears the odd combination of a Nirvana t-shirt and a NFL<br /> jacket. He signs for more room service and continues<br /> strumming the only song he knows on guitar, Cobain's<br /> "Something In The Way." Jerry enters on a rush of adrenalin.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> (to hotel waiter)<br /> Hey, what size are you?<br /> <br /> WAITER<br /> Eleven.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> (grandly)<br /> Why don't you grab a couple pairs<br /> of them new Nikes by the door --<br /> <br /> Waiter spots a very tall stack of new Nikes by the door.<br /> <br /> WAITER<br /> Dude, you're like a God.<br /><br /><br /> 59.<br /> <br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> (immediately)<br /> God, you're like a dude.<br /> <br /> It's a great line, and the room breaks up. This is charisma,<br /> the future of the NFL. Waiter exits, as Cush continues<br /> strumming. And now Jerry speaks, importantly.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Cush, Matt -- we have a decision<br /> to make.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> "It's okay to eat fish, 'cause<br /> they Don't have any feelings...<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Okay. San Diego just came in with<br /> a last-minute scenario. It's big.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> "Something in the way. Yeah."<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> Well, he's gotta go number one.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> "Ooooooo."<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> He still goes number one, but San<br /> Diego wants to trade up with New<br /> England -- they want him bad.<br /> <br /> Cush turns to his curiously ambivalent father, who walks to<br /> the window and looks out at the big Jumbotron with Keith.<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> What happened to Denver?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Denver got very silent about a day<br /> ago. San Diego's got a fever for<br /> Cush. This stuff tends to happen<br /> the night before a draft. People<br /> get crazy. And San Diego, you<br /> should know, is crazy to the tune<br /> of seven years for thirty. Signing<br /> bonus of eight.<br /> (beat)<br /> Million.<br /> <br /> Anne-Louise whistles loudly. She is instantly embarrassed,<br /> and puts a hand up. Sorry. In the next room, the phone is<br /> ringing.<br /><br /><br /> 60.<br /> <br /> <br /> MATT<br /> I don't know, Jerry.<br /> <br /> KEITH<br /> Should I unplug the phone?<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> Reporters, Jerry. They been<br /> callin' all night.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Just be friendly and say "no<br /> comment."<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> Talking and saying nothing, man,<br /> it's an art I have not mastered.<br /> <br /> Jerry holds up a finger -- watch me. Jerry picks up the<br /> ringing phone. He offers a near-perfect imitation.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> "This is Cush."<br /> <br /> Suddenly, everyone is, laughing. The room lightens.<br /> <br /> INT. BOB SUGAR'S HOTEL ROOM -- DAY<br /> <br /> Bob Sugar talks on his hotel phone.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> It's Sugar. He must be there,<br /> right? Just sniff or something if<br /> he's there.<br /> (Jerry sniffs,<br /> panicked)<br /> Alright, buddydude. Just<br /> remember. You're swimming with the<br /> big boys now. You let your dad do<br /> all the talking. I'm the one who<br /> got you the deal you needed. This<br /> is business not friendship. Be<br /> strong. You're global now.<br /> <br /> Sugar hangs up.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> "No comment.<br /> <br /> Jerry hangs up. The room is still laughing. His head is<br /> spinning.<br /> <br /> KEITH<br /> Hey, it's Cush on the big t.v.<br /> again!<br /><br /><br /> 61.<br /> <br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> Hell, I'm already sick of me. I<br /> got "Cushlash."<br /> <br /> More laughs. Jerry sits across from Matt, reeling quietly. He<br /> speaks casually, directly.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Look, before I go back to Denver.<br /> I think we should put something<br /> down on paper. Something that<br /> says, "hey, I'm with Jerry<br /> Maguire."<br /> <br /> He pulls out a yellow legal tablet. He scribbles a few<br /> lines, as Matt looks increasingly nervous.<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> Not right now, Jerry.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Do I know everything there is to<br /> know here?<br /> (silent beat)<br /> You fellas aren't talking with Bob<br /> Sugar, are you?<br /> <br /> More silence.<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> Apparently, Denver wanted to deal<br /> with him instead of you.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (quickly)<br /> Said who? Sugar?<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> Hey, I'm learning as I go.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> So you empowered Bob Sugar to deal<br /> with Denver behind my back?<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> I'm sorry, I --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I brought Denver to twenty<br /> million. Denver deals with me all<br /> the time. You listened to Sugar?<br /> You let that snake in the door.<br /> <br /> Jerry touches the coffee table. Calms himself.<br /><br /><br /> 62.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> It's okay. You want Denver. I'll<br /> fix this up. You didn't sign<br /> anything with Sugar, right?<br /> <br /> Another rough silence is broken by little brother Keith.<br /> <br /> KEITH<br /> (blurts)<br /> Mr. Maguire, someday I'm gonna be<br /> a famous athlete and I'm gonna<br /> sign with you'.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Shut up!<br /> (beat)<br /> I'm sorry... sorry.<br /> <br /> KEITH<br /> (sympathy for Jerry)<br /> S' cool.<br /> <br /> Shot moves in on Jerry.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Now. Wait. You didn't actually<br /> sign with Sugar, did you? Tell me<br /> you didn't sign.<br /> (beat)<br /> Because I'm still sort of moved by<br /> your "my word is stronger'n oak"<br /> thing --<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> We signed an hour ago. You were<br /> in the lobby with the black fella.<br /> <br /> Jerry moans. Silently, he rises and begins to gather his<br /> things. Cush hangs on to his guitar.<br /> <br /> CUSH<br /> I'm sorry, Jerry.<br /> <br /> MATT<br /> They say it's show "business,"<br /> Jerry, not show friends.<br /> <br /> Jerry takes a breath before he exits. He surveys the room,<br /> settling on Cush. Visible behind Maguire is Times Square, in<br /> all it's neon logo glory.<br /><br /><br /> 63.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well. Okay. Of course. You're<br /> twenty years old, and I'm just<br /> another guy in a suit. It's all<br /> business. It didn't work out. You<br /> didn't buy my product, which is,<br /> unfortunately, mm. Let me see,<br /> there's a speech that I'm supposed<br /> to make -- right! -- "I'll be out<br /> there cheering for you." "The door<br /> is always open!" See? I'm a class<br /> act.<br /> (breath, directly)<br /> But maybe this would have all<br /> worked, us being real human<br /> beings, coming through for each<br /> other, really, and now I'll never<br /> know. You'll never know. Weren't<br /> you curious?<br /> (they aren't)<br /> No. Okay, well, I'll be fine.<br /> And you'll be fine. And Keith I<br /> bope you do call me.<br /> <br /> Flushed and embarrassed, he exits. We hang a beat on the<br /> silent Cushman hotel livingroom, as Cush now continues on<br /> guitar.<br /> <br /> INT. LOBBY -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry exits elevator dazed, at full trot. The Marriott lobby<br /> is packed. He is looking for Avery. Beat reporter Patricia<br /> Logan reappears. She relishes asking brutal questions,<br /> innocently.<br /> <br /> PATRICIA LOGAN<br /> Jerry, is it true that Tidwell's<br /> had three concussions?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'm sorry... excuse me...<br /> <br /> INT. BALLROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry enters the grand ballroom, looking for Avery.<br /> Endorsement placards in evidence everywhere. NFL reps and<br /> media workers move tables and work out camera and seating<br /> arrangements. Elevated in a open ESPN booth six feet off the<br /> ground, host Chris Berman records voice-overs for tomorrow's<br /> draft. Fans heckle him by singing the ESPN theme. He rolls<br /> with it, expertly. Jerry spots Avery across the empty<br /> ballroom, moving fast, passing out media packets on the empty<br /> tables.<br /><br /><br /> 64.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. ADJACENT BUFFET ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry finally catches up with Avery in the empty side-room.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> I just heard.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What do I do? How do I spin this?<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Oh honey. It's spun.<br /> <br /> She keeps moving, adding an extra snap to the packets.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What did I do to you?<br /> <br /> She is furious with his question. Doesn't he know?<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> It's all about you, isn't it?<br /> Soothe me, save me, love me --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Could you just stop moving?<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> I have to finish my job --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Everything's on the fucking run!<br /> Everything --<br /> <br /> She stops. Walks to him, framed by a bank of t.v. monitors.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Jerry. You and I are salespeople.<br /> We sell --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Look, I don't want a --<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> It's not "love me." It's not<br /> "trust my handshake." It's make<br /> the sale. Get it signed. There<br /> shouldn't be "confusion" about<br /> that.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Go ahead. Jump right on into my<br /> nightmare. The water's warm.<br /><br /><br /> 65.<br /> <br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> So honesty is outlawed here, I<br /> can't be honest?<br /> <br /> She turns and exits again. He follows.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Tell you what -- I'd prefer<br /> loyalty..<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> What was our deal when we first<br /> got together? Brutal truth,<br /> remember?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I think you added the "brutal."<br /> <br /> She stops, slaps down another media packet. Blows a<br /> troublesome piece of hair out of her face.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Jerry, there is a "sensitivity"<br /> thing that some people have. I<br /> don't have it. I don't cry at<br /> movies. I don't gush over babies.<br /> I don't start celebrating<br /> Christmas five months early, and<br /> I don't tell a man who just<br /> screwed up both of our lives --<br /> 'oh, poor baby.' That's me. For<br /> better or worse. But I do love<br /> you.<br /> <br /> Jerry looks at his fiancee. Standing here, watching Avery<br /> coldly clasping her media packs to her chest, she looks<br /> different to him.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Avery --<br /> <br /> She knows what's coming. She moves fast to avoid him.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Don't say it. We're both ragged<br /> out right now.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> -- stop --<br /> <br /> She exits back into the main ballroom. For a moment, she<br /> stops. They face off. This is it. They are quickly<br /> interrupted by overweight, talk-show voiced CURTIS WEINTRAUB,<br /> 45.<br /><br /><br /> 66.<br /> <br /> <br /> CURTIS WEINTRAUB<br /> Hey! Curtis Weintraub from the<br /> Sports Popper! Haven't seen you<br /> two since the Cuervo Gold Rock 'n<br /> Sock Charity Six Flags Budfest!<br /> Hello!<br /> <br /> Neither look at him, they remain fixed on each other. Curtis<br /> gets a whiff of what he walked into.<br /> <br /> CURTIS WEINTRAUB<br /> (continuing; exiting<br /> quickly)<br /> Goodbye!<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> I'm warning you. Don't say it.<br /> You won't have another chance.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Listen to me!<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> No.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> It's over --<br /> <br /> She continues moving into the next room.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Didn't hear it.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> There is something missing here.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> You've never been alone and you<br /> can't be alone --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Listen to me, it's over.<br /> <br /> She can barely believe it. She blinks.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> No one has ever dumped me.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'm not trying to make history.<br /><br /><br /> 67.<br /> <br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> I did the 23 hour nose-route to<br /> the top of El Capitan in 6 hours!<br /> I can make this work.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (it slips out)<br /> No.<br /> <br /> She takes a breath. It sinks in. From somewhere, the small<br /> voice of her vulnerability.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> Oh Jerry.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (steps closer)<br /> You know I didn't ever want to<br /> hurt you.<br /> <br /> She gets an odd look, shaking her head. Starts to step away,<br /> then thinks better of it. She WALLOPS him in the face with<br /> the back of her hand. Jerry stands like a woozy boxer. She<br /> hits him again with a fist, then again in the chest. He<br /> sinks to the floor, sagging. backwards. She straddles him,<br /> addresses him fully, right in his bruised face.<br /> <br /> AVERY<br /> I won't let you hurt me, Jerry.<br /> I'm too strong for you. Loser.<br /> <br /> INT. JFK AIRPORT -- NEXT MORNING<br /> <br /> Jerry moves through the crowded airport with Rod Tidwell.<br /> Both wear sunglasses.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> You love me now, don't you?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Very much.<br /> <br /> ON TV MONITOR -- ROY FIRESTONE<br /> <br /> is leaning forward, expressively, talking with a weepy<br /> athlete.<br /> <br /> INT. RED CARPET LOUNGE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Tidwell watches next to Jerry, as they wait for the flight.<br /> Jerry nurses a stiff drink.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Everybody on this show cries now.<br /><br /><br /> 68.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Rod --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (off t.v. )<br /> You feel bad you tested positive?