First wave of reviews

"Alex, what did the first media review say?" Alex, eager to divert his own embarrassment, asked anxiously.

Joseph suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit downstairs and replied, "It's from USA Today. USA Today is a comprehensive daily newspaper that started in September 1982." As Joseph thought about the newspaper review, his expression became somewhat stiff, and he hesitantly looked at Hugo's expectant eyes.

In fact, Joseph had initially been worried that Hugo would be overly concerned about media reviews, leading to sleepless nights and loss of appetite. Seeing the obvious dark circles under Hugo's eyes only confirmed Joseph's thoughts. However, Joseph then recalled how much Hugo had changed in the past six months. He knew that Hugo was no longer the playboy he had known before the Razzie Awards.

"The review isn't good. It was written by Mike Clarke," Joseph decided to be honest. He was not only Hugo's agent but also his partner, fighting alongside him. He needed to face various situations together with Hugo. Besides, even if he wanted to hide the review from Hugo, it would be impossible. "He said, 'This two-and-a-half-hour movie is not compact enough for more than half of the time.' But Al Pacino still perfectly portrayed the role!"

It wasn't a positive review, and Hugo's smile instantly froze on his face. Joseph hadn't finished speaking yet and changed his tone as he continued, "He only gave it a score of fifty out of one hundred." That was a failing grade.

Charlize and Alex stood still, clearly not expecting this outcome. Surprisingly, it was Hugo who felt relieved. When pent-up emotions reached their peak, such a frontal attack actually helped him relax.

"Huh, fifty points, not good but not bad," Hugo relaxed and his smile reappeared. He sighed and said, albeit with a tinge of disappointment in his eyes.

"Hugo, USA Today is a general newspaper, not a professional media outlet. Don't take it too seriously," Charlize, who had been studying acting and familiarizing herself with the entertainment industry for the past few months, took the initiative to speak, grasping the situation.

Alex's eyes also lit up, nodding repeatedly. "Exactly, who is this Mike Clarke? I've never heard of him before. In my opinion, we shouldn't even care about this review!"

Faced with everyone's consolation, Hugo's disappointment faded along with his smile. This time, he genuinely laughed. "Don't worry, I know the media is not easy to please." Film critics are known for being nitpicky because it's their job, and they are just regular people with their own preferences. Hugo said this to comfort his friends and himself. "At least he didn't criticize my acting, right?"

Hugo's words made sense, but understanding something logically is different from facing it in reality. Although Hugo tried to lighten the atmosphere, the living room still felt somewhat downcast.

Joseph looked at Hugo, who had a radiant smile, and secretly let out a sigh of relief. Recalling the flood of criticism after "Hudson Hawk" was released, Hugo was right about one thing: even though USA Today didn't praise him, they also didn't tear him apart. That was a positive sign.

Even the person directly involved, Hugo, was able to remain optimistic and positive. As his agent, Joseph couldn't afford to lose his composure. So he pretended to be at ease and said, "The first wave of reviews will continue to come out. Let's wait a little longer. By the way, what are your breakfast plans? We can't skip breakfast just because of those troublesome media reviews."

After getting out of bed, Hugo and Charlize hadn't washed up yet. The same was true for Alex, who still had foam residue on the corners of his mouth even after brushing his teeth. Joseph's reminder made everyone realize their negligence. Hugo, Charlize, and Alex glanced at each other, and Hugo was the first to rush towards the bathroom.

Following closely behind, Charlize ran and shouted, "Ladies first, ladies first!"

And Alex, who was a bit slow to react, shouted, "I just need to wash my face, wash my face..."

But the bathroom door was mercilessly closed, and Hugo, being the fastest, took the lead. Only Charlize and Alex were left standing at the door, looking at the wooden door with a frustrated expression. Joseph watched the lively atmosphere in the room and felt slightly relieved.

