Read Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire mission statement

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Photo: Andrew Cooper

Who can forget Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire, the Tom Cruise-led sports classic he wrote, produced, and directed back in 1996? As Crowe preps to ring in the film’s 20th anniversary this December, the multi-hyphenate media man has shared the movie’s driving force in full: the 25-page mission statement — called “The Things We Think and Do Not Say” — penned by Maguire (Cruise) that forces him to lose his corporate sports agent gig and start anew with his own agency.

Posted to his website Tuesday, the manifesto decries the dishonesty Maguire felt within the flick’s fictional sports biz, shared only via voiceover snippets in the film. It was reportedly influenced by a 1991 memo sent by then-Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, who allegedly wrote a 28-page letter suggesting the company return to its storytelling roots and step away from its movie star spectacles.

In its heydey, Jerry Maguire was both a critical and financial success. It earned $273 million at the worldwide box office, scooping up five Oscar noms and three Golden Globe nods. It’s since spawned a number of quotable one-liners, including “Show me the money,” “You had me at hello,” and “Help me help you.”

Read the full manifesto on Crowe’s official website.

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