<br /> Quit doing blow! You feel bad<br /> about your baby girl? Why did you<br /> leave the mother?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What are you doing with me, Rod?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Huh?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Don't you even see -- I'm<br /> finished. I'm fucked. Twenty-four<br /> hours ago, I was hot. Now... I'm<br /> a cautionary tale!<br /> <br /> Tidwell looks at Jerry, impassive.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> See this jacket I'm wearing? You<br /> like it? I don't really need it,<br /> because I'm CLOAKED IN FAILURE.<br /> I lost the number one draft pick<br /> the night before the draft. They<br /> will teach my story to other<br /> agents on "do not do this" day in<br /> agent school. Why? Let's recap.<br /> Because a hockey player's kid made<br /> me feel like a superficial jerk,<br /> I had two slices of bad pizza,<br /> went to bed, grew a conscience and<br /> wrote a 25-page Manifesto of Doom!<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Well, boo-fucking-hoo.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> The least you could do is nod and<br /> act sympathetic --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (shaking head)<br /> No.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> It's a quality that might come in<br /> handy for a commercial sometime.<br /><br /><br /> 69.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> You are not allowed to act this<br /> way.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Why not?<br /> <br /> INT. AIRPLANE -- LATER DAY<br /> <br /> They sit together. Jerry holds another drink.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Man, I got a shelf life of ten<br /> years, tops! My next contract's<br /> gotta bring me the dollars that'11<br /> last me and mine a very long time.<br /> I'm out of this sport in five<br /> years. What's my family gonna<br /> live on? What you get me. So I<br /> don't want to hear about ya shit,<br /> your "nya nya nya."<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (ruefully, to<br /> attendant)<br /> Another drink please.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Anybody else would have left you<br /> by now, but I'm sticking with you.<br /> I said I would. And if I got to<br /> ride your ass like Zorro, you're<br /> gonna show me the money.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (the hell that never<br /> ends)<br /> Oh my God.<br /> <br /> He looks straight ahead, at the airphone in front of him.<br /> <br /> EXT. PORCH -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Dorothy finds Laurel on their small porch. There is only<br /> room for a miniature garden and one comfortable seat. Laurel<br /> sits in it.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> He's coming over.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> At eleven at night?<br /><br /><br /> 70.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> He just lost his best client. He<br /> called from the plane. I invited<br /> the guy over.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Dotty -- this is not "guy.". This<br /> is a "syndrome." It's called<br /> Early Midlife, About-To-Marry,<br /> Hanging Onto The-Bottom-Rung Dear-<br /> God-Don't-Let-Me-Be-Alone, I'll-<br /> Call-My-Newly Long-suffering-<br /> Assistant-Without Medical-For-<br /> Company Syndrome. And if, knowing<br /> all that, you still allow him to<br /> come over, more power to you.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Honey, he's engaged. And for the<br /> first time in my professional<br /> life, I'm a part of something I<br /> believe in.<br /> <br /> Dorothy exits. Laurel shakes her head, calls to next room.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Okay, but he better not be good<br /> looking!<br /> <br /> INT. RAY'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Dorothy puts Ray to bed.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> 'Night buddy. This is my favorite<br /> part of your head.<br /> <br /> She kisses the corner of his forehead, rising up into the<br /> mirror.<br /> <br /> She checks her look, in spite of herself. Visible on the wall<br /> above Ray's bed, is her ex-husband's photo. Music.<br /> <br /> INT. CAB -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry in back of a cab, wearing sunglasses, three drinks<br /> later, post-flight, rolling with anything.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Okay, turn here! Sharp right<br /> turn. 8831 3/4 Waterloo.<br /> <br /> The cab turns onto a very small street. Cars parked on both<br /> sides. Down the street, another pair of headlights.<br /><br /><br /> 71.<br /> <br /> <br /> Jerry's cab refuses to give in, in fact he floors it. Same<br /> with the oncoming car.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Yes, good, floor it, kill us!!<br /> <br /> EXT. DOROTHY'S FRONT PORCH -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Door opens to reveal Jerry Maguire with brown bag, shoulder<br /> hang-up bag, disheveled hair and sunglasses.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'm Jerry Maguire.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> (super pleasant)<br /> You seem just the way I pictured<br /> you. I'm her disapproving sister<br /> Laurel.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Honesty. Thank you.<br /> <br /> INT. LIVING ROOM<br /> <br /> Jerry enters, as Dorothy rounds the corner.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Hey you.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Hi.<br /> <br /> The lights are low and his glasses are very dark.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Thanks for inviting me over.<br /> Where's the little guy?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> He's asleep. Watch out for that<br /> lamp.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'm glad you're home. That<br /> "alone" thing is... not my<br /> specialty...<br /> <br /> He ducks the lamp, barely. Laurel exits through his shot,<br /> miming "drinking" behind his back. Jerry takes off his<br /> glasses, revealing a welt and a cut below his eye.<br /><br /><br /> 72.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Oh my God.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yeah. That too. I broke up with<br /> Avery.<br /> <br /> Dorothy's entire body chemistry changes in ways she doesn't<br /> quite understand.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Too bad.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Better now than later. We'll<br /> still be friends. I'm dying here.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Jesus, it's a real gash, isn't it?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> And just think if I got her the<br /> ring she really wanted.<br /> <br /> Dorothy laughs. He looks at her strangely. Suddenly she<br /> feels very nervous, as he sets down his bags.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Sorry. Uh, let me see, have a<br /> seat. I'll get you some aloe vera<br /> for that cut too.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Do you have something to drink?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Sure --<br /> <br /> She moves to the kitchen door. She is about to exit, when<br /> Jerry begins to unburden.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> My brother works for the White<br /> House. He pretends he's an<br /> intellectual. He pretends he's<br /> from the east coast.<br /> <br /> She turns, not quite sure what his point is. She waits<br /> politely for Jerry to finish before exiting into the kitchen.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I was supposed to be the<br /> successful one.<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 73.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY (cont'd)<br /> But I don't want to talk about it.<br /> And yet! My family. I grew up<br /> with repression as a... a<br /> religion --you don't bitch. No<br /> moaning! Head down. Do it,<br /> whatever "it" may be. My dad... he<br /> worked for the United Way for 38<br /> years! You know what he said when<br /> he retired? He said, "I wish I'd<br /> had a more comfortable chair." 38<br /> years he sat in it! Do you know<br /> what I'm saying, Dorothy?<br /> Repression as a religion. I'm<br /> almost as old as his chair.<br /> <br /> He rubs his face. She looks at him, and the situation<br /> slightly overwhems her. Here he is, wide-open, ripe for the<br /> taking.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Beer okay?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yeah, thanks.<br /> <br /> INT. KITCHEN<br /> <br /> Laurel smokes a cigarette and blows it out the window.<br /> Dorothy goes for the refrigerator, finds a couple beers.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> I heard.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> No kidding. I looked over and saw<br /> the shadow of two curious shoes in<br /> the doorway of the kitchen.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> This guy would go home with a<br /> gardening tool right now if it<br /> showed interest.<br /> (off Dorothy's look)<br /> Wait. Use the frosted glasses.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (surprised)<br /> Thank you.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Look, here's some of that chicken<br /> with salsa too, I warmed it up --<br /><br /><br /> 74.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> That's the girl I love.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> But you just gotta hear me out on<br /> one thing. You're very<br /> responsible with Ray and you know<br /> it's not right for a little boy to<br /> hear some strange man's voice in<br /> the house.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> As opposed to twenty angry women?<br /> <br /> Dorothy turns quickly and the beer, sisters and chicken<br /> collide in the small kitchen. Dorothy deftly catches the<br /> food in her t-shirt, and dumps it back onto the plate. But<br /> her shirt is now stained. She starts to quietly implode, and<br /> Laurel takes command. They know each other well.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Come on, let's get you another<br /> top --<br /> <br /> They exit to nearby laundry room.<br /> <br /> EXT. HOUSE/WINDOW OUTSIDE LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Now camera starts to move around the house, from this window<br /> showing the two sisters in the laundry room, to the living<br /> room where Jerry sits alone. We see Ray wander into the room<br /> and stare at Jerry.<br /> <br /> INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry, who is playing with a kaleidoscope on the table, looks<br /> up to see Ray.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Hi.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Hi Ray.<br /> <br /> INT. LAUNDRY ROOM -- SAME TIME<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> All I'm saying. You don't have<br /> the luxury of falling for some<br /> drowning man. Be practical. Now.<br /> Which top?<br /> <br /> She holds up two tops. One is sexier with a dipped down<br /> front. The other is striped, cute, functional.<br /><br /><br /> 75.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Okay, you want to talk about<br /> practical? Let's talk about my<br /> wonderful life. Do you know what<br /> most other women my age are doing<br /> right now? They are partying in<br /> clubs, trying to act stupid,<br /> trying to get a man, trying to<br /> keep a man... not me. I'm trying<br /> to RAISE a man.<br /> <br /> She grabs the sexier top, and puts it on.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I've got a 24 hour a day reminder<br /> of Roger, for the rest of my life.<br /> I have had three lovers in four<br /> years, all boring, all achingly<br /> self-sufficient all friends of<br /> yours I might add, and all of them<br /> running a distant second to a warm<br /> bath. Look at me, Laurel, look at<br /> me. I'm the oldest 26 year old in<br /> the world! How do I look?<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Good.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Thanks.<br /> <br /> INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry and Ray have a great conversation, playing tug with a<br /> piece of rope.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> And then my dad died and my mom<br /> took me to the zoo and I love the<br /> zoo. Do you hate the zoo or do you<br /> love the zoo?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Wait. I want to tell you more<br /> about my dad.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Let's go the zoo.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Okay. I've been hogging it.<br /> You're right.<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 76.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY (cont'd)<br /> All my life I've been trying to<br /> talk, really talk, and no one<br /> wants to listen. You know that<br /> feeling?<br /> <br /> Ray nods vigorously.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Let's go right now. Let's go to<br /> the zoo.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Aw, the fucking thing... I mean,<br /> the zoo is closed.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> You said "fuck".<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yeah I know. I did.<br /> <br /> Ray loves this guy. He pats Jerry's knee.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> I won't tell.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> We'll go to the zoo sometime.<br /> Okay? I think I might have some<br /> time on my hands.<br /> <br /> Ray looks at Jerry's hands.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> I don't see any.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (points respectfully)<br /> Funny.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Funny...<br /> (imitates him)<br /> (hears mom<br /> approaching)<br /> I better go to bed.<br /> <br /> Ray hugs Jerry and exits. Jerry sits contemplating the kid<br /> for a moment. The door swings open and a harried Dorothy<br /> appears in the sexier top, but with a distinctly less sexy<br /> attitude, and a tray.<br /><br /><br /> 77.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Drinks. Food. Plus, I called you<br /> a cab.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (slightly confused)<br /> Good idea. Thank you.<br /> <br /> And we should keep our voices down a little. I have a little<br /> boy asleep.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Right. Of course.<br /> <br /> Jerry tries to twist open the beer, ripping at his palm. It's<br /> not a twist-off. She hands him an opener. He opens it,<br /> inelegantly.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> So. Our company.<br /> <br /> She watches the drunken man, who drinks. Then coughs a<br /> little. Then stands.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Okay. Lil' speech before I go.<br /> <br /> He gets up, woozy, but loose. Powerfully:<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Do. Not. Worry. About. Your.<br /> Job.