After everyone finished washing up, Joseph toasted the bread, prepared milk and cereal, and sat at the dining table. Actually, there still weren't enough tall stools on the third floor. There were only two, and since the dining table was too high, the remaining chairs were not suitable. So usually only two people would sit, while others found places to sit randomly.

For example, Hugo sat on the sink countertop and kicked Charlize's tall stool. "Pass me the bread and the peanut butter."

"Why should I?" Charlize turned around and gave Hugo a disdainful look, as if she couldn't care less. But her actions contradicted her words as she picked up a slice of bread and started spreading peanut butter on it.

Seeing this scene, Hugo laughed and then said, "Cut!" "It's not for you, why are you so happy?" Hugo watched as Charlize was about to put the bread in her mouth. He immediately jumped down from the sink, looking dissatisfied and muttering, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, Charlize turned around and handed the bread to Hugo, leaving him surprised.

Charlize held the bread in the air for about two seconds, not seeing Hugo reaching out to take it. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't want it?" Hugo then reacted and quickly took the bread. "I want it, of course I want it. Thank you! Thank you very much!" He bit into the bread and leaned against the edge of the sink, contentedly chewing.

"Joseph! There's a call for you. I..." Karl's voice came from the door. He saw everyone sitting around the dining table eating breakfast and immediately complained, "You didn't even call me for breakfast!" He didn't say much more and walked straight to the dining table, reaching for the toasted bread. However, Joseph harshly slapped his hand, and Karl widened his eyes, looking at Joseph.

Joseph, with a mouthful of bread, calmly said, "If you want bread, toast it yourself!"

"I won't tell you the content of the call I just received, but it's about the initial reviews of the movie," Karl said. He had answered the call upstairs and found Joseph absent, so he came downstairs wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

Facing Karl's words, Joseph pushed the whole plate of toasted bread towards him without changing his expression. Karl smiled satisfied and picked up a piece of bread, found some strawberry jam, and faced the expectant eyes of the four people around him. Although he felt a bit pressured, Karl remained composed and calmly spread the strawberry jam. He waited until Alex's forehead veins were bulging before he finally spoke, "The reviews from the Chicago Sun-Times are out."

Although the Chicago Sun-Times was only a daily newspaper published in the Chicago area and not the top-selling one even locally, its film reviews were highly regarded. This was because the legendary American film critic Roger Ebert contributed to this newspaper.

Roger Ebert, who was sixty years old this year, was one of the most famous film critics in the United States. He was the first film critic in history to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, and his film review show had also been nominated for an Emmy Award. He was undoubtedly one of the most influential film critics today.

Therefore, when Joseph heard about the Chicago Sun-Times he immediately became nervous. "Roger Ebert's review?" Even if he always claimed not to care, every film is the result of countless efforts from the entire cast and crew. As actors, they naturally hope that their work will be recognized. Especially after the terrible reviews from USA Today, Roger's review became even more important.

Not only Joseph, but Hugo, Charlize, and Alex also stopped chewing and looked at Karl.

Karl nodded and said, "It's Roger. He said that in the end of "Scent of a Woman", we return to the clichéd conclusion of a coming-of-age film, a clichéd conclusion about a prep school. But what sets this film apart is the wisdom and technique it possesses that other films of the same genre lack..."

Karl's words were quite long, and no one spoke afterwards because they were unsure whether Roger's review was praising or criticizing the film, or perhaps taking a neutral stance.

"He also said that Al delivered one of the most memorable performances of his career, and Hugo..." Karl paused for a moment, looked at Hugo, and then smiled. "Hugo's excellent performance, along with Al, carried the entire film!" This was good news. Roger straightforwardly praised Al and Hugo's performances.

Karl looked at the restrained smile on Hugo's face, and he himself couldn't hold back any longer. So, without further suspense, he eagerly said, "Roger gave the film a score of eighty out of a hundred!"

Eighty out of a hundred, this was truly excellent news. Compared to the terrible reviews from USA Today, Roger's review, written for the Chicago Sun-Times, successfully saved Hugo's morning.