Here's a little item in the movie that is different than the script. In the latter, Jerry says the line, "Who's coming with me besides... 'Flipper' here?", then "Anybody going with me," and then onto his business with Wendy.

In the movie, Jerry goes on a whole riff off the line, "Who's coming with me." He repeats the line 4 times. And in some ways, it becomes the big pivot point in the scene, spotlighting his desperation to find someone, anyone to join him and thus validate his rash decision.

It also heightens the level of embarrassment Jerry feels - and we feel by extension for him, embarrassment that translates itself into sympathy.

And it also intensifies the pressure on Dorothy, that question four times, each time an overture to her.

My guess is that in rehearsal or early run-throughs of the scene, that line stuck with Crowe and Cruise. Basically milk that line to dig Jerry deeper into his own morass, take the embarrassment from a 10 to an 11 (per Spinal Tap), and make the scene that much more evocative dramatically and emotionally.

One small change in terms of text, but a big one in terms of subtext.

(Another) Great initiative.

I'll watch it and read it later on, but I'll do it, that's for sure.

Dorothy's exit is beautifully acted and precisely choreographed. The coffee spill gets cut -- that's a cheap joke. Instead, Renee Zellweger wavers between accepting the full-on underdog glory of the moment and succumbing to its awkwardness, and the back and forth between them as they walk out is their partnership being born.

You can tell how much cleaner a scene can get once the cast and crew or on set and have actual blocking to work with, and not just something in the writer's head. The frantic water drinking always seemed weird to me in the script - extended business that had no real purpose. We see Jerry's distraught, about to have a breakdown/breakthrough moment, so why have him suddenly down water like a worn out race horse? From a purely practical point of view, it also restricts the blocking by keeping him tied to the water cooler. Plus, Tom Cruise is great with his hands, so giving him a constant cup of water keeps him from making some of those big/unique/wacky/passionate gestures he good at. And add to it that he's got to juggle a fish in a bag and a Dixie cup. It's just too much business.

I love the way Dorothy asks, "Right now?" so softly in the finished film, extending that moment, and he nods at her confidently. There's this electric communication between them at that point you don't get in the script, which is deliberately a more frantic and clumsy feeling moment. The movie went for magic instead, and it pays off nicely. Again, the blocking maters so much. Instead of Jerry going to Dorothy, they move towards one another, each traveling down opposite sides of a long row of cubicles until they meet at the end. Very symbolic and tied into the whole theme of the film.

Finally, one of my favorite touches is that shot of Bob Sugar (Jay Mohr) eating a vending machine snack while Jerry is having this riveting moment. Reveals so much about the callousness of his uber-jaded character.

Great observations, all. Annika's point about blocking is so important. And while it's not our (screenwriter) job to do that in the script, we should still be aware of the physical and emotional space in what we envision and write. Here is an example of that from the script that made it into the movie:

WIDE-SHOT

rising over the huge office. For the first time, we see the full expanse of the huge SMI headquarters. And down in the corner of the frame, two small figures leave carrying boxes.

JERRY
(to Dorothy)
Let's see how they do without us.

A beat of silence, then noise returns to its normal
commercial roar. A couple of fleas have been swatted off the carcass of an immense beast.

I think the main reason Crowe had it in there was to go for the joke: Jerry's line followed by the immediate return to normal of the work crew.

But visually it also does something else: It reinforces the underdog dynamic, these "two small figures" amidst the full spectrum of that WIDE SHOT.

The line "This is embarrassing." is not in the script and it feels superfluous in the scene. We get it, Cameron. It's obvious that it's embarrassing - no need to spell it out. The look on Jerry's face should have sufficed.

It would be interesting to know which draft of the script this is. I'm guessing it's not the shooting script? Or it could be and the scene changed while they were shooting? Actually, since Crowe is both the writer and director the difference between the various drafts are probably of less importance.

The important thing is that the point came across clearly. The actual dialogue and what Jerry was doing with his hands is secondary, really. The fish is still in there - a symbol of sorts, I guess - care about the little guy, small fish in a big pond, perhaps?

The scene as shot has more emotional impact than as written. No surprise there. But Tom Cruise plays this role dangerously close to over-the-top. One more level and this could have easily been ridiculed.

A small anecdote about Cameron Crowe:

An actor friend of mine auditioned for Elizabethtown and the "audition" consisted of him and Crowe chatting for fifteen minutes at Crowe's office. No line reading, no scenes to act, just talking and Crowe getting a feel for the person. He wanted authenticity above all else.

@Teddy: That's one of the beauties of the scene that it takes the tone and emotion right to the edge of going over the top and yet it still works. It only works because the character (Jerry) is himself experiencing an over the top moment in his life: getting fired and losing all but one of his clients.

What counterbalances Jerry's antics is what Josh and Annika note in their comments: Jerry and Dorothy's exit. In the script, it's this:

He walks to Dorothy, and together they exit down the hallway corridor, past the framed posters and awards.

Compare to what transpires in the movie and that "walk" becomes something really sublime, two characters on a parallel path, then plunged together in the next scene (the elevator), a symbolic touchstone for where they start their journey.

Speaking of Crowe anecdotes, has anyone heard the one about how Crowe and Cruise tried to get Billy Wilder to play the role of the old agent in Jerry Maguire? If not, I'll be happy to put it down as I recall it from a Rolling Stone magazine feature.