<br /> (beat)<br /> Our company is in good shape. You<br /> and your son... we... are just<br /> fine. You still have a job. I<br /> want you to feel confident! In.<br /> Me. And I have a problem with<br /> people who talk about themselves<br /> in the third person, but let me<br /> tell you something about Jerry<br /> Maguire.<br /> <br /> His confidence nicely fueled, Jerry reaches for a fireplace<br /> poker. He begins to joust with an imaginary opponent.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Come after me and you will lose I<br /> am a survivor! Do not<br /> underestimate Jerry Maguire! I've<br /> got wits!<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 78.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY (cont'd)<br /> I've got the instincts of a<br /> panther!<br /> (joust)<br /> I've got Dorothy Boyd on my side!<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Don't worry about me. I can get<br /> jobs --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> We will be fine!<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> -- especially one like this.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> And I am...<br /> <br /> He becomes very aware of himself. Acting out in a virtual<br /> stranger's small-but-comfortable living room.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I am drunk.<br /> <br /> He collapses onto the sofa, embarrassed. Shaking his head.<br /> Dorothy scoots closer in an adjacent chair. She breaks the<br /> personal barrier, carefully touching his wound with the wet<br /> tip of the aloe vera plant.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Truth?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Sure.<br /> <br /> Dorothy turns to see that Laurel's two shoes are still very<br /> visible at the kitchen door. Decides to ignore them. She<br /> gets closer.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Sure, I care about the job. Of<br /> course. But mostly...<br /> (very honest)<br /> ... I want to be inspired.<br /> <br /> There is something inspiring about the way she says the word<br /> "inspiring."<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Me too.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> What you wrote inspired me.<br /><br /><br /> 79.<br /> <br /> <br /> He is catching a scent of that most ancient elixer. A<br /> woman's affection. Their heads inch closer together.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I'm working with you because of<br /> that memo...<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Mission... statement...<br /> <br /> They kiss. It turns rather passionate. She places a cool<br /> hand on his cheek. He places a hand on her breast. The<br /> taxi beeps outside. She pulls away. Both regard the hand on<br /> her breast.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Well.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Sorry about this hand.<br /> (he rises unsteadily)<br /> You know that feeling -- you're<br /> not completely embarrassed yet,<br /> but you glimpe tomorrow's<br /> embarrassment?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Don't worry about it, boss.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Oh shit. You said "boss."<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Yeah, I did.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Now I feel like Clarence Thomas.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> No. No don't feel like Clarence<br /> Thomas.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No, I do. I feel like Clarence<br /> Thomas.<br /> (the worst day ever)<br /> I'm like... harrassing you...<br /> right now.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I may not sue.<br /> <br /> He laughs a little. Music. Unsure what more to say, Jerry<br /> rubs his face. And then:<br /><br /><br /> 80.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, good evening.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Good evening.<br /> <br /> He stands, returns the fireplace poker to her, and exits.<br /> Stumbling slightly on the first step leading down from the<br /> front porch, he recovers with style.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> We'll be okay. And I'm going to<br /> take my... one client and we're<br /> gonna go all the way.<br /> <br /> He takes a few more steps, re-balancing bags, coughs a<br /> little. He is a mess, and he knows it.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing; loving<br /> the dark humor)<br /> Hey. I'm back.<br /> <br /> She laughs, waves, and exits back into the kitchen. She<br /> regards the poker still in her hand. Laurel watches her<br /> conflicted, slightly lovesick sister.<br /> <br /> INT. CAB -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry in the back of the cab. He turns for a moment, looking<br /> back at the warm house he's just left. Something is<br /> scratching at his soul, trying to get in. Music continues. He<br /> was strangely comfortable there, as the house disappears from<br /> his view.<br /> <br /> FADE TO<br /> <br /> EXT. TEMPE PRACTICE AREA -- DAY<br /> <br /> Rod Tidwell races to catch up to a wobbly, overthrown pass.<br /> He snags it out of the air, and moves gracefully downfield.<br /> He turns back to shout at the quarterback for the wobbly<br /> pass, and slams into a padding post. Dennis Wilburn, the GM<br /> we met earlier, crosses in front of Maguire, giving him a<br /> look. Maguire forges ahead anyway.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> We gotta talk about his contract,<br /> Dennis.<br /> <br /> WILBURN<br /> Your timing is impeccable,<br /> Maguire. Gee, I can't imagine how<br /> you ever lost Cush...<br /><br /><br /> 81.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wilburn moves on, scoffing loudly.<br /> <br /> INT. LOCKER ROOM SHOWER AREA -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry stands in pre-season locker-room. Off-stage we hear<br /> a shower. In the b.g., one of those locker-room psych-up<br /> signs like: Injuries happen first in the mind.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I started talking with Dennis<br /> Wilburn about your renegotation.<br /> <br /> Rod emerges naked, dripping wet, pissed.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Did you tell him about the "ten<br /> million for four years?"<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Uh, not today, but --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> John Taylor. J.J. Stokes. Andre<br /> Rison. I SMOKE all these fools,<br /> and yet they're making the big<br /> sweet dollars. They're making the<br /> money, and I got an agent that<br /> ain't even put the number on the<br /> table.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I understand your anxiety.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Maybe you don't. Because it's not<br /> just the money I deserve. It's<br /> not just the "coin." It's the...<br /> <br /> He says this next word royally, as if it's fine silk.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (continuing)<br /> -- the kwan.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> That's your word?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Yeah, man, it means love, respect,<br /> community... and the dollars too.<br /> The package. The kwan.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (impressed)<br /> But how did you get "kwan?"<br /><br /><br /> 82.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (irritated)<br /> I got there from "coin," dude.<br /> Coin, coin... kwaaaan.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Great word. Towel?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> No, I air-dry.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Rod, I say this with great<br /> respect, but those players you<br /> mentioned are marquee players<br /> and --<br /> <br /> A portable phone beeps.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Is that your porty or mine?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You.<br /> <br /> Tidwell rummages in his bag. Finds one of two porties and<br /> answers the one with a Polaroid of Marcee taped to it.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Hi baby. Yeah, I'm just breakin'<br /> in the new agent. He says I'm not<br /> marquee. I know... I know...<br /> <br /> Tidwell holds up the phone so Jerry can hear the sound of<br /> Marcee going off.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (continuing)<br /> My wife is upset with you.<br /> <br /> INT. LOCKER ROOM MIRROR -- DAY<br /> <br /> The conversation continues as Tidwell fixes hair in the<br /> mirror. Jerry speaks to the reflection, taking him on,<br /> gesturing passionately. Tidwell, still naked, may or may not<br /> be listening.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Here's what I'm saying. This is<br /> a renegotiation. We want more<br /> from them, so let's show them more<br /> from us. Let's show them your pure<br /> joy of the game, let's bury the<br /> Attitude a little, let's show<br /> them --<br /><br /><br /> 83.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (irritated)<br /> You're telling me to dance.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No, I'm saying to be --<br /> <br /> He mimes a dainty little showboat-touchdown dance.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (little voice)<br /> "Love me love me love me... put me<br /> on t.v."<br /> (pissed)<br /> That's the iconography of rascism,<br /> man!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Rod, I'm not a rascist. I'm<br /> telling you to be the best version<br /> of you, to get back to the guy who<br /> first started playing this game.<br /> Way back when you were a kid. It<br /> wasn't just about the money, was<br /> it?<br /> <br /> Tidwell gives him a look. Money was always a factor.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Do your job, man, don't tell me to<br /> dance.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Fine.<br /> <br /> He begins gathering his things.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I'm an athlete, not an<br /> entertainer. These are the ABC's<br /> of ME. Get it? I don't dance.<br /> <br /> Jerry rubs face.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (continuing)<br /> What's wrong.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Forget it. Forget it.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> No tell me.<br /><br /><br /> 84.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'm out here for you! You don't<br /> know what it's like to be me out<br /> here for you. It is an up-at-dawn<br /> pride-swallowing seige that I will<br /> never fully tell you about! Okay?!<br /> Help me help you help me help you.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> You're hanging by a very thin<br /> thread, dude. And I dig that<br /> about you.<br /> <br /> Jerry has had enough for one day.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (loopy, punch-drunk,<br /> arms flailing)<br /> Hey. I'm happy to entertain you!<br /> I'll see you in L.A.!<br /> <br /> Tidwell watches his agent lurch off, muttering and swaying.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> See, man, that's the difference.<br /> between us. You think we're<br /> fighting, I think we're finally<br /> talking!<br /> <br /> INT. LAX AIRPORT -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry moves slowly through crowded airport, preoccupied with<br /> thought.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S HOME OFFICE -- LATER DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry enters, carrying bags, weary. Dorothy greets him. They<br /> are stuck in his small condo, and the scent of their previous<br /> encounter is still in the air. She hands him a list of his<br /> calls.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Dennis Wilburn called from Arizona<br /> to say he's faxing in the new<br /> Tidwell offer on Thursday morning,<br /> and you'll be happy.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (jolted into<br /> happiness)<br /> Happy. He said "happy?"<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Actually he said "glad."<br /><br /><br /> 85.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Good. Good. Glad is good.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Plus, you could use that<br /> commission.<br /> <br /> She hands him a financial report she's done. He takes a<br /> quick look, seeing the thorough work she's already done.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I sunk most of what I had into<br /> this condo, which devalued, and --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> You don't have to explain.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Look, the other night, I want to<br /> apologize.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (can't read her)<br /> Yeah, what happened there.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> We're two people working together<br /> and we can't have an atmosphere.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I'm relieved you said that.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I mean, the other night was... I<br /> felt like you understood something<br /> I could barely even say, something<br /> way down deep in the murk --<br /> (beat)<br /> -- but we have a company here to<br /> think about. I won't ever take<br /> advantage of you in that way again.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (evenly)<br /> Oh good.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You walked out on a job for me,<br /> and I won't ruin that.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Exactly because I know this is a<br /> time when you need to be alone<br /> with your thoughts.<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 86.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY (cont'd)<br /> Think about everything that's gone<br /> wrong, how to fix them, and just<br /> be... alone, alone, alone.<br /> <br /> Dorothy in the background of the shot, watching his reaction.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You want to go out to dinner?<br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY'S LIVING ROOM -- DAY<br /> <br /> Dorothy looks for a jacket as Laurel helms the Divorced<br /> Women's group in the living room. Jan speaks through her<br /> whistly braces, gesturing with a too-full glass of red wine.<br /> <br /> JAN<br /> I broke up with the Cowboy. And<br /> now he's stalking me...<br /> <br /> ALICE<br /> What's the current definition of<br /> stalking?<br /> <br /> WOMAN # 1<br /> Coming over uninvited.<br /> <br /> JAN<br /> (thoughtful)<br /> So Romeo under the trellis... was<br /> a stalker.<br /> <br /> Meaningful sounds of revelation, as Dorothy finds the jacket.<br /> <br /> INT. HALLWAY -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Dorothy stops in the hallway to see that Jerry Maguire has<br /> arrived at the back-kitchen door. She watches unseen as<br /> Maguire shakes hands with Chad the Nanny and is hit suddenly<br /> by a flying hug from Ray. He gives the kid an athletic bag,<br /> which is filled with state-of-the-art promotional athletic<br /> wear, etc. ("Brought you some swag.") Ray continues hugging<br /> Jerry.