Jerry Maguire Page #12

MATT:

They say it's show "business,"

Jerry, not show friends.

Jerry takes a breath before he exits. He surveys the room,

settling on Cush. Visible behind Maguire is Times Square, in

all it's neon logo glory.

_

63.

JERRY:

Well. Okay. Of course. You're

twenty years old, and I'm just

another guy in a suit. It's all

business. It didn't work out. You

didn't buy my product, which is,

unfortunately, mm. Let me see,

there's a speech that I'm supposed

to make -- right! -- "I'll be out

there cheering for you." "The door

is always open!" See? I'm a class

act.

(breath, directly)

But maybe this would have all

worked, us being real human

beings, coming through for each

other, really, and now I'll never

know. You'll never know. Weren't

you curious?

(they aren't)

No. Okay, well, I'll be fine.

And you'll be fine. And Keith I

bope you do call me.

Flushed and embarrassed, he exits. We hang a beat on the

silent Cushman hotel livingroom, as Cush now continues on

guitar.

INT. LOBBY -- NIGHT

Jerry exits elevator dazed, at full trot. The Marriott lobby

is packed. He is looking for Avery. Beat reporter Patricia

Logan reappears. She relishes asking brutal questions,

innocently.

PATRICIA LOGAN:

Jerry, is it true that Tidwell's

had three concussions?

JERRY:

I'm sorry... excuse me...

INT. BALLROOM -- NIGHT

Jerry enters the grand ballroom, looking for Avery.

Endorsement placards in evidence everywhere. NFL reps and

media workers move tables and work out camera and seating

arrangements. Elevated in a open ESPN booth six feet off the

ground, host Chris Berman records voice-overs for tomorrow's

draft. Fans heckle him by singing the ESPN theme. He rolls

with it, expertly. Jerry spots Avery across the empty

ballroom, moving fast, passing out media packets on the empty

tables.

_

64.

INT. ADJACENT BUFFET ROOM -- NIGHT

Jerry finally catches up with Avery in the empty side-room.

AVERY:

I just heard.

JERRY:

What do I do? How do I spin this?

AVERY:

Oh honey. It's spun.

She keeps moving, adding an extra snap to the packets.

JERRY:

What did I do to you?

She is furious with his question. Doesn't he know?

AVERY:

It's all about you, isn't it?

Soothe me, save me, love me --

JERRY:

Could you just stop moving?

AVERY:

I have to finish my job --

JERRY:

Everything's on the f***ing run!

Everything --

She stops. Walks to him, framed by a bank of t.v. monitors.

AVERY:

Jerry. You and I are salespeople.

We sell --

JERRY:

Look, I don't want a --

AVERY:

It's not "love me." It's not

"trust my handshake." It's make

the sale. Get it signed. There

shouldn't be "confusion" about

that.

JERRY:

Go ahead. Jump right on into my

nightmare. The water's warm.

_

65.

AVERY:

So honesty is outlawed here, I

can't be honest?

She turns and exits again. He follows.

JERRY:

Tell you what -- I'd prefer

loyalty..

AVERY:

What was our deal when we first

got together? Brutal truth,

remember?

JERRY:

I think you added the "brutal."

She stops, slaps down another media packet. Blows a

troublesome piece of hair out of her face.

AVERY:

Jerry, there is a "sensitivity"

thing that some people have. I

don't have it. I don't cry at

movies. I don't gush over babies.

I don't start celebrating

Christmas five months early, and

I don't tell a man who just

screwed up both of our lives --

'oh, poor baby.' That's me. For

better or worse. But I do love

you.

Jerry looks at his fiancee. Standing here, watching Avery

coldly clasping her media packs to her chest, she looks

different to him.

JERRY:

Avery --

She knows what's coming. She moves fast to avoid him.

AVERY:

Don't say it. We're both ragged

out right now.

