This leads him to the path of, um, greatness and his mission statement, titled "The Things We Think And Do Not Say (The Future of our Business)"
Mr. Maguire's face when the Kinko's guy (making photo-copies of his statement) tells him "That's how you become great man. You hang your balls out there", is a study in horror. But I digress.
Since I'm in a...well, certain frame of mind that I'd rather not write more about, I'm reproducing the text of the tank scene below (taken from here)
EXT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY -- NIGHT
Remo's 14 year-old SON (JESSE) confronts Jerry outside the
hospital room. He's a hulking kid, a Pop Warner football
player himself. His voice is in the process of changing.
SON
This is his fourth concussion.
Shouldn't somebody get him to stop?
As he talks, Jerry's cellular phone rings in his bag.
JERRY
(glib, easy)
Come on -- it'd take a tank to
stop your dad. It would take all
five Super Trooper VR Warriors,
right?
The kid stares at Maguire. It feels as if the kid is peering
into his soul... and all he sees is trash.
SON
Fuck you.
The kid turns and exits in disgust. He leaves Jerry standing
in the hallway. Devastated. Music.
You can also see this scene here (video quality is sad)
Now, the Kinko's scene (which starts from the middle of the Mission Statement)...
SHOT OF SENTENCE: We must embrace what is still virginalThis is Jerry Maguire's Mission Statement, which never gets read in the movie, beyond its original title.
about our own enthusiasm, we must crack open the tightly
clenched fist and give back a little for the common good, we
must simply be the best versions of ourselves... that
goodness will be unbeatable and the money will appear.
He pauses, and wipes his eyes, still considering the sentence.
JERRY'S VOICE
(continuing)
Hey, I'll be the first to admit
it. What I was writing was
somewhat "touchy feely."
He deletes it. And then -- zip -- he restores it and
continues on, boldly.
JERRY'S VOICE
(continuing)
I didn't care. I had lost the
ability to bullshit. It was the
me I'd always wanted to be.
INT. KINKO'S COPIES -- NIGHT
Jerry in T-shirt stands proudly watching copies pumped out.
Wired college students, band guys, other Copy People of the
Night nearby.
JERRY'S VOICE
I printed it up in the middle of
the night, before I could re-think
it.
Industrial, multi-pierced Kinko's copy guy examines the first
printed copy of the Mission Statement. He nods approvingly,
taps his heart in tribute. He slides a copy across the
counter, for Jerry's approval.
THE THINGS WE THINK AND DO NOT SAY
(The Future of Our Business)
KINKO'S GUY
That's how you become great, man.
You hang your ba11s out there.
Jerry nods. It's 3 AM, and this guy sounds and looks like a
prophet. In fact, everyone in Kinko's at 3 AM does.
JERRY
(self-effacing)
Thanks.
And finally...Tom Petty's "Free Falling". Ho boy. Now we're talking.
7 comments:
truly one of the best tom cruise movies ever .. yeah u tend to learn a lot form it... keeping relationships, believeing in youself, compromises and yes the song's great too ... nice post !
Thanks Nikhil!
My absolute favourite movie!!! Bought me the dvd last year. The scenes with Jerry & lil Ray are my favourites, esp. the one where they're talking on the couch. Though I have to say, the scene at the end after Cuba Gooding Jr. comes out of the locker room...the intensity on Tom's face as he acknowledges his achievement is probably his finest moment on screen.
Shalom - oh I know what you're talking about..when he gets that call and he goes "Dorothy?!" only to realise its Marcy..man, that entire sequence was something!
Thanks to you now I have seen this movie. Absolutely loved it, it has some really good dialogues, I think I will have to see it again to decide which one I like most.
Now that you are set, go bread a leg and please remember if you ever crib about how what you did wasn't right the only thing I will tell you is .......Boo-****ing-Hoo.
Oh I almost forgot free falling is absolutely great and I love the lines
I'm a bad boy, 'cause I don't even miss her
I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart
And I'm free, I'm free fallin'
Man what a song!
Kusum - I don't need to break a leg to learn stuff..and you boo hoo you (lol).
On the movie - I don't have any one single most favorite dialogue. There are too many of them to single out. Man, its the perfect all-American script. Slick, smart, coming-of-age, emotional...one for the DVD collection.
On the song - nice lines you've quoted..hmm. My angle was more on how Tom Cruise was singing that song (emphasising "Freefalling") in his car, the day he's been fired. Ah, what freedom.
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