<br /> <br /> INT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry is a little embarrassed by the affections of the kid.<br /> Dorothy enters. Expertly breezy.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Hey, looks like you've got a fan.<br /><br /><br /> 87.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (outdressed)<br /> Wow. That's more than a dress.<br /> That's an Audrey Hepburn movie.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Yeah -- guess I got revved up at<br /> the idea of an evening among<br /> adults -- no offense buster.<br /> (then)<br /> You meet Chad the nanny?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yeah, I did -- am I dressed okay?<br /> I guess I didn't realize we were...<br /> <br /> He doesn't finish the words "going out on a date." The<br /> cacaphony of the Boyd home swirls around Maguire. It's a new<br /> sensation for this bachelor.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Don't let him stay up too late.<br /> <br /> CHAD<br /> (grandly)<br /> Hey, man, tonight I'm going to<br /> teach Ray about jazz.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Good, that'll put him to sleep<br /> early. No offense.<br /> <br /> She twirls toward the door, grabbing her purse.<br /> <br /> CHAD<br /> You know, you people have a jazz<br /> problem in this house.<br /> <br /> Laurel enters, adding to the chaos, adlibbing hellos.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> I wanna go too.<br /> <br /> Laurel gives Ray a look. Ray backs down, as Jerry hears<br /> snatches of the Women's group going full blast in the living<br /> room.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> We'll see you soon, honey. Bye.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Bye you guys.<br /><br /><br /> 88.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ray extends his arms, he wants a hug. Jerry bends down<br /> awkwardly to give him one, and Ray plants a kiss on Jerry's<br /> cheek. All are surprised, especially Jerry. Dorothy is<br /> struck and moved. Shot falls on Ray who watches Jerry exit<br /> with wonder. Even at his age, he knows a prize when he sees<br /> one.<br /> <br /> INT. KITCHEN-- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Laurel looks out the window, watches her sister exiting. She<br /> is equal parts jealous and protective. She spots keys on<br /> counter. She grabs them and runs out to catch her sister on<br /> the lawn. "All Shook Down." Replacements.<br /> <br /> EXT. DOROTHY'S HOUSE -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry and Dorothy exit through the many cars which we now see<br /> are parked on the street and the front lawn. The sound of<br /> the Women's group is heard in the warmly glowing house behind<br /> them.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Hey!<br /> <br /> As Jerry moves ahead to the car, Dorothy retreats so she can<br /> have privacy with her sister.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> (continuing)<br /> Forgot your keys --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (privately)<br /> That's the first time I ever saw<br /> him kiss a man, like a dad, wasn't<br /> that just... thrilling?<br /> (eyes tear up)<br /> I mean, he must have been needing<br /> that.<br /> <br /> Women's group laughter in the distance as Laurel attempts to<br /> glue her emotional sister back together. She holds her arm.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> No no. Don't cry at the beginning<br /> of the date.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (laughing, wiping<br /> tear)<br /> Oh, knock it off!<br /><br /><br /> 89.<br /> <br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> (can't help it)<br /> And don't be a shoulder for him to<br /> cry on either.<br /> <br /> We stay with Laurel as she watches her sister exit. Music<br /> continues. Lit by streetlight, Dorothy runs like a young<br /> girl, across the lawns of this car-filled neighborhood,<br /> slapping away the leaves of a tree, running to Jerry down the<br /> street.<br /> <br /> INT. ANTONIO'S RESTAURANT -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry and Dorothy sit at the table of this Mexican<br /> restaurant. In the background, Mariachis play.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> It was laziness1 my whole breakup<br /> with Avery. You know that thing<br /> you say, "it's nobody's fault."<br /> It's one of the great lies, right?<br /> Someone is always to blame -- if<br /> you go for it, go for it like you<br /> do a job, work at it --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Maybe love shouldn't be such hard<br /> work. I know, but --<br /> <br /> Mariachis approach the table.<br /> <br /> HEAD MARIACHI<br /> A song for the lovers?<br /> <br /> JERRY/DOROTHY<br /> (too quickly)<br /> No. No thanks.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> We work together.<br /> <br /> Jerry slips the guy a few bucks to go away. They do so,<br /> reluctantly.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> See, you choose. If you fall for<br /> someone, if you make a commitment,<br /> you should make it work. It's<br /> only when "options" entered the<br /> picture that things got bad. I'm<br /> speaking historically now. It's<br /> a modern day concept,<br /> nueroticism -- how do I feeeeeel?<br /> -- I think the only good thing to<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 90.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY (cont'd)<br /> come from this period in history<br /> is probably the movie "Annie Hall."<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (evenly)<br /> Maybe you should call her.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No no no. I just underestimated<br /> her...<br /> (touches wound)<br /> her temper, I guess. Why are we<br /> even talking about this?<br /> <br /> A FLOWER GIRL approaches the table with an armful of roses.<br /> <br /> FLOWER GIRL<br /> A rose for the lady.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You want a --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> ( (scoffs)<br /> No. No way.<br /> <br /> Jerry gives her few bucks, she exits.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Yeah. It wasn't like my marriage<br /> to Roger was so great, even<br /> before --<br /> (stops herself)<br /> Jerry?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (simply)<br /> Let's not tell our sad stories.<br /> <br /> Jerry laughs to himself. He admires her directness.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I'll be right back. Quit thinking<br /> those murky thoughts, okay? We're<br /> young, we're semi-successful. Life<br /> is good.<br /> <br /> She exits and we hang on him for a moment.<br /><br /><br /> 91.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. BATHROOM -- NIGHT -- MINUTES LATER<br /> <br /> Dorothy on the phone outside the bathroom.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> No, now... come on... let Chad<br /> catch the bee in a glass. He<br /> won't hurt it. Aw, buddy, you got<br /> such a good heart. I love you,<br /> I'll be home soon. Can't wait to<br /> see you.<br /> <br /> EXT. BATHROOM<br /> <br /> Sbe exits the bathroom and stops at the sight of what is<br /> happening at the table. Jerry, hand on face, is<br /> embarrassingly being serenaded by the Mariachis, who now play<br /> a mournful "Tears in Heaven." She smiles at the image, in<br /> fact the poetry charms her. Dorothy moves forward, grinning,<br /> fishes some bucks out of her pocket, and sends the Mariachis<br /> in another direction.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Come on, let's take a walk.<br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY'S PORCH -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Music feathers into sounds of night. A bug buzzing from the<br /> nearby light, Jerry swats it away.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well -- this would be goodnight.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Good night.<br /> <br /> They don't kiss. They take great care not to touch too much.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'll see you tomorrow.<br /> <br /> They don't move. On impulse, she grabs him and pulls him<br /> close. Kisses him. It's a good one.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Good night.<br /> <br /> But they don't move. He pulls her closer by her straps.<br /> They break. She holds them up, nervous now. His lips travel<br /> down. He kisses her upper chest. She sighs deeply, she's<br /> missed this feeling. Jerry rises to kiss her lips again,<br /> tying her straps back on. Her expression says there is a<br /> decision to make. She concentrates on the styrofoam container<br /> she's brought back from the restaurant.<br /><br /><br /> 92.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing; breath)<br /> I think you should not come in, or<br /> come in depending on how you feel.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Same to you.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> No. I have to go in. I live here.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Right. I'll come in.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Okay. Wait here a second.<br /> (beat, then)<br /> Do we really want to do this?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (half-unsure)<br /> Oh hell yes.<br /> <br /> She exits, as shot lingers on Jerry. That odd moment when<br /> you've crossed the line. He takes a breath.<br /> <br /> INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Dorothy enters to find Chad watching t.v. The house is now<br /> quiet, the remains of the Divorced Women's group is still in<br /> evidence.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> He's asleep, right?<br /> <br /> CHAD<br /> Yeah, how'd it go with Sportboy?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Still going.<br /> <br /> Chad raises his eyebrows.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Shhh.<br /> <br /> EXT. PORCH -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry on the porch, as Chad exits. Chad now fully plays the<br /> part of friend with seniority. Looks the taller Jerry up and<br /> down.<br /> <br /> CHAD<br /> Treat her right, man. She's...<br /><br /><br /> 93.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (self-conscious)<br /> Yeah... well...<br /> <br /> CHAD<br /> She's great. And I know this is<br /> a little awkward, but I want you<br /> to use this.<br /> <br /> Chad ruumages in bag for a moment. Jerry is somewhat<br /> horrified at what Chad might be giving him. Out comes a<br /> cassette tape.<br /> <br /> CHAD<br /> (continuing; intense)<br /> This... is Miles Davis and John<br /> Coltrane. Stockholm. 1963... two<br /> masters of freedom, playing in a<br /> time before their art was<br /> corrupted by a zillion cocktail<br /> lounge performers who destroyed<br /> the legacy of the only American<br /> artform -- JAZZ.<br /> <br /> Jerry takes the tape, as the front door squeaks open.<br /> Dorothy shoos Chad away, quietly leads Jerry inside.<br /> <br /> INT. BEDROOM-- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Fierce, driving jazz. Dorothy and Jerry making out on bed.<br /> Getting hotter. The music gets wilder. Finally it is<br /> impossible to ignore, and Jerry collapses backwards on the<br /> bed laughing. She is left frozen, her arms open but he is<br /> gone.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> What is this MUSIC?<br /> <br /> They both crack up, and she kisses him as the music plays. He<br /> looks at her. She turns away, then back again, he's still<br /> looking at her. It's a powerful moment for her. Laughter<br /> continues, the music is ridiculous. (Their sex is a big<br /> difference from the let's-be-intense sex with Avery.)<br /> <br /> INT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT -- SAME TIME<br /> <br /> Laurel just home from work in nurse uniform, has a late-night<br /> joint and carefully blows the smoke out the window. Laughter<br /> from the next room. She pops open the styrofoam appetizers<br /> her sister brought back from dinner.<br /> <br /> DISSOLVE TO:<br /><br /><br /> 94.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY'S BEDROOM -- MORNING<br /> <br /> Radio clicks on. It's still dark. Only the glow of the<br /> digital lamp. Jerry alone in bed. He gets up, coughs, pulls<br /> on some pants. Manuevers through a strange bedroom, steps on<br /> toys.<br /> <br /> INT. KITCHEN -- MORNING<br /> <br /> Dorothy and Laurel in the kitchen, waiting far the first<br /> possible drops of coffee.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I'm getting him up, don't worry.'<br /> Ray will never see his mother's<br /> raging physical needs.<br /> <br /> She starts to exit, but Laurel pulls her back far a second.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> First you gotta tell me something.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> No--<br /> <br /> INT. HALLWAY -- MORNING<br /> <br /> Jerry moving dawn the hallway, hears voices.<br /> <br /> INT. KITCHEN -- MORNING<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Because I'm worried that you're<br /> putting your faith in this guy<br /> who, because of the way things are<br /> going, may not have an emotional<br /> marble in his head.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Please, if I start talking --<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Guys are just different people<br /> when they're hanging onto the<br /> bottom rung.<br /> <br /> ON JERRY<br /> <br /> listening. Pinned to the wall, listening to the kind of<br /> honesty an agent rarely hears.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> ... so what am I, for taking the<br /> opportunity, Laurel?<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 95.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY (cont'd)<br /> Maybe I am taking advantage. Am<br /> I a bad person? All I know is that<br /> I found someone who was charming<br /> and popular and not-so-nice to<br /> me -- and he died. Okay? So why<br /> should I let this guy go, when<br /> everything in my body says This<br /> One is The One.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> Easy, hon, I was just looking for<br /> fun details --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Oh, well, why didn't you say so?<br /> And oh, I don't know if you're<br /> interested in this detail, but I<br /> was just about to tell you that I<br /> love him. I love him, and I don't<br /> care what you think. I love him<br /> for the guy he wants to be, and I<br /> love him for the guy he almost is.<br /> I love him.<br /> <br /> They look at each other. The cat is way, way out of the bag.<br /> <br /> ON JERRY<br /> <br /> rubbing his face.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Hi Jerry!<br /> <br /> Dorothy leans into the hallway now, sees Jerry standing<br /> there, well within earshot. As Ray pounds down the hallway<br /> in his new over-sized shirt, brought by Jerry, Dorothy begins<br /> to crumble. The lack of control in her life is overwhelming<br /> her.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Oh God.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Easy, easy --<br /> <br /> Jerry enters the kitchen, stands near Laurel.