JERRY:

-- stop --

She exits back into the main ballroom. For a moment, she

stops. They face off. This is it. They are quickly

interrupted by overweight, talk-show voiced CURTIS WEINTRAUB,

45.

_

66.

CURTIS WEINTRAUB

Hey! Curtis Weintraub from the

Sports Popper! Haven't seen you

two since the Cuervo Gold Rock 'n

Sock Charity Six Flags Budfest!

Hello!

Neither look at him, they remain fixed on each other. Curtis

gets a whiff of what he walked into.

CURTIS WEINTRAUB

(continuing; exiting

quickly)

Goodbye!

AVERY:

I'm warning you. Don't say it.

You won't have another chance.

JERRY:

Listen to me!

AVERY:

No.

JERRY:

It's over --

She continues moving into the next room.

AVERY:

Didn't hear it.

JERRY:

There is something missing here.

AVERY:

You've never been alone and you

can't be alone --

JERRY:

Listen to me, it's over.

She can barely believe it. She blinks.

AVERY:

No one has ever dumped me.

JERRY:

I'm not trying to make history.

_

67.

AVERY:

I did the 23 hour nose-route to

the top of El Capitan in 6 hours!

I can make this work.

JERRY:

(it slips out)

No.

She takes a breath. It sinks in. From somewhere, the small

voice of her vulnerability.

AVERY:

Oh Jerry.

JERRY:

(steps closer)

You know I didn't ever want to

hurt you.

She gets an odd look, shaking her head. Starts to step away,

then thinks better of it. She WALLOPS him in the face with

the back of her hand. Jerry stands like a woozy boxer. She

hits him again with a fist, then again in the chest. He

sinks to the floor, sagging. backwards. She straddles him,

addresses him fully, right in his bruised face.

AVERY:

I won't let you hurt me, Jerry.

I'm too strong for you. Loser.

INT. JFK AIRPORT -- NEXT MORNING

Jerry moves through the crowded airport with Rod Tidwell.

Both wear sunglasses.

TIDWELL:

You love me now, don't you?

JERRY:

Very much.

ON TV MONITOR -- ROY FIRESTONE

is leaning forward, expressively, talking with a weepy

athlete.

INT. RED CARPET LOUNGE -- DAY

Tidwell watches next to Jerry, as they wait for the flight.

Jerry nurses a stiff drink.

TIDWELL:

Everybody on this show cries now.

_

68.

JERRY:

Rod --

TIDWELL:

(off t.v. )

You feel bad you tested positive?

Quit doing blow! You feel bad

about your baby girl? Why did you

leave the mother?

JERRY:

What are you doing with me, Rod?

TIDWELL:

Huh?

JERRY:

Don't you even see -- I'm

finished. I'm f***ed. Twenty-four

hours ago, I was hot. Now... I'm

a cautionary tale!

Tidwell looks at Jerry, impassive.

JERRY:

(continuing)

See this jacket I'm wearing? You

like it? I don't really need it,

because I'm CLOAKED IN FAILURE.

I lost the number one draft pick

the night before the draft. They

will teach my story to other

agents on "do not do this" day in

agent school. Why? Let's recap.

Because a hockey player's kid made

me feel like a superficial jerk,

I had two slices of bad pizza,

went to bed, grew a conscience and

wrote a 25-page Manifesto of Doom!

TIDWELL:

Well, boo-f***ing-hoo.

JERRY:

The least you could do is nod and

act sympathetic --

TIDWELL:

(shaking head)

No.

JERRY:

It's a quality that might come in

handy for a commercial sometime.

_

69.

TIDWELL:

You are not allowed to act this

way.

JERRY:

Why not?

INT. AIRPLANE -- LATER DAY

They sit together. Jerry holds another drink.

TIDWELL:

Man, I got a shelf life of ten

years, tops! My next contract's

gotta bring me the dollars that'11

last me and mine a very long time.

I'm out of this sport in five

years. What's my family gonna

live on? What you get me. So I

don't want to hear about ya sh*t,

your "nya nya nya."

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