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I could pretend I didn't hear, but<br /> I won't, I heard everything.<br /> (to Laurel)<br /> Thank you for your honesty, as<br /> always.<br /><br /><br /> 96.<br /> <br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> (frozen polite)<br /> Coffee, Jerry?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Oh, no thanks. We bottom-feeders<br /> prefer cereal first --<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Let's have Apple Jacks!<br /> <br /> Apple Jacks it is. Dorothy, good morning, darling. He kisses<br /> her on the cheek, in full view of Ray. Dorothy, still<br /> embarrassed, not sure what is going on, reaches for cereal.<br /> Jerry sits down for breakfast. They are an odd, but fairly<br /> complete-looking family.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> (continuing)<br /> What's going on, Jerry?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> A lot. We got a big fax today...<br /> we need this commission, buddy.<br /> <br /> The sisters look at each other. Ray looks around, he feels<br /> happy, but there is something else in the room. He shrugs<br /> and continues to feel happy.<br /> <br /> INT. JERRY'S HOME OFFICE -- LATER DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry and Dorothy prepare for the Tidwells, cleaning up the<br /> cramped office, unstacking chairs and making room.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> That was great of you this morning.<br /> <br /> The Tidwells honk, arriving in the driveway.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (friendly, dismissive)<br /> Look, let's just root for a big<br /> offer so we can move out of this<br /> room to a real office.<br /> <br /> She feels slightly slapped down, but covers. She opens a<br /> window quickly, and busies herself with the clutter at hand.<br /> <br /> ON FAX<br /> <br /> Connecting.<br /><br /><br /> 97.<br /> <br /> <br /> FOUR FACES<br /> <br /> waiting for the results. Everybody has a stake in this fax.<br /> Lives are very clearly hanging on this results. Marcee shuts<br /> her eyes.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Read it to me, and don't say<br /> anything unless it's over nine.<br /> <br /> There is a stunning disappointment on the fax. Jerry's heart<br /> sinks. His face slackens.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Aw shit --<br /> <br /> Rod turns away. Dorothy shuts her eyes, as Marcee opens hers.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> One-point-seven for three years.<br /> That's below average. We owe more<br /> than that...<br /> <br /> It is so very painful for her, as Tidwell slinks off to sit<br /> in a seat too small for him.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'll go back to them.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> (explodes)<br /> And say what? "Please remove your<br /> dick from my ass?!"<br /> <br /> Both men look at her. The outburst has surprised even Marcee.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> (continuing)<br /> I'm sorry. I'm a little pregnant<br /> right now.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I feel like crying. I feel like<br /> breaking the room up.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Okay, we don't take this<br /> emotionally. We roll with this<br /> problem.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> What are you talking about --<br /> "don't get emotional." If you ask<br /> me, you haven't gotten emotional<br /> ENOUGH about this man.<br /><br /><br /> 98.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Marcee --<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> What DO you stand for???<br /> <br /> Dorothy looks right and left, can't hold back.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> How about a little piece of<br /> integrity in this world that is so<br /> filled with greed and a lack of<br /> honorability that I don't know<br /> what to tell my kid except take a<br /> look at a guy who isn't shouting<br /> "show me the money," he's quietly<br /> broke and working for you for free!<br /> (off Jerry's pained<br /> look)<br /> Well, I'm sorry, I'm not as good<br /> at the insults as she is.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> No, that was pretty good.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (impressed)<br /> No shit.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> In fact, you should read something<br /> that meant the world to me...<br /> <br /> She opens a drawer, and withdraws the Mission Statement. She<br /> is headed across the room to give it to Marcee, when Jerry<br /> swiftly intercepts it.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Another time, okay Dorothy?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Fine, I just --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> And I appreciate that impulse.<br /> <br /> Jerry throws the Mission Statement into a bottom drawer.<br /> Camera moves to Tidwell, and we see him for the first time<br /> without his protective shield of attitude. Scared.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Tell me what to do, Jerry. You<br /> tell me to eat lima beans, I'll<br /> eat lima beans.<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 99.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL (cont'd)<br /> If you say take the shitty deal,<br /> that's all we can get --<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> "All we can get?"<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Can I SPEAK with my agent here?<br /> <br /> Marcee is passionate. Focused on Rod.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> You know what you're qonna do,<br /> Rodney. You're gonna reject this<br /> shitty contract. You're gonna play<br /> out your existihg shitty contract<br /> and go be a free agent next year<br /> and the hell with Arizona. This is<br /> us, and we determine our worth.<br /> You're a fine, proud, surviving,<br /> splendid black man.<br /> <br /> Beat. Truer words... The big man looks into his wife's eyes.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Honey, you are just --<br /> <br /> No one else in the world exists. They are focused totally on<br /> each other. Jerry and Dorothy in the background, just<br /> watching the intricate machinery of this marriage.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (continuing)<br /> -- the shit.<br /> <br /> She caresses the back of his neck. He pulls her to him. He<br /> gives her a small kiss. Dorothy and Jerry look at the<br /> couple, fascinated and somewhat uncomfortable. There is a<br /> palpable forcefield around the Tidwells. They are a couple<br /> in every passionate sense of the word. After a beat:<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> If you get injured, you get<br /> nothing.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Won't happen. I'm strong in my<br /> mind.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> It's a risk.<br /> <br /> Jerry looks over to Dorothy, who grits her teeth at the<br /> implications of the decision.<br /><br /><br /> 100.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Bet on me, dude. Bet on me like<br /> I bet on you.<br /> <br /> Tidwell puts his hand out. Maguire is conflicted, but he<br /> takes a breath and shakes.<br /> <br /> EXT. JERRY'S HOME OFFICE -- LATE AFTERNOON<br /> <br /> Tidwell and Marcee exit. Dorothy and Jerry on the lawn.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'll get you some quick work --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Good deal, man.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> I'm sorry what I said back there.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Don't be silly.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> My husband believes in you. We're<br /> gonna make it. Bye bye Dorothy.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Take care you guys.<br /> <br /> Tidwells exit. Finally, Dorothy and Jerry are alone. The<br /> Tidwell situation has left an ominious feeling in the air.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Look... I was up for a job in San<br /> Diego before I left SMI. It's with<br /> the Chargers.<br /> <br /> AIRPLANE WHEELS<br /> <br /> touching down.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Don't even talk about that yet.<br /> I'll find something fast for<br /> Tidwell. We'll stay afloat.<br /> <br /> EXT. COMMERCIAL SET/TAYLOR CHEVROLET/ARIZONA -- DAY<br /> <br /> Tidwell stands on the set of a regional Arizona car<br /> commercial. It is a hot day. Three other bored, large<br /> Arizona athletes wait by a coffee machine, as Jerry's friend,<br /> director Bill Dooler appears ready to implode. Dooler is<br /> arguing with Tidwell.<br /><br /><br /> 101.<br /> <br /> <br /> Maguire stands slightly away, acting as referee. Nearby, a<br /> camel.<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> Look, Rod, just get on the camel!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Bill, Rod, wait --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Dude, know your art form. If you<br /> put the camera down here, looking<br /> up, I look more powerful. There's<br /> no need for a camel... you got ME.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Rod, get on the camel.<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> (shoots look to Jerry)<br /> The sponsor wants a camel --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Jerry, back me up. It's either<br /> the camel or me...<br /> <br /> Tidwell waves his arms, spooking the camel, who spits and<br /> stormps. Several crew members scatter in various directions.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (takes the bullet)<br /> Airight. Enough. I'm pulling him<br /> out of this. This isn't what I<br /> had in mind anyway.<br /> <br /> DOOLER<br /> Then you shouldn't have begged me<br /> to hire him.<br /> <br /> EXT. SET -- LATER<br /> <br /> Jerry and Tidwell walk quickly from the set. In the<br /> background, another athlete rides the camel.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> There you go, dude. You're<br /> learning how to represent me. We<br /> ain't gonna bring Nike to their<br /> knees with some regional camel<br /> ad --<br /> <br /> Jerry rubs his face.<br /><br /><br /> 102.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Can I ask you a question totally<br /> unrelated to your career?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Oh, we gonna be friends now?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What do you know about dating a<br /> single mother?<br /> <br /> Tidwell warms to the personal question.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Oh I know plenty. I was raised by<br /> a single mother.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Tell me, because it's been a<br /> month, and she's about to take<br /> another job in San Diego.<br /> <br /> Tidwell is always happy to hold forth.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> First, single mothers don't<br /> "date." They have been to the<br /> circus, you know what I'm saying?<br /> They have been to the puppet show<br /> and they have seen the strings.<br /> You love her?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> How do I know?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> You know when you know. It makes<br /> you shivver, it eats at your<br /> insides. You know?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No, I don't know.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Then you gotta have The Talk.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> But I sure don't like that she's<br /> leaving.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Well, that ain't fair to her. A<br /> single mother, that's a sacred<br /> thing, man.<br /><br /><br /> 103.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> The kid is amazing.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (shaking head)<br /> No. A real man does not shoplift<br /> the "pooty" from a single mom.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I didn't "shoplift the pooty." We<br /> were thrown together and -- I mean<br /> it's two mutual people who --<br /> (a look)<br /> Alright, I shoplifted the pooty.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Shame on you. SHAME on you.<br /> <br /> INT. ZOO -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry, Dorothy and Ray at the zoo. Ray straining at Jerry's<br /> arm. Life-changing decisions in the air.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> They offered me everything I asked<br /> for, it's only 2 hours away. I<br /> think it's good for us.<br /> <br /> Jerry feels tugged in many directions, and not just by Ray.<br /> They approach the reptile house.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Show me the animal, Jerry!<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Right up ahead, buddy --<br /> <br /> They approach the Reptile House, where a small crowd is<br /> gathered.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> -- I give you my favorite animal<br /> in the zoo. Are you ready for the<br /> weirdness, the strange perfection<br /> and truth of...<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> I'm scared. What is it?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> It's in a cage. Do not be scared<br /> of...<br /> <br /> A few people peel away, revealing...<br /><br /><br /> 104.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> The Two-Headed Corn Snake.<br /> <br /> THE TWO-HEADED CORN SNAKE<br /> <br /> A friendly but confused looking reptile. The snake has two<br /> heads, both identical, both twisting and battling each other<br /> for direction. Aw-ed chatter around the animal ranges from<br /> "weird" and "wow" to "mira mira! Dos cabezas!" Few can turn<br /> away.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Whoa.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (quietly)<br /> Two heads. My God...<br /> <br /> Jerry is happy to play tour-guide.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Both heads have brains. Both<br /> heads eat, both heads battle for<br /> direction all day long.<br /> (meaningful)<br /> Man, can I relate.<br /> <br /> The odd animal moves forward, fighting itself constantly.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Me too.<br /> <br /> Dorothy just looks at the two men in her life. She turns to<br /> Anonymous Man standing nearby, staring at the animal.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Is this a guy thing?<br /> <br /> ANONYMOUS MAN<br /> It is, and it isn't.<br /> <br /> ON THE TWO-HEADED CORN SNAKE<br /> <br /> strangely endearing, jittering and moving around the cage.<br /> <br /> EXT. DOROTHY'S FRONT YARD -- DAY<br /> <br /> A U-Haul is parked in the driveway. Inside the cab, a very<br /> sad Ray. Jerry approaches carefully. Ray does not look at<br /> him. He opens the door, scoots the kid over, and sits next<br /> to him.<br /><br /><br /> 105.<br /> <br /> <br /> EXT. DOROTHY'S LIVING ROOM -- DAY<br /> <br /> Laurel and Dorothy say goodbye.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> You're doing the right thing. I<br /> mean, come on. You need to start<br /> your life and he... he needs a<br /> warm body to cushion the fall.<br /> Check out exhibit A on the front<br /> lawn --<br /> <br /> POV -- THE SISTERS<br /> <br /> We see Jerry, following Chad back to the house, saying<br /> goodbye too many times. He's anxious not to be left alone.<br /> Finally Chad grabs him by the shoulders, says goodbye, as a<br /> sad Ray trudges to the cab of the U-Haul. Jerry now follows<br /> Ray to the car.<br /> <br /> EXT. DOROTHY'S PLACE -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry scoots a very sad Ray over, and talks to him in the car.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'm not good at this.<br /> <br /> Ray begins to cry. Jerry is incapable of dealing with it.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I'll see you this weekend, okay?<br /> Promise.<br /> <br /> Ray wails. Jerry squeezes his shoulder, it does nothing, so<br /> he exits. He rises and faces Dorothy, keys in hand.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Sure you're okay to drive this?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> This rig? Phht. No problem.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> So I'll see you this weekend.<br /> <br /> She accepts it casually, with a shrug.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Airight, so goodbye and --<br /> (simple, with shrug)<br /> I love you.<br /> <br /> Jerry blinks.<br /><br /><br /> 106.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (too quick, weirdly)<br /> ... I love you too, you know.<br /> <br /> She reacts with an odd look. The words don't sound right,<br /> and he knows that she knows.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> What --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Look, just in case this weekend<br /> becomes next month and next month<br /> becomes... whatever...<br /> (beat)<br /> Don't make a joke of your life.<br /> Go back and read what you wrote.<br /> You're better than the rest of<br /> them, better than the Bob Sugars,<br /> and don't forget it.<br /> <br /> He shudders a little with the intimacy of her words. She<br /> kisses him, and moves quickly toward the car, leaving him<br /> alone in frame. He grows increasingly uncomfortable. He<br /> watches her leave.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Wait a second.<br /> <br /> ON DOROTHY<br /> <br /> moving to her car. She hears him. It's not loud enough for<br /> her.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> WAIT A SECOND!<br /> <br /> She stops, smiling very slightly to herself , biting her lip.<br /> She turns and he is now close to her.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I know a way to s... to save on<br /> Medical and rent and... look...<br /> <br /> He grips one hand with the other. Dorothy looks at his<br /> strange behavior. He looks over to the cab, where Ray is<br /> making a sad face at him through the window.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> ... what if we stayed together?<br /> What if we uh... got married.<br /><br /><br /> 107.<br /> <br /> <br /> She looks at him. It's an odd proposal.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> If I said that, would you stay?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> No no. Don't do that. Don't say<br /> that if you don't...<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Will you marry me?<br /> <br /> She looks at him, full of love, dabbing at her mascara.<br /> <br /> EXT. DOROTHY'S BACKYARD -- DAY<br /> <br /> Rod Tidwell sings Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" at the<br /> wedding for assorted guests gathered here in the backyard.<br /> Contrary to his own belief, Rod is not a gifted singer. In<br /> the wedding band, standing on a small stage in the corner,<br /> are Chad and Dooler.<br /> <br /> ON JERRY<br /> <br /> who stands watching, smile pasted on, with stoic FATHER and<br /> well-dressed BROTHER.<br /> <br /> BROTHER<br /> Where are all your friends?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (looking around)<br /> In the band.<br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY'S LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> We are close on Ray now as we hear the sound of a Reverend<br /> reading wedding vows. Ray holds the ring, and waits for his<br /> cue to offer it. But he has forgotten the cue. And every<br /> time the Reverend pauses, he starts to offer the ring.<br /> <br /> Dorothy's leg and hand are visible in frame. She calms him<br /> with a hand on the shoulder. And finally the cue comes and<br /> he offers the ring.<br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY'S HALLWAY/KITCHEN -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> The bride and groom catch each other, post-wedding, in the<br /> hallway of the small home where the event has taken place.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Wow. We actually --<br /><br /><br /> 108.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Yeah, we did.<br /> <br /> Giddy, Dorothy heads into the living room where Friends and<br /> relatives watch the video of the wedding. And now the<br /> enormity is evident on Jerry's face. Warm laughter in the<br /> b.g. More laughter and family noise in the background now.<br /> He holds onto a table for a moment, steadies himself. Jerry<br /> takes a breath and moves into the kitchen. Finds a beer. He<br /> turns and finds himself alone with Laurel, for the first<br /> time. She raises her beer. They toast, warily.<br /> <br /> LAUREL<br /> If you fuck this up, I'll kill you.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (as she exits)<br /> Glad we had this talk!<br /> <br /> Nearby, Tidwell watches all. He moves to Jerry.<br /> Confidentially:<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> You never had The Talk, did you?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Well, this was another way to go.<br /> <br /> Jerry smiles. Dorothy brings Jerry a Poloraid someone took,<br /> and for a moment the couple stands awkwardly together.<br /> Tidwell rubs Jerry's shoulders a little, announcing to the<br /> room:<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (continuing)<br /> This is my agent, man! And we're<br /> all gonna have a great season!<br /> <br /> He pounds Jerry on the back, hard, shaking him like a pinata.<br /> <br /> FADE TO<br /> <br /> EXT. PHILADELPHIA PLAYING FIELD -- DAY<br /> <br /> Tidwell catches the ball, takes a vicious hit. The season is<br /> on.<br /> <br /> INT. PHILADELPHIA PRESS BOX -- DAY<br /> <br /> Across the room, he sees GM Dennis Wilburn standing with<br /> Avery.<br /><br /><br /> 109.<br /> <br /> <br /> He turns away, passing a monitor where elsewhere in the<br /> country, Frank Cushman is having another sensational Sunday.<br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL LIVING ROOM/PHOENIX -- DAY<br /> <br /> This is the Tidwell family ritual of watching Rod's games on<br /> the big-screen home t.v. At the center is Marcee Tidwell.<br /> Everything flows from her. Next to her is Tyson, and then<br /> the cousins, the neighborhood friends. At this particular<br /> moment, they are all screaming for Rod, who is taking a<br /> beating, but is having a hell of a game. In front of the<br /> t.v., Tyson does the "Daddy Dance," a dance of pure joy.<br /> <br /> TYSON<br /> (proudly, to family)<br /> That's my motherfucker!<br /> <br /> Marcee reaches out and collars her dancing son.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Why don't you be the first man in<br /> your family not to say that word?<br /> And then we'll let you live.<br /> <br /> Tyson nods, wide-eyed.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> (continuing)<br /> Now go kiss your daddy, quick.<br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> (cooly)<br /> That's why they cheer, you know.<br /> The white man sending the black<br /> man into battle...<br /> <br /> Marcee shoots him a look, as Tidwell takes another rough hit.<br /> <br /> INT. STADIUM HALLWAY -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry stands waiting. Bob Sugar nearby, greeting quarterback<br /> JOHN SWENSON. Still no Tidwell.<br /> <br /> EXT. PHILADELPHIA LOCKER ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Finally, here comes Tidwell, moving very slowly with garmet<br /> bag.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> How's your head? Bubblicious.<br /><br /><br /> 110.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Tidwell moves to a tan in a<br /> wheelchair, signs an autograph and<br /> moves on. Jerry alongside. The<br /> quarterback sucks, man. He's<br /> gonna get me killed.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'm a little worried --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I'm worried too. I'm worried that<br /> the only reason I'm here getting<br /> my brains blown loose is that you<br /> weren't asshole enough to get my<br /> ten million three months ago.<br /> <br /> INSANE FAN<br /> (interrupting loudly)<br /> FUCKIN ROD TIDWELL YOU RULE YOU<br /> RULE! I WON A FUCKIN, A FUCKIN<br /> MUG ON YOU IN MY ROTISS...<br /> ROTLISS...<br /> <br /> With great skill, Tidwell pats the fan and moves him along to<br /> other tired players.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Peace, my drunken brother. Ahd<br /> don't discuss gambling with me.<br /> <br /> Insane fan moves to another player. Jerry proceeds carefully.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> We can still take the offer, Rod.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (stops)<br /> No.<br /> <br /> Jerry regards his slightly befuddled friend.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, just stay healthy. I will<br /> show you the kwan.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (irritated)<br /> Hey, that's my word, okay?<br /> <br /> Tidwell wearily heads for the bus. Jerry stands in the<br /> parking lot.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I'll see you in Arizona.<br /><br /><br /> 111.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I'm gonna have the game of my life<br /> on Monday Night Football, and show<br /> all these motherfuckers.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Take care, okay? You're my entire<br /> client roster.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Don't I know. Now go home to your<br /> wife.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What's that supposed to mean?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Why are you even here, man? You<br /> could have told me all this over<br /> the phone.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I don't know -- how's "dedication"<br /> for an answer?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> You don't want to go home, do you?<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Why are you doing this to me, Rod?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I'm asking you a question --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No, you're --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I'm trying to talk to you. How's<br /> your marriage?<br /> <br /> Jerry looks at Rod for a moment. It is the simplest<br /> question, and one in which he has no quick answer.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Not everyone has what you have.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Then why'd you get married? I'm<br /> asking you as a friend.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (shaking his head)<br /> You're jabbing at me.<br /><br /><br /> 112.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I'm sorry I asked.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> No, I'm going to answer you. You<br /> want an answer? I'll give it to<br /> you.<br /> (beat)<br /> Loyalty. She was loyal.<br /> (unconvincing)<br /> Everything grew from there.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> That's an answer.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Damn right.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (jab)<br /> For loyalty, you buy a dog. For<br /> love, you get married.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Look. I'm happy to entertain you,<br /> as always, but I have a question<br /> for you. Are we really "friends?"<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Why not --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, friends can tell each other<br /> anything, right? If we have our<br /> "friends" hats on --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (wary)<br /> I think so.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (intense)<br /> Airight. Here's why you don't<br /> have your ten million dollars yet.<br /> You are a paycheck player. You<br /> play with your head. Not your<br /> heart. In your personal life?<br /> (points)<br /> Heart. But when you get on the<br /> field --<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 113.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY (cont'd)<br /> (finger rises to<br /> Tidwell's head)<br /> -- you're a businessman. It's<br /> wide-angle lenses and who fucked<br /> you over and who owes you for it.<br /> That's not what inspires people.<br /> I'm sorry, but that's the truth,<br /> can you handle it? Just a<br /> "question," Rod. Between friends.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I don't want to be friends anymore.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Fine.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Beautiful.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (angry)<br /> We still having dinner in L.A.?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (anqry)<br /> Only 'cause my wife likes your<br /> wife!<br /> <br /> Jerry exits. Tidwell is pissed. And hurt.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (continuing)<br /> "No heart." "No heart?"<br /> (yells after him)<br /> I'm all heart, motherfucker!<br /> <br /> He gets on the bus.<br /> <br /> INT. CRAB RESTAURANT -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> The Tidwells and the Maguires. Tyson and Ray run around the<br /> table of this family-style restaurant. Marcee is very very<br /> pregnant. They crack crabs for each other, seasoning for each<br /> other, feeding each other like one many-armed and loving body.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> -- so I go to see a so-called<br /> "black" film the other day --<br /> (then)<br /> -- honey, no more salt for you, I<br /> don't want you dehydrated for<br /> Monday Night Football. Most<br /> important game of your career.<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 114.<br /> <br /> <br /> MARCEE (cont'd)<br /> (then)<br /> -- TWENTY minutes of coming<br /> attractions. All black films, all<br /> violent, I'm talking about<br /> brothers shooting brothers, Wesley<br /> Snipes with guns the size of our<br /> house, killing, blood flowing,<br /> cars crashing... blood blood blood<br /> blood. Is this all they think we<br /> want to see? Come on! I enjoyed<br /> Shindler's List. Give me a little<br /> credit, I mean hooo --<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I hate you going to movies alone<br /> withoutme --<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Oh baby --<br /> <br /> He cracks more crab, gives her the biggest piece.<br /> <br /> SHOT OF JERRY AND DOROTHY<br /> <br /> Sitting across the table, stunned, just watching this<br /> intricate and perfect marriage.<br /> <br /> SHOT OF MARCEE<br /> <br /> She takes a breath and gets a weird look.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> What baby?<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Baby. Baby. Baby...<br /> <br /> INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Marcee gives birth, Rod assisting. Jerry and Dorothy watch<br /> from behind thick glass. She hangs her arm on his shoulder,<br /> looks at him. Jerry stares straight ahead. Mortified, with<br /> dry throat.<br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY AND JERRY'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry and Dorothy exhausted, alone, getting ready for bed.<br /> Dorothy sits down near him on the bed.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> What were you thinking tonight?<br /> Watching them go through the<br /> complete human emotional<br /> experience?<br /><br /><br /> 115.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> I was thinking I hope he doesn't<br /> get injured. I felt responsible.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Sometimes I can't tell at all,<br /> what's going through that head of<br /> yours.<br /> <br /> He makes a noise. As in -- it's no big mystery.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> And I really don't know your<br /> noises yet.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Well, when you wonder, ask me.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (unsatisfied)<br /> Okay... I will...<br /> <br /> Beat. He feels inadequate.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Why do you love me?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Why do you love me?<br /> <br /> It is, of course, the better question. And before he can<br /> answer, there is a pounding at the door.<br /> <br /> RAY<br /> Jerry, can I come in and watch<br /> t.v.?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY JERRY<br /> I'll come visit you in a Just for a few minutes,<br /> second -- buddy --<br /> <br /> The door flies open and Ray comes bounding in, onto the bed,<br /> stations himself in the center and begins wrestling Jerry for<br /> the remote control. Dorothy watches, disconnected. A<br /> steeliness comes over her that we have not yet seen.<br /> <br /> INT. PRESCHOOL -- NEXT DAY<br /> <br /> Dorothy drops Ray at preschool, and stands in the doorway of<br /> the playroom. She watches the boys and girls playing<br /> together in a room full of bright colors and games. Music.<br /> Anxiety building.<br /><br /><br /> 116.<br /> <br /> <br /> EXT. RAY'S PLAYHOUSE -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry sits finishing a phone call to an advertising account<br /> exec. He has come here, to Ray's playhouse for privacy.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Tonight. Yeah, the red-eye, I'll<br /> be in Arizona on Monday...<br /> <br /> Jerry adlibs some salesmanship on Tidwell's behalf. Dorothy<br /> approaches. She gives him a few phone messages, sits down.<br /> Beat of silence. He sees a look on her face that is<br /> unfamiliar.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> It's my fault.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> It's not fair to you. This<br /> whole --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (instant crisis mode)<br /> Tell me -- let me help --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I took advantage of you and worst<br /> of all, I'm not alone. I did this<br /> with a kid. I was just on some<br /> ride where I thought I was in 1ove<br /> enough for both of us. I did<br /> this. And at least I can do<br /> something about it now.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (damage control)<br /> Well -- I'm not the guy who's<br /> going to run. I stick.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I don't need you to "stick."<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> You want...<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I don't know --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (it slips out)<br /> ...my soul or something.<br /><br /><br /> 117.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Why fucking not! I deserve it.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (direct)<br /> Dorothy -- what if I'm just not<br /> built that way?<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I think we made a mistake here.<br /> <br /> But now he can't stop.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What if it's true? "Great at<br /> friendship bad at intimacy." I<br /> mean, come on. It's the theme of<br /> my bachelor film --<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I know. I watched it. I sort of<br /> know it by heart.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (absorbs it)<br /> I don't like to give up.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Oh please. My need to make the<br /> best of things, and your need to<br /> be what, "responsible"... if one<br /> of us doesn't say something now we<br /> might lose ten years being polite<br /> about it. Why don't we call this<br /> next road trip what it is. A nice<br /> long break.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> What about Ray?<br /> <br /> She notes the only real glimpse of ache, in that question.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> There's no question you'll be<br /> friends. Of course you'll be<br /> friends.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> So this break... is a break-up.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Come on, Jerry. You know this<br /> isn't easy for me.<br /> (more)<br /><br /><br /> 118.<br /> <br /> <br /> DOROTHY (cont'd)<br /> I mean, on the surface, you'd<br /> almost think everything was fine.<br /> See, I've got this great guy who<br /> loves my kid --<br /> (resolute, no tears)<br /> -- and he sure does like me a lot.<br /> <br /> Jerry Maguire, a man who speaks for a living, has nothing to<br /> say.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I can't live that way. It's not<br /> the way I'm "built."<br /> <br /> He moves to embrace her. She pulls away first.<br /> <br /> INT. RAY'S ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry kisses sleepy Ray goodbye.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Don't wake up...<br /> <br /> And then faces the exotic fish who now resides on Ray's<br /> table. He once lived in a tank the size of a Cadillac. The<br /> fish now hangs in a too-small bowl, looking at him.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing;<br /> defensive)<br /> ... it was just a Mission<br /> Statement...<br /> <br /> INT. AIRPORT -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry Maguire stretches his arms out. A security wand passes<br /> over him. Deadness in his eyes. The glaze of the road on<br /> him. Music.<br /> <br /> EXT. SUN DEVIL STADIUM -- ARIZONA<br /> <br /> We are hovering in the sky, just above Sun Devil Stadium.<br /> <br /> The classic Monday Night Football shot from the blimp.<br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Tidwell's family in the living room. A buzz in the air. The<br /> pregame show is on, sound-muted. Old-school on the stereo.<br /> Everybody is happy. Marcee sits in the position of honor,<br /> her new baby KAYDEE in her arms. She is a tired mother, and<br /> the family celebrates her.<br /><br /><br /> 119.<br /> <br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> He'd better not mess up on Monday<br /> Night Football.<br /> <br /> Marcee shoots Tee Pee a look.<br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> (continuing)<br /> What did I say? He gets nervous<br /> for the t.v. games... it's not a<br /> secret.<br /> <br /> INT. TUNNEL AREA/PRE-GAME -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Nervous Tidwell chews a toothpick as he stands checking out<br /> the field. Nearby, some cheerleaders and a man in a Pickle<br /> suit.<br /> <br /> PICKLE MAN<br /> Nothing like Monday Night, huh?<br /> What is it, 2 billion viewers?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (irritated)<br /> Shouldn't you be out there doing<br /> some pickle dance or something --<br /> Pickle Man nods and goes out to<br /> dance for the crowd.<br /> <br /> VOICE<br /> Hey Rod -- hey Buddydude --<br /> <br /> Tidwell turns. It's Bob Sugar approaching. Laser-like, ready<br /> to feed on his insecurity.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Listen, I spoke to your<br /> quarterback. He's my client, you<br /> know. And I said, "take care to<br /> get those passes down, let Tidwell<br /> look good on t.v."<br /> <br /> Tidwell looks at him, chews his toothpick.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> (continuing)<br /> You should let me do more for you.<br /> I would have had you your deal by<br /> tonight. Al Michaels is a friend<br /> of mine. I would have had him on<br /> the air, talking about you,<br /> tonight, when it counts.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Get outta here. Go.<br /><br /><br /> 120.<br /> <br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Where's your agent tonight?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Don't know.<br /> <br /> SUGAR<br /> Rod. I know this is "uncool" to<br /> do this now, but you belong with<br /> the big boys. You belong with the<br /> money. You belong with --<br /> <br /> Here comes Jerry Maguire.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Get the fuck away from my guy,<br /> Sugar.<br /> <br /> Tidwell can't help it. He beams as he sees his agent<br /> approach.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Jerry! You made it --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (off Sugar)<br /> Go. Flee.<br /> <br /> Sugar retreats, offering one final look to Rod, think about<br /> what I said.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Thanks for coming.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (bittersweet)<br /> I missed ya. What can I say?<br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL HOME -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> They watch the game.<br /> <br /> GIFFORD (ON T.V.)<br /> It's a bruiser out there tonight.<br /> <br /> MICHAELS (ON T.V.)<br /> Arizona refusing to go into the<br /> quiet night of this rough football<br /> season. Come on, I'm trying to be<br /> poetic here.<br /> <br /> Tidwell takes a rough hit, and they respond loudly.<br /><br /><br /> 121.<br /> <br /> <br /> DIERDORF (ON T.V.)<br /> Ooof. Another rough hit across<br /> the middle on Rod Tidwell.<br /> Nothing poetic about that.<br /> <br /> INT. PRESS BOX -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Maguire moves through the box.<br /> <br /> INT. FIELD -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Tidwell takes a hit. Hangs onto the ball.<br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> The Tidwell clan are banging on t.v. trays and whooping<br /> loudly. But in the middle of the cheers, Marcee sees the<br /> unsettled look on young Tyson's face. She pulls him over to<br /> her, giving him preference over baby Kaydee. He is the only<br /> thing in her world, as she says:<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> What does daddy say?<br /> <br /> TYSON<br /> "It looks worse than it is...<br /> <br /> Marcee gives him a kiss, as Tidwell makes another grueling<br /> gain on the field.<br /> <br /> FRANK GIFFORD'S VOICE<br /> They don't pay enough for a man to<br /> take that kind of ugly hit --<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> (to others)<br /> Boy, no s-h-i-t.<br /> <br /> Big laughs from the living room. Except Tee Pee.<br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> He's gonna have nothing left for<br /> next season. They're letting him<br /> kill himself.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Can you be quiet?<br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> What'd I say?<br /> <br /> INT. PRESS BOX -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Maguire watches as Arizona's quarterback John Swenson drops<br /> back for a pass, and is sacked.<br /><br /><br /> 122.<br /> <br /> <br /> Philadelphia fans cheer wildly. The game is turning uglier<br /> by the minute. Jerry looks up to the monitor for a closet<br /> look at the next play.<br /> <br /> ON PRESS BOX MONITOR<br /> <br /> Swenson, the Arizona quarterback, throws a wobbly pass into<br /> the end-zone. Tidwell leaps for the catch, tucks the ball in<br /> and is promptly and brutally hit by two defenders from two<br /> different sides. This hit is bad. Worse than bad. Tidwell<br /> flips and comes down like a sack of potatoes, with a thud,<br /> ball still in his hands. His head hits the astroturf, hard.<br /> Tidwell is out cold. And the ripple effect of the injury<br /> shoots through the stadium. Jerry stares at the monitor,<br /> stunned by the sudden brutality.<br /> <br /> EXT. ARIZONA FIELD -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> We are thrust into the vortex, inside the game. Tidwell lies<br /> still on turf. Overhead, the fight music continues for a few<br /> seconds before disappearing abruptly. Players and coaches<br /> begin to gather around the still body of Rod Tidwell.<br /> <br /> TV MONITOR -- SLO-MO<br /> <br /> The hit in replay. It is brutal. And we can see a flash of<br /> his pride as he catches the lousy pass, and then... like two<br /> bulls, the Philadelphia defenders enter from each side. One<br /> cuts his legs out from under him, and Rod's taut body<br /> literally flips. The second defender then hits him at the<br /> shoulders. Tidwell lands on the back of his neck, crumpling<br /> downwards. Still holding the ball. Still.<br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Silence. Utter silence.<br /> <br /> GIFFORD'S VOICE<br /> -- you sure hope his family<br /> wasn't watching that.<br /> <br /> And then, in a cry that gurgles from way down deep, Marcee<br /> begins to sob. Camera catches the face of Tyson, now<br /> panicked. Scared, he embraces his mother.<br /> <br /> INT. BOWELS OF SUN DEVIL STADIUM<br /> <br /> Maguire sprints through the inner bowels of the stadium. He<br /> turns the corner, into the tunnel, talking his way past a<br /> guard, heading into the bright t.v. light of the football<br /> field.<br /><br /><br /> 123.<br /> <br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Gathering around the television, the family waits through a<br /> commercial for more information on Rod's injury.<br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> He should have kept his head<br /> tucked down.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> (immediately)<br /> Shut up!!!<br /> <br /> TEE PEE<br /> I'm not putting him down, I just<br /> have a commitment to the truth.<br /> <br /> Marcee lunges for him.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> Can't you be loyal to your brother<br /> who LOVES you??<br /> (she is held back)<br /> Get out of my house!<br /> <br /> Across the room, the phone starts ringing. A COUSIN answers.<br /> <br /> COUSIN<br /> It's Jerry Maguire!<br /> <br /> EXT. ARIZONA FIELD -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry Maguire on the portable.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> He took a shot. He's unconscious.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> I'm freakin out. Oh God I'm --<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Keep the phone open. I'll call<br /> back. Stay calm. He's got some<br /> good doctors out there.<br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> "Stay calm?" I'm freakin...<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Alright, I'm freaking too. But<br /> they need you to stay calm. I'll<br /> call back.<br /><br /><br /> 124.<br /> <br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> My whole life is this family,<br /> Jerry. It doesn't work without him.<br /> <br /> She takes a big gulp, as Jerry watches an overzealous Trainer<br /> run out onto the field to join the cluster around the fallen<br /> Tidwell. Jerry covers phone and yells onto the field.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> DON'T TOUCH HIM!!!<br /> <br /> EXT. CENTER OF PLAYING FIELD -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> We're now just a few inches in front of his peaceful,<br /> sleeping face. They are all. YELLING, trying to pull him out.<br /> <br /> SHOTS OF NATIONAL TELEVISION AUDIENCES<br /> <br /> 1) A full sports bar in arizona silently watches Monday<br /> Night Football.<br /> <br /> 2) Generic living room of sports fans, all watching Tidwell<br /> pinned to the screen.<br /> <br /> 3) Generic outdoor bar-b-que as white fans watch t.V.<br /> <br /> 4) Tidwell living room. All gathered around the television.<br /> <br /> 5) Maguire straining at the sideline.<br /> <br /> ON TIDWELL -- CLOSE<br /> <br /> Dead to the world as sound disappears. There is now only<br /> silence.<br /> <br /> POV TIDWELL - SLO-MO -- SILENCE<br /> <br /> The Doctors and the Trainers are now truly panicked. We<br /> don't hear them. We see them, their motions increasingly<br /> manic. Shoving fingers in front of him. Screaming. We read<br /> their lips. ("Rod!" "Rod can you hear us!") We see the<br /> anguish and escalating fear on their faces. The Trainer<br /> leans in close, bellowing, he spreads his hands wide to clap<br /> right in front of Rod's still face. His hands head toward<br /> each other... closer... bringing with them the first inkling<br /> of sound... getting closer and then finally coming together,<br /> bringing with him the sounds of the stadium.<br /> <br /> ON TIDWELL<br /> <br /> who blinks back to life. Concerned men are yelling very<br /> loudly, right in his face. Tidwell becomes aware he is the<br /> absolute center of attention of the entire stadium. As crowd<br /> noise begins to rise.<br /><br /><br /> 125.<br /> <br /> <br /> TRAINER<br /> Let's get you off the field!<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Wait.<br /> <br /> TRAINER<br /> Can you feel your legs?<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Yeah. Just let me enjoy this for<br /> a minute.<br /> <br /> ON JERRY<br /> <br /> who watches. Only marginally relieved. Is he okay?<br /> <br /> ON FANS<br /> <br /> Crowd noise rises. Is he okay?<br /> <br /> ON TIDWELL<br /> <br /> Can he move? Is he okay?<br /> <br /> ON TIDWELL'S LIVING ROOM<br /> <br /> Not a breath is taken. Is he okay?<br /> <br /> He rises. Stadium explodes. At first on wobbly feet, he<br /> raises the football and for the first time -- salutes the<br /> crowd. Crowd noise doubles.<br /> <br /> ON MAGUIRE<br /> <br /> gasping for breath.<br /> <br /> ON TIDWELL<br /> <br /> Has never felt like this before in his life. It is the pure<br /> and absolute love of the spotlight. And his fans.<br /> <br /> And then... it's real and he feels it. Tidwell breaks out in<br /> a small but unmistakable move -- a flutter step. He does a<br /> high-stepping move, all his own, for about ten yards.<br /> <br /> ON JERRY MAGUIRE<br /> <br /> who watches, now in complete disbelief. Tidwell will not let<br /> go of the spotlight.<br /> <br /> ON TIDWELL'S LIVING ROOM<br /> <br /> Going absolutely nuts. Marcee hysterical, laughing and<br /> crying.<br /><br /><br /> 126.<br /> <br /> <br /> MARCEE<br /> (to Tee Pee)<br /> You ain't talking now, are you???<br /> You're a silent motherfucker!<br /> <br /> Tyson watches in silent awe of his mother.<br /> <br /> BACK ON TIDWELL -- CLOSE<br /> <br /> Finishes his small but heartfelt dance. It is a personal<br /> catharsis he is sharing now with 2 billion people.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (to himself)<br /> Nike.<br /> <br /> He moves past Jerry Maguire on his way off the field. Jerry,<br /> casually thumps his heart twice. Jerry Maguire is overcome<br /> with emotion. He sits down on a camera case, head in his<br /> hands. Behind him, a stadium cheers a new hero.<br /> <br /> OVERHEARD FAN<br /> I always knew he was great.<br /> <br /> Maguire rubs his face. Overcome. Photographers and others<br /> rush past to be closer to Tidwell.<br /> <br /> INT. TUNNEL -- LATER<br /> <br /> Jerry Maguire surrounded by well-wishers and backslappers and<br /> Sportswriters. Success has returned, in all of it's<br /> superficial grandeur. He is a star again, by association.<br /> We catch the look on Maguire's face. Try as he might, he<br /> can't manufacture the joy of the moment. There is a void.<br /> Over the heads of the heatseekers we see Dennis Wilburn<br /> nodding, holding a thumbs up. He tries to get to Maguire,<br /> but cannot. And then a commotion behind them all.<br /> <br /> REPORTER<br /> It's Tidwell!<br /> <br /> Tidwell exits the locker room. Press and media surround him.<br /> Even the grizzled old-time stadium workers reach in to<br /> squeeze him, to slap him, to touch him. He works his way to<br /> Maguire.<br /> <br /> They hug. Cameras flash. Tears roll down from beneath his<br /> purple shades.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> We did it.<br /> <br /> And now, in the middle of this emotional union, a portable<br /> phone rings. Both men reach for their porties. It's<br /> Maguire's. With anticipation, he answers.<br /><br /><br /> 127.<br /> <br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Hello.<br /> (beat)<br /> It's Marcee. She says she<br /> couldn't get through on your phone.<br /> <br /> Tidwell grabs the phone, and joyously shares the moment with<br /> his wife. Jerry watches, as Tidwell leans on his shoulder.<br /> <br /> ON SUGAR AND SWENSON (WATCHING THEM)<br /> <br /> Bob Sugar watches from the nearby wall where he stands with<br /> his client, quarterback John Swenson.<br /> <br /> SWENSON<br /> Why don't we have that kind of<br /> relationship?<br /> <br /> INT. ARIZONA KAROAKE BAR -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Rod Tidwell sings karoake, on stage. He's struggling through<br /> U2's "One." In the audience are many Arizona players, as<br /> well as most of Tidwell's family.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> One love... you got to share it...<br /> <br /> INT. TIDWELL HOME -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Tee Pee is stuck at home, babysitting twenty kids.<br /> <br /> INT. KAROAKE BAR -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> We move past many Big Men celebrating Tidwell, singing along,<br /> sharing their Monday Night victory, onto melancholy Jerry<br /> Maguire. He watches, cellular at his side, as a YOUNG AGENT<br /> approaches.<br /> <br /> YOUNG AGENT<br /> Jerry Maguire. I'm Tommy Bendis.<br /> You don't know me, I'm a new<br /> agent, just getting started. I<br /> represent that place kicker over<br /> there.<br /> (indicates kicker)<br /> I wondered if you would sign this<br /> for me. Because it inspired me.<br /> <br /> He withdraws a well-thumbed copy of Jerry's Mission<br /> Statement. The blue cover is ripped along one edge. It<br /> clearly has served as a manifesto for this younger man's<br /> career.<br /><br /><br /> 128.<br /> <br /> <br /> ON JERRY MAGUIRE<br /> <br /> He feels the cover, flips through it a little. Memories<br /> flood with the passing pages. Shot holds on Jerry's face,<br /> as Tidwell continues singing in the background. Suddenly, an<br /> odd feeling. A shiver runs up and down his spine. His<br /> forehead tingles. He rubs his face. All he can do is think<br /> of Dorothy.<br /> <br /> AGENT<br /> Just make it out "To Tommy".<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Tommy. I love you.<br /> <br /> INT. AIRPORT -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry Maquire sprints through the empty airport, heading for<br /> the last flight out of town. Music.<br /> <br /> INT. DOROTHY'S LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> The Divorced Women's Group in session. Laurel stands near<br /> the doorway, blowing cigarette smoke into the night. Dorothy<br /> is now a part of this group.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> I've listened to you all tell a<br /> thousand sob stories, and I have<br /> been very judgmental. Frankly, I<br /> think you've all been waaaay too<br /> comfortable with your pain. Plus,<br /> Jan, you always spill your red<br /> wine on the couch.<br /> (off Jan's guilty<br /> look)<br /> I've not been fair to you. Women<br /> need to stick together, and not<br /> depend on the affections of a man<br /> to "fix" their lives. Maybe<br /> you're all correct. Men are the<br /> enemy.<br /> <br /> Murmurs of agreement.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> (continuing)<br /> But I still love the enemy.<br /> <br /> Murmurs of disappointment.<br /><br /><br /> 129.<br /> <br /> <br /> EXT. DOROTHY'S HOUSE -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry exits cab, holding hang-up bag. Looks at the house.<br /> On the other side of that window is a world he hopes he's<br /> still a part of.<br /> <br /> INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Jerry enters. Dorothy is seated toward the back.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Hello. I'm looking for my wife.<br /> <br /> Dorothy looks up, robbed of words. Stunned, she does not<br /> move.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> Alright. If this is where it has<br /> to happen, then this is where it<br /> has to happen.<br /> <br /> Dorothy says nothing.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> I'm not letting you get rid of me.<br /> How about that?<br /> <br /> He shares a look with some of the other women. She's not<br /> going to say a word. Neither do they.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> (continuing)<br /> This used to be my specialty. I<br /> was good in a living room. Send<br /> me in there, I'll do it alone. And<br /> now I just... I don't know... but<br /> on what was supposed to be the<br /> happiest night of my business<br /> life, it wasn't complete, wasn't<br /> nearly close to being in the same<br /> vicinity as complete, because I<br /> couldn't share it with you. I<br /> couldn't hear your voice, or laugh<br /> about it with you. I missed my<br /> wife. We live in a cynical world,<br /> and we work in a business of tough<br /> competitors, so try not to laugh --<br /> (directly)<br /> I love you. You complete me.<br /> <br /> DOROTHY<br /> Aw, shut up. You had me at hello.<br /><br /><br /> 130.<br /> <br /> <br /> He moves to her. They embrace. Ray watches in b.g. Jerry<br /> has given this room hope. It's on their faces. At last, even<br /> Laurel gets off on her sister's happiness, as she shares a<br /> look with Chad.<br /> <br /> JAN<br /> (sloshing wine)<br /> I think we'd better go...<br /> <br /> INT. ROY FIRESTONE SHOW -- NIGHT<br /> <br /> Roy Firestone leans forward.<br /> <br /> FIRESTONE<br /> ...your father who left the family<br /> on Christmas eve, the mother who<br /> cleaned the steps of a prison to<br /> make your tuition. The older<br /> brother who lost a leg in that<br /> tragic bass fishing accident --<br /> <br /> Tidwell is wearing glasses now, in a somewhat scholarly mode.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> No, Roy. I'm not gonna cry.<br /> <br /> FIRESTONE<br /> -- well, Rod, your agent passed me<br /> a note before the show. He says<br /> that your deal memo has been<br /> signed by the Arizona Cardinals.<br /> Four years for ten-point-two<br /> million dollars. Playing in the<br /> state where you grew up.<br /> <br /> ON TIDWELL -- WEEPING<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> I... I love everybody, man. I<br /> love my wife. My kids. Little<br /> Tyson. My new baby Kaydee. My<br /> brother Tee Pee. I love my<br /> friends, my teammates, who am I<br /> leaving out?<br /> <br /> FIRESTONE<br /> (laughing)<br /> It's only a half-hour show, Rod.<br /> <br /> ON TIDWELL'S FRIENDS AND FAMILY<br /> <br /> watching off-camera. Marcee crying too. Shot takes us to<br /> Jerry, Dorothy and Ray.<br /><br /><br /> 131.<br /> <br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Wanna send some beautiful love out<br /> to my offensive line, just a<br /> beautiful bunch of dudes, wanna<br /> thank a beautiful individual --<br /> God, and of course the entire<br /> Arizona organization, a little<br /> slow, but they do come around.<br /> I'm leaving somebody out...<br /> <br /> Amused and finally glimpsing the end of a long journey, Jerry<br /> leans over to Marcee.<br /> <br /> JERRY<br /> Take care, Marcee. We'll see you<br /> at the restaurant.<br /> <br /> She nods, emotionally, biting her lip.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> Oh yes. Jerry Maguire! My agent!<br /> This is a fierce, loving<br /> individual, I love this man, he is<br /> love, he is about love -- my<br /> ambassador of kwan.<br /> <br /> FIRESTONE<br /> Ten seconds, Rod.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> And I love my fans, of which he is<br /> one. Wanna thank them for all my<br /> Sundays, and of course my Monday<br /> nights too. That about says it...<br /> <br /> Jerry watches wonderously at the monitor before leaving. TV<br /> credits are rolling on the show.<br /> <br /> TIDWELL<br /> (continuing)<br /> Wait! And thank you Melvin from<br /> the Casual Man, thank you for the<br /> suit...<br /> <br /> EXT. PARKING LOT -- DAY<br /> <br /> Jerry, Dorothy, Ray exit into the daylight. They walk to<br /> Jerry's car. From across the fence, a stray baseball from a<br /> pick-up game flies into the parking lot and bounces ahead of<br /> them. Ray picks it up. In an easy fluid motion, he whips it<br /> back over the fence to the game on the other side. A few<br /> kids on the other side of the fence shout their approval of<br /> a great little throw.<br /><br /><br /> 132.<br /> <br /> <br /> Jerry and Dorothy stop, looking at Ray who has just shown<br /> shocking natural ability. They are quiet for a moment,<br /> turning slowly to look at each other. And then, not ready to<br /> deal with it, not even close to ready to deal with it, they<br /> say quickly to the boy:<br /> <br /> JERRY DOROTHY<br /> Come on, Ray. Ray, let's go.<br /> <br /> Happily Ray joins them as they walk to the car. A family.<br /> Music.<br /> <br /> FADE OUT<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> THE ENDEelveEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343357520043384445noreply@